Be Informed: VAM News 

2019 VAM Conference
Thank you for joining us for VAM's 2019 Annual Conference that took place in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was an outstanding success! We enjoyed reconnecting with long time VAM members and meeting new members as well. 
 
Please remember to fill out the post-conference survey;  we will be sending it out by email later this week. We would love to hear from you and receive your feedback. This year, if you include your email in your response, we will enter your name in a raffle for a free workshop registration for you or one of your staff members. 
 
We are excited to announce that the 2020 VAM Conference will be held at the Westfields Marriott/Washington Dulles in Chantilly Virginia. We look forward to seeing all of you next March 7-10!
 
Westfields Marriott

 
 
Spring Meet Up & Happy Hour
     
We will be showcasing Norfolk's newest museum at our Spring Meet Up on Wednesday, April 24 from 2pm-4:30pm.  Meet up with friends in Tidewater/Hampton Roads and see the new Barry Art Museum  at Old Dominion University.
 
A Happy Hour to follow.  Reserve your space here.
 
Spring Reminder: Please check your Museum member compass page on the VAM website, your Spam folder or Junk folder in your email for Open Invoices, if your membership is up for renewal. Any invoices over 30 days old will be mailed out to you, as well. Renew Your Membership Today! Contact Dan for assistance or any questions.
In This Issue
Be Informed: VAM News
Workshop News
General News
Be Informed: Member News
Find Funding
Expand Your View
Upcoming Deadlines
Conference/Workshop News
VAM WORKSHOPS: 
Whether caring for your collection,  managing grant projects  or developing an oral history program , VAM's spring and summer workshops offers something for every member of your team. There are only two spots left for next week's Introduction to Collections Care  at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, so register now! 
 
*Send 2 or more representatives from your organization and save $5 off each registration!  Open invoices must be paid in advance before registering for new events. Learn about all of VAM's workshops
 
Virginia Association of Museums Members: Fight Back Against the Hack:
Join VAM and our partner 360 Coverage for a free webinar to learn more about how you can access new tools offered to the members of the Virginia Association of Museums, designed to help you determine your current level of cyber risk, take steps to help prevent a data breach, and protect your Museum with both Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance and a Business Owner's Policy. April 18, 2019 Register
 
 
Even if you can't attend the webinar, take a few moments to explore the offerings from our new affinity partner, 360 Coverage.   
General News
How's visitation at your site? Up? Down? Steady? 
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is conducting a national visitation survey and wants to know what visitation trends you've seen at your site in the last few years.  Take 5 minutes to complete the survey and share with any other institutions who are interested in participating.   Survey


VAM is assisting graduate student Jennifer Hochuli. She is a graduate student in the Museum Professions program at Seton Hall University. For her Master's thesis, She is researching outreach programming within museums, with a goal to compile a list of information from museums throughout the country. Please consider completing the attached  survey  about outreach programming at your institution. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.  She is happy to share a summary of her results and recommendations for best practices in outreach programming.   
Be Informed: Member News
Congratulations:  Dr. Lynn Rainville  on her appointment as Washington & Lee University's inaugural  Director of Institutional History.
 
Congratulations:  Piedmont Arts Association for receiving  accreditation 
by the American Alliance of Museums.

Congratulations: David Brashear on being named interim director of the College of William and Mary's Muscarelle Museum of Art. 

Congratulations:  D avid Voelkel on being selected as the new Senior Curator of Historical Collections at Maymont.

Congratulations:  Anne Marie Paquette on being named Director of Education for the Mosby Heritage Area Association.
Find Funding

College Arts Association
CAA  recently announced the launch of a $1 million fund  that will pay grants to art history faculty and students to visit shows specifically relevant to their course material. The fund, which will hand out grants of up to $10,000 for eligible scholars and students, came about thanks to a major gift from an anonymous donor. There is no deadline for applications.

Virginia Humanities
Discretionary Grant Program -  Smaller grants of up to $3,000. Applications are accepted at any time. Applicants should contact  Virginia Humanities staff
 in advance before submitting a Discretionary Grant proposal. There is no deadline for this program

NEH
NEH guidelines are now available for Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants! Awards up to $750,000 in federal matching funds support capital expenditures, equipment & software, collections preservation & conservation, and existing digital infrastructure. These grants have a fundraising component and offer special encouragement to projects addressing the 250th anniversary of American independence and those from HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, and community colleges.  Optional drafts reviewed if sent by April 3. Questions welcome at [email protected] or 202-606-8309.
Deadline: May 15. Challenge

IMLS Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for projects that support libraries and archives serving Native Americans and Native Alaskans. Applications for  Native American Library Services Enhancement  grants are due May 1, 2019.  Native American Library Services Enhancement grants advance the programs and services of eligible Indian tribes, including Alaska native villages, regional corporations, and village corporations. They are competitive grants of up to $150,000 for two years and are available to any library that has an active  Basic
 grant.

NEA Challenge America Grants
The Challenge America grant offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Proposals should detail the efforts made to reach the identified underserved population. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development.
Deadline is April 11, 2019. More information can be found here:  NEA

Challenge America grants:
  • Extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations.
  • Are limited to the specific types of projects outlined below.
  • Are for a fixed amount of $10,000 and require a minimum $10,000 match.
Expand Your View

Archaeologists at Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest recently uncovered the original surface of the Carriage Turnaround completely for the last time before restoration. The cobblestones pictured are from the early nineteenth century and provided access for a carriage and six horses to get to the house. The surface will be covered with a protective layer of concrete and flattened stones that mimic the original surface exactly making the turnaround safe for visitors without damaging the original surface underneath.



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