Exhibitions: a Look Ahead
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Volume 32 • Number 2 • Winter 2009 CONNECTICUT MAINE MASSACHUSETTS NEW HAMPSHIRE RHODE ISLAND NEWS VERMONT EXHIBITIONS: A LOOK AHEAD Museums create exhibits to educate THE AUDIENCE-FOCUSED EXHIBIT but also to spark the imagination and By Ann Y. Smith, Project Director, Mattatuck Museum curiosity of their visitors. Exhibits are a primary way in which we commu- n May 2008, the Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center in nicate with our audiences and share Waterbury, Connecticut, opened a new 5,200 square foot exhibit our collections and the central story about the history of the region. The exhibit was unusual in several of our institutions. As Harold and respects. It was an ambitious project, with a $2 million budget and a five-year workplan. Moreover, the Mattatuck, convinced of its role Susan Skramstad said in A Hand- I as a community museum, was committed to a high level of audience book for Museum Trustees, to be input at every stage of the exhibit’s development. successful, an exhibition must be A New History for New Audiences both “insightful and inspirational.” The new exhibit replaced a highly admired history exhibit installed in 1986. Some won- To help you achieve this goal, in this dered whether it was necessary to undertake an expensive and time-consuming revision. However, the museum’s world has changed in twenty years. Today’s audiences have issue of NEMA News, we take a little leisure time and they expect compelling and media-savvy experiences when they’re look at a new approach to organizing looking for education and entertainment. They have fewer connections with their local communities than their parents had, and are looking for experiences that are easy to find exhibits, field-wide trends in exhibit and directly related to their own interests. design as well as the latest online Fortunately, the rise of new media over the last twenty years and the decreasing cost tools in design and fabrication. This of these technologies could assist the Mattatuck’s efforts to reach these new audiences. issue also describes NEMA’s re- New technologies make it possible to provide visitors with deep and self-directed access to collections and information, and to do so in a lively way. sponse to the economic recession that In addition, the museum’s director, Marie Galbraith, had led a series of community- is affecting our members and keeps based history projects over the last 15 years that yielded new collections about the lives you informed of our efforts to influ- of current residents. Centered around oral history projects in the city’s neighborhoods, ethnic communities and area businesses, these projects produced an audio archive of ence support for museums in the new 1,500 first hand accounts of local experiences and thousands of related images and arti- Administration. facts. Each project led to popular temporary exhibits in the museum and in community settings and on-line. The new collections were also the basis of publications, theater presentations, and teacher training institutes. These stories were the voices of our recent past. We wanted the new exhibit to bring the full collection to our larger audiences, to align the museum with this recent history. continued on page 4 NEMA NEWS / WINTER 2009 • 1 From the President WELCOME to the quarterly newsletter publication of his is my first opportunity to write a “From the President” message. I am pleased the New England Mu seum Association. NEMA News is and honored to have been elected at the 2008 conference in Warwick. Confer- a key communication and resource-sharing vehicle for ence attendance was a bit lower than it has been in recent years, but that comes the six-state membership. The goal of NEMA News is to T as no surprise given the financial difficulties that we all face. Those people who call for, re spond to, and disseminate current information did attend—more than 750 in all—had good things to say about the conference. I about regional and na tional issues and activities relevant heard from people who were energized by Curt Columbus’ keynote address. Others to the museum profession. NEMA mem bership is open to museums, their staff and volunteers, stu dents, consultants, enjoyed the variety of topics and the new and different session formats. Some of you vendors, and others who support the region’s museums. suggested that future sessions might offer even more new and different topics, and some hope that future conferences will have more advanced sessions for those who We welcome your comments and suggestions. have been in the field for a while. This feedback will be helpful to people who will be New England Museum Association planning next year’s conference. 