Tapestry Newsletter | December 19, 2018
ADVOCACY MATTERS

Back in November, the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO)announced in its reports that the Commonwealth could face a $1.7 billion deficit in the coming budget year. On Tuesday, December 11 Budget Secretary Randy Albright gave his mid-year report, and he optimistically suggested Pennsylvania could be much closer to break even or perhaps record a budget surplus in the coming year. His report cast doubts on the IFO's assuming a 10% growth in the state budget while also citing Pennsylvania's strong and improving economy as a reason for his optimism. House Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York) supported the Budget Secretary's doubts about the IFO's numbers in a press release on December 17, and he also discussed his hopes to keep spending down without new taxes and fees for a balanced budget with cooperation from the Governor and other legislators. Governor Wolf's Executive Budget presentation will be here soon in February 2019.

Pennsylvania's new legislators will be sworn in on January 1, 2019, and session is scheduled to begin that day for the House and Senate. The next session day after that is January 15, 2019; that is also the day Governor Wolf and Lieutenant-Governor Elect John Fetterman will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony.

The American Alliance of Museums is organizing Museum Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, February 25-26, 2019. This successful day of visiting legislative offices has been happening for a decade now, and its impact is growing support for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Registration is open.
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

PA Museums is proud to announce our 2019 Special Achievement Awards. Each year we recognize the excellent work going on in the Commonwealth's museums and historical organizations with an awards ceremony at our annual conference. We will present our awards on April 8, 2019 at our conference in Chadds Ford at the Brandywine River Museum of Art. Our 2019 Special Achievement Awards winners are:

Institutional Achievement Awards
  • Negley Log House Rebuild, Conococheague Institute for the Study of Cultural Heritage, Mercersburg
  • Community Heart and Soul Project, Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle
  • New Mission Statement and Strategic Plan, Eastern State Penitentiary and Historic Site, Philadelphia
  • Waves of the Past, Sailors of the Future, Flagship Niagara League/U.S. Brig Niagara, Erie
  • Fortifying our Future: Enhancing Fort Ligonier, Fort Ligonier, Ligonier
  • Revolution Place Discovery Center, The Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia
  • Bringing History Alive at Old Economy Village, Old Economy Village, Ambridge
  • Field to Front: Nittany Lions at War, 1917-1919, Penn State University All Sports Museum, University Park
  • Modernation and Improvement of Museum Collections Management, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall Museum, Pittsburgh
  • Restoration and Reinterpretation of Mammal Hall, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg
  • Historic Center and Cemetery, Stoddartsville Preservation Society, Stoddartsville

Individual Awards
Steve Appleby, The Eldred World War II Museum, Eldred
Sarah Buffington, Old Economy Village, Ambridge
Hope W. Kopf, The Joseph Priestly House, Northumberland

S.K. Stevens Award
The Museum of the American Revolution, Washington's War Tent


ADVERTISE AND SUPPORT PA MUSEUMS' CONFERENCE
 
If you are trying to reach more museums with your products or services, our conference is a perfect place to do that. PA Museums is looking for help to make our conference in 2019 in Chadds Ford a success. Did your company work on a project that will take home an award from PA Museums? Sponsor an event, provide a scholarship, buy an ad in our program, or exhibit your products with us.

Please click here for more.
FIND SUPPORT

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has opened its Cultural and Historical Support grants program. For eligibility information and instructions, please click here. The deadline to apply is January 25, 2019.

Check out other opportunities at our website.
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

The Small Museum Association's Annual Conference is in College Park, MD, February 17-19, 2019. Registration is open!


MEMBERSHIP

Thank you as always to our loyal members for all of your support!

PA Museums is once again looking for images from our members to use for our website or newsletter. With the change of the seasons, we are looking for some winter scenes, pictures of programming, and installation views. Please email us a few pictures if you have some to share.

Add our PA Museums logo to your membership newsletter or website. You can show your colors and let your visitors know you are part of our statewide association. Please email us, and we'll be happy to send you our logo.


JOB POSTINGS

PA Museums posted six new opportunities this week. If your institution has a vacancy, please see our job posting guidelines at the bottom of  our jobs page or  pass our contact information along to your hiring manager.


INTERNSHIPS

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission invites applications to its Keystone Summer Internship Program. The deadline to apply is February 8, 2019.

Fallingwater is also accepting applications from students for its paid internships.


NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING

Advertising in the PA Museums newsletter is available for six week runs for $150. Our newsletter reaches around 400 museum professionals every two weeks. Please email us to have your ad run in Tapestry.
PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS

Apollo Magazine published Natural History Museums Have Never Been So Necessary, by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Nicole Heller.

Grid Magazine in Philadelphia featured the work of one advocate and his push for better accessibility in museums.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared the announcement from the Frick Art and Historical Center about its Director Robin Nicholson's plans to step down in February.

There was a review of River Alive!, a new exhibit at Philadelphia's Independent Seaport Museum.

ABC27's Good Morning PA visited the Hershey Story Museum to find out what's happening there for the holidays.

The Burlington County Times (NJ) featured a re-enactor's work at Washington Crossing in bringing African-American history into focus.

WJAC TV visited the Johnstown Area Heritage Association's Message Tree.

GoErie hung out with the Erie Art Museum when staff tried to hang the museum's entire collection.

RECOMMENDED

The American Association for State and Local History posted 16 Tips for Creating a Small Museum YouTube Series.

Slate shared a podcast with a museum security professional from MOMA. This is one of a series of interviews with museum workers.

The Center for the Future of Museums has released its new edition of TrendsWatch along with suggestions on how to use it.
PA Museums | 717-909-4951 | rusty.baker@pamuseums.org | pamuseums.org