I'm back from my vacation! Here's a sampling of the news I missed while I was gone:
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Greening the Museum
As we all know, green is the new black these days. It's hip to care about the environment right now, at least on the surface of things. And the museum field is not immune. Nearly two years ago, before the current fad for "going green," the AAM published this article on environmental responsibility in museums. The article has some excellent pointers on ways to both assess and reduce your institution's impact on the environment.
It also spotlights what I consider one of the most important reasons for museums to consider greening their practices and facilities - our underlying mission to serve the public good. In the end, how can we, as professionals dedicated to education, preservation, and community engagement, fail to recognize the importance of reducing our impact on the environment and helping preserve it for future generations?
I will be away on vacation for the next two weeks, so the blog will get a brief hiatus. Look for something new the week of August 11th.
It also spotlights what I consider one of the most important reasons for museums to consider greening their practices and facilities - our underlying mission to serve the public good. In the end, how can we, as professionals dedicated to education, preservation, and community engagement, fail to recognize the importance of reducing our impact on the environment and helping preserve it for future generations?
I will be away on vacation for the next two weeks, so the blog will get a brief hiatus. Look for something new the week of August 11th.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
No Child Left Behind in the Museum
While browsing the New England Museum Association's website the other day, I noticed a survey they are in the process of completing. They're asking members to answer the question: "What does No Child Left Behind* mean for school group visits to museums?"
I find this a very interesting question, as I've dealt with NCLB before, but in a very different capacity. For nearly three years, I was the Supplemental Educational Services coordinator for a private tutoring company. In this role, I was privy to many of the failures and successes of this legislation. With public schoolteachers at my side, I waded through a veritable sea of red tape, but I also got to hear about the young girl who had just received her first A in math ever and the young boy who initially skipped his tutoring sessions, but grew to love working with his tutor.
For me, the SES program became emblematic of the failures and successes of the public school system in general. More often than not, I (and the schoolteachers in the districts with whom I worked) became incredibly frustrated by the bureaucracy inherent in managing such an expansive, national program. However, those moments of getting through to struggling, disadvantaged students shone like beacons of light and, sometimes, made it all worthwhile.
So it will be very interesting to see what the NEMA survery will yield. The results will be presented in a session at the annual NEMA conference “Sustaining Communities: The Power of Museums” in Warwick, Rhode Island, from November 12-14, 2008. Mark your calendars now if you're interested, too!
*Here is a definition of No Child Left Behind, for those of you who haven't been dealing with it over the last seven years.
UPDATE: Just found a blog called "No Museum Left Behind", dedicated to "research and ideas related to how museums and museum educators grapple with issues related to No Child Left Behind legislation." An apt addendum, if ever there was one.
I find this a very interesting question, as I've dealt with NCLB before, but in a very different capacity. For nearly three years, I was the Supplemental Educational Services coordinator for a private tutoring company. In this role, I was privy to many of the failures and successes of this legislation. With public schoolteachers at my side, I waded through a veritable sea of red tape, but I also got to hear about the young girl who had just received her first A in math ever and the young boy who initially skipped his tutoring sessions, but grew to love working with his tutor.
For me, the SES program became emblematic of the failures and successes of the public school system in general. More often than not, I (and the schoolteachers in the districts with whom I worked) became incredibly frustrated by the bureaucracy inherent in managing such an expansive, national program. However, those moments of getting through to struggling, disadvantaged students shone like beacons of light and, sometimes, made it all worthwhile.
So it will be very interesting to see what the NEMA survery will yield. The results will be presented in a session at the annual NEMA conference “Sustaining Communities: The Power of Museums” in Warwick, Rhode Island, from November 12-14, 2008. Mark your calendars now if you're interested, too!
*Here is a definition of No Child Left Behind, for those of you who haven't been dealing with it over the last seven years.
UPDATE: Just found a blog called "No Museum Left Behind", dedicated to "research and ideas related to how museums and museum educators grapple with issues related to No Child Left Behind legislation." An apt addendum, if ever there was one.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Baseball as America
I know, I know. I blogged about baseball just a few weeks ago. However, it being summer, there seem to be a lot of stories lately about baseball intersecting with museums. And I'm happy to keep an eye on them for you!On June 15th, the "Baseball as America" exhibit opened at the Museum of Science (Boston). It's a traveling exhibit, created by the National Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It will run at the MOS until September 1st.
There are a thousand reasons to go see this exhibit, not least the fact that Cooperstown is pretty far away and you should see some of these five hundred artifacts while they're in New England. However, as the exhibit's website also points out, baseball is one of those phenomena that is uniquely American and as such, is an important part of American history. The site quotes scholar Gerald Early on the topic and I can't think of a better way to say it:
I think there are only three things that America will be known for 2,000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music and baseball. They're the three most beautifully designed things this culture has ever produced.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Tonight, I've got baseball on the brain. This is not an unusual thing for me. However, tonight's thoughts are directed towards a baseball story that I didn't know much about before now.
In the May/June issue of the American Association of Museum's magazine Museum, one of the feature articles focused on the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. This museum ably deals with the history of the American Negro Leagues that existed for nearly 100 years.
Given that Major League Baseball dedicated a special event to Negro League players during the 2008 draft this week, it seems that the history of these leagues, which turned out some amazing players, will continue to be in the spotlight in the near future. And bravo for that!
In the May/June issue of the American Association of Museum's magazine Museum, one of the feature articles focused on the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. This museum ably deals with the history of the American Negro Leagues that existed for nearly 100 years.
Given that Major League Baseball dedicated a special event to Negro League players during the 2008 draft this week, it seems that the history of these leagues, which turned out some amazing players, will continue to be in the spotlight in the near future. And bravo for that!
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