22 Mill Street, Suite 409 I’d like to take a minute to thank everyone who worked to make the conference a Arlington, MA 02476 success: the planning committee, the session speakers, the volunteers who helped out during the conference, the local hosts, and of course the NEMA staff. Most of all, Phone: 781-641-0013 thanks to everyone who attended the conference. The best sessions in the world are Fax: 781-641-0053 wasted if they are given in an empty room or to a room full of people who remain si- Website: www.nemanet.org lent when the speaker asks for questions or comments. That was certainly not a prob- NEMA Emails: lem at this conference. Our members exhibited their enthusiasm and their willingness NEMA News: [email protected] to share information in the lively discussions that took place in the sessions and in the NEMA Jobs: [email protected] informal conversations in the exhibit hall, at the evening events, and around the hotel Exhibit Listings: [email protected] bar and lobby. Thanks to all for coming and sharing your ideas and enthusiasm. Membership/General: [email protected] This is an exciting time for NEMA. The staff, board and a task force of members and others interested in the museum field are working on a new strategic plan for the or- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ganization. You’ll learn more about that in the coming months. The plan will empha- Gail Nessell Colglazier size identifying and addressing member needs, improving the ways that NEMA uses American Independence Museum technology, and advocating for museums in the larger community. There are already President advocacy efforts underway at the national level, thanks to the coalition headed by Joshua Basseches AASLH, with participation from AAM, ASTC, AZA, AAMD and the various regional Peabody Essex Museum First Vice President groups, including NEMA. The goal of the coalition is to increase federal funding for museums. Susan Funk Mystic Seaport Even as NEMA is moving forward and has a sound financial footing, I realize that I Vice President am taking office at a difficult time for museums. All of us in the field are concerned, Anne von Stuelpnagel wondering if schools will find money for field trips, if corporate sponsors will sup- Bruce Museum port exhibits and programs, if donations will come in to the annual fund, if we can Vice President keep the doors open, and if visitors will continue to come through our doors. Even as Scott Stevens I paused in the writing of these notes, I received an e-mail describing major staff cuts Museums of Old York at a large and respected New England museum. I am afraid that we will be hearing Treasurer similar news from other museums in the coming months. Pieter Roos Newport Restoration Foundation I am an optimist by nature; my glass is always half full rather than half empty. Howev- Secretary er, even I admit that it is hard to be positive about the financial troubles we are facing. With that in mind, here a few suggestions that may help in small ways. NEMA STAFF Go back and re-read (or read for the first time if, like me, you are way behind in your Katheryn P. Viens professional reading) the Fall 2008 issue of NEMA News. It is full of helpful articles on Executive Director dealing with financial difficulities. Sign up for a PAG workshop. You get a full day’s BJ Larson worth of information for as little as $35. Save some money through NEMA’s Group Deputy Director Discount Program with W.B. Mason. Join one of our internet discussion lists and ask a Jane Coughlin question. Get ideas on how other museums handle various matters by using NEMA’s Operations Manager & Membership Coordinator Museum Policy Loan Service. Most of all, talk to your colleagues. Pick up the phone, Heather A. Riggs send an e-mail, get together for lunch. One of the most valuable things that NEMA Publications Manager & Corporate Member Services does is provide a community of peers, friends who are always willing to answer a question, offer an opinion, suggest a new approach, or simply provide a sympathetic ear, all at no cost. In difficult times, that can be priceless. Gail Nessell Colglazier President 2 • NEMA NEWS / WINTER 2009 CONTENTS / WINTER 2009 THE RECESSION IN NEW ENGLAND MUSEUMS By Kate Viens, NEMA Executive Director 1 The Audience-Focused Exhibit by Ann Y. Smith Museums nationwide speak of colle- As a result, NEMA is actively collect- giality, best practices, and sustainability. ing case studies that describe the ways 2 From the President When I think of New England muse- in which museums are tackling difficult ums and historical societies, the words issues related to the recession, along with 3 The Recession in New England “friendship,” “practicality” and “endur- the names of colleagues who are available Museums ance” come to mind.