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          *          INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY        *
          *              COMMUNIQUE ONLINE                  *
          *                  05/04/2007                                *
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Table of Contents:

 

1. TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND CONFERENCES

    How to Research Your Historic Home

    This Old House: Architectural Styles of the Historic Old Northside

    Collections Camp: Military History

    Online Course on Outcomes and Evaluation Offered Free to Museums & Libraries this Summer and Fall

2. PROGRAMS

    May Melodies

    _Li'l Abner_ Tickets on Sale

    Queen Victoria Birthday Tea

    NCHS Quarterly Meeting Features Courthouse Speaker

    Heritage Garrison Weekend

    Center for French Colonial Studies Conference to be Held in Lafayette

3. HELP

    IMLS Requests Proposals to Study Public Funding Methods for Museums

4. EXHIBITS

    Artrain USA Shows _Native Views_ in Kokomo

5. ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NEWS

    New State Budget Contains Young Abe Lincoln Amphitheater Funding

6. JOB OPPORTUNITIES

    Director of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Ohio Historical Society

    Executive Director, Scott County Heritage Center & Museum

7. SAVE THE DATE

    AIM Conference,Sept.9-10,Evansville

8. ON THE INTERNET

    2007 Matching Gifts Best Practices Survey

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1. TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND CONFERENCES 

 

How to Research Your Historic Home

 

Researching a historic house is a fun but often frustrating endeavor. Learn the tricks of the trade and helpful hints at this workshop
aimed at novices. Discover how to research your historic home in this exciting workshop featuring Suzanne Stanis of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana on May 15 from 6-7 p.m.  Stanis is the Director of Heritage Education for Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.  During her twenty years with Historic Landmarks, she has researched and nominated over fifteen
buildings and neighborhoods to the National Register of Historic Places. As librarian for the Foundation’s Information Center she regularly provides assistance to people researching their own historic houses or looking for accurate period paint colors and interior decoration.

 

Cost for the workshop is $10 for non-members and $5 for members of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (membership available for additional $15). Please contact the Morris-Butler House staff at 317.636.5409 or mbhouse@historiclandmarks.org
for reservations.

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This Old House: Architectural Styles of the Historic Old Northside

 

Take an architectural trip through Indianapolis history May 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. during “This Old House: Architectural Styles of the Historic Old Northside” celebrating National Historic Preservation Month. Gather at the Morris-Butler House Museum for a brief presentation by Director of Heritage Education & Information, Suzanne Stanis, on the history and hallmarks of Indiana’s architectural heritage. Then head outside to see real-life examples on a walking tour highlighting the Old Northside, one of the city’s premiere
historic neighborhoods.

 

Cost is $20 ($17 for HLFI members). Reservations are required and can be made by calling (317) 639-4534  Register by May 11 and receive a $5 discount on the purchase of your registration.

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Collections Camp: Military History

 

This two and a half day workshop, held July 25-27 at The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson in Nashville, TN, will focus on the identification, care and conservation of military related items. Gain practical tools to help improve the care of your military collections. Topics will include care and identification of uniforms and military accoutrements; basic conservation, storage and identification of edged weapons; introduction to 19th- and 20th-century firearms; and handling firearms in museum collections.

 

Cost is $275 for members of the American Association for State and Local History;$325 for nonmembers. Early Bird discount is available if registration is received by June 25. Space is limited! Register today at www.aaslh.org/ workshop.htm or call (615) 320-3203.
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Online Course on Outcomes and Evaluation Offered Free to Museums & Libraries this Summer and Fall

 

"Shaping Outcomes," an online course on outcomes-based planning and evaluation, will be available free to museum and library professionals this summer and fall. The instructor-mediated course, which will help participants improve program designs and evaluations, was developed through a cooperative agreement between the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI).

 

Through the approximately five-week course, participants will work at their own pace to learn outcomes-based planning and evaluation concepts and apply the concepts to a program or a project at their own institutions. A special course for those interested in teaching Shaping Outcomes or incorporating it into their own curricula will be offered in October 2007.

 

The course itself is being evaluated for users’ learning and satisfaction. IMLS will share the results when they are available.

