Monday, February 28, 2011

Virtual Representation

If you couldn't make it to DC for Museums Advocacy Day 2011 (like me), here are some things you can do from home, via AAM's President Ford Bell:
  1. On Tuesday March 1, share the same key messages with your legislators that advocates are taking to Capitol Hill. Use the Contact Congress feature of Speak Up for Museums on Tuesday or throughout the week to send letters to your legislators in support of funding for the Office of Museum Services at IMLS, the role of museums in comprehensive education reform and the fact that museums are economic engines.
  2. Museums Advocacy Day participants are also sharing with legislators an Economic Impact Statement for their museum.  Prepare and share yours today! 
  3. Ask your legislators to sign-on to support “Dear Colleague” letters being circulated in the House and Senate by Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in support of the Office of Museum Services.
  4. Encourage your trustees and visitors to your museum to weigh-in with legislators.
  5. Use the web and social media to further our collective advocacy efforts. Add a link to Speak Up for Museums to your museum’s website, connect to AAM on Facebook, or post an entry about issues affecting museums and the legislators that represent your museum on your museum’s blog.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Beginning


I posted a few weeks ago about my desire to start organizing the supplies in this closet at one of my museums.  It contains many art and craft supplies that I use for my school programs and vacation camp programs.  Most of the supplies have their own containers (baskets, boxes, etc.), but the disorganization is pretty widespread.

So I decided that containers of uniform sizes and shapes were the key.  I picked up a few KASSETT boxes at IKEA and filled them with crayons and colored pencils.  It may not look like much now, but imagine the whole closet full of white, well-labeled boxes.  A small step in the right direction!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Shadows & Light

Passing by the windows of one of my museums last Thursday, I was struck by the pattern of shadows on the snow - amidst my excitement at actually physically being at work, for the first time in two weeks!  So I snapped a picture.  Also - that large oak on the right is at least 363 years old and was used as a prayer meeting location for early settlers of the town from 1648 on.  Very cool.