ADVOCACY MATTERS
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. Mark your calendars to participate in person or virtually.
Here in Pennsylvania midterm elections yesterday concluded with a victory for Governor Wolf in his bid to win a second term. John Fetterman will support him in the Lieutenant Governor's seat. There will be new faces in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate, and the Republican party maintained the majority in both chambers. The Democratic party made gains in seats in both the House and Senate. For example, the Senate was 34-16 in favor of the Republican party, and it will likely be 29-21 in the new legislative session. The Pennsylvania House was 121-81 in favor of the Republican party, and yesterday's elections will shift the balance to about 110-93. These numbers may move slightly after recounts in the closest contests.
In other news from Harrisburg
House Bill 1511, a bill that would create a funding stream for Pennsylvania's tourism industry, moved through both chambers, and was signed by Governor Wolf on October 24, 2018.
The PA House is scheduled for session on November 13, and the Senate's remaining scheduled session day is November 14. Legislators and their staff will be at work in the coming weeks on leadership and committee assignments for the new legislative session, and we will share news when it is available.
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CALL FOR AWARDS NOMINATIONS
We have extended our deadline for awards nominations!
The process for nominating an organization or institution for an award is easy. All types of museums are welcome to submit nominations, including art museums, arboretums, nature centers, childrens museums, historical societies, and zoos.
Doesn’t your organization deserve to be there when awards are presented in 2019 at our conference in the Brandywine Valley?
The deadline for submitting nominations is now this Friday, November 9, 2018. You can find more information about award categories, eligibility, and how to nominate an institution or individual at
our website.
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ADVERTISE AND SUPPORT PA MUSEUMS' CONFERENCE
A message to our business members and friends
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. Sponsor an event, provide a scholarship, buy an ad in our program, or exhibit your products with us.
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MUSEUM STORE SUNDAY
Last year, more than 700 nonprofit museums saw a 37 percent increase in visitors, 23 percent increase in museum store transactions, and 60 percent increase in net store sales on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The reason? Museum Store Sunday.
Back for a second year this November 25,
Museum Store Sunday is your museum's chance to help holiday shoppers find distinctive gifts filled with inspiration and educational value that also support the important work you do all year round.
Registration is free for this global initiative and comes with a toolkit for promoting the event online and on-site.
Read more about what one museum called "the best Sunday after Thanksgiving ever."
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CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
Tonight, November 7, the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia will hold a networking event,
Planning for People in Museum Exhibitions. Independent Exhibitions principal and exhibit developer Kathleen McLean, and Institute for Learning Innovation researcher Judy Koke, Ph.D. will share their work, guiding philosophies, and effective practices for integrating visitor perspectives into exhibitions and interpretation.
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MEMBERSHIP
PA Museums will be mailing our renewals soon for those members with December expiration dates. Please be on the lookout in your mailbox. Thank you to our members for all of your support!
JOB POSTINGS
OF INTEREST
There's new data about cultural organizations and social media from Colleen Dilenschneider's
Know You Own Bone blog.
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PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS
Sunday, November 11 marks the end of World War I Centennial Commemoration.
Soldiers and Sailors in Pittsburgh, the
State Museum in Harrisburg, the
Little League Museum in Williamsport, and many other museums and historical organizations will join together this Sunday for Bells of Peace in remembrance.
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