Those interested in learning more about Shaping Outcomes or registering for one of the courses should visit www.shapingoutcomes.org or contact the IUPUI project director, Dr. Elizabeth Kryder-Reid, at ekryderr@iupui.edu or (317) 274-1406.

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2. PROGRAMS

 

May Melodies

 

Join the Voices of Franklin and special guests, Franklin College Children's Choir and Franklin College Junior Singers, for an afternoon of music May 6 at 2:30 p.m. The spring concert will take place at the Johnson County Museum of History, 135 N. Main Street. Light  refreshments will follow the performance. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at museum, online or at the door.

 

For more information, call (317) 346-4500 or visit johnsoncountymuseum.org.
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_Li'l Abner_ Tickets on Sale

 

Tickets for _Li'l Abner_,  the Broadway musical, are now on sale! The musical, based on characters created by Al Capp, fills the stage at Austin High School Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 13, at 2:00 pm. The auditorium is located at Austin High School, 401 South US 31, in Austin. From the orchestra overture to the finale, the show rolls along with singing, dancing and southern humor. It is a great show for the entire family.


Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. The tickets are available at the Scott County Heritage Center & Museum and at the Austin High School choir room. The seating is general admission. _Li'l Abner_ tickets make great Mothers' Day gifts!

 

For information about tickets, the program or other events, please call the Scott County Heritage Center & Museum at (812) 752-1050. This production is provided with support from The Arts Council of Southern Indiana; the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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Queen Victoria Birthday Tea

 

Join us at the Morris-Butler House Museum for the celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday during a delicious tea May 19 from 1-3 p.m. The tea will feature Queen Victoria’s favorite tea fare and foods inspired by England’s longest reigning queen. Have tea with the Queen herself and indulge in English Breakfast tea, Victoria sponge cake, ruby scones, Victorian jubilee cake, chicken curry sandwiches and Victorian kisses. Following a tour of the house, make lavender sachets to reflect Queen Victoria’s favorite scent with the Queen. Tea provided exclusively by Tea’s Me Café. Event sponsored in part by Willowfield Lavender Farm.

 

Tickets are $32 for non-members, $25 per person for members of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and reservations are required. Please contact the Morris-Butler House staff at (317) 636-5409 or mbhouse@historiclandmarks.org for reservations.
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NCHS Quarterly Meeting Features Courthouse Speaker

 

David Enyart, amateur Indiana historian from Fort Wayne, will offer a presentation on Indiana courthouses at the Noble County Historical Society's next quarterly meeting May 20. The presentation includes photographs of 224 of Indiana's 337 courthouses, all currently standing structures. The program begins at 2 p.m. in the Central Noble School Corporation Administration Office, 200 E. Main St., Albion.

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Heritage Garrison Weekend

 

On June 9 and 10, the Scott County Heritage Center and Museum will hold it annual Heritage Garrison Weekend. The weekend features reenactors from many different time periods: Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War and many other eras. About a dozen time periods will be represented in all.


The event beings on June 9 at 9 a.m. Period skirmishes, demonstrations, lectures and the opportunity to visit the camps will be going on all day until the camps close at 5 pm. At 7 p.m. a camp show will be held where reenactors and others take the stage to showcase their hidden talents. The public is invited to watch the camp show.


Camps will open June 10 with military parades, demonstrations, history discussions and other interesting events. The annual cook-off will be held with the Coveted Bronze Ladle being awarded at 1 pm. The public is invited to discuss how the reenactors are preparing their meals authentically to the period, but will not be able to taste the food prepared.

 

For more information, contact the Center at (812) 752-1050 or scottinmuseum@aol.com.

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Center for French Colonial Studies Conference to be Held in Lafayette

 

The Center for French Colonial Studies will hold a conference in Lafayette, Nov. 2-3. Conference sessions include "Charle-Andre Barth's 'Journal': Linguistic and Historical Notes; "Joys, Trails, and Tribulations of a French Garrison in a Wilderness Fort"; "Slavery and Racism: Illinois Country Parado"; "Archaeological Investigations of French and Historic Native American Sites in Indiana"; and "Investigations at Kethippecanuk, a French and Wea Trading Town on the Wabash River."

 

For more information, call the Center at (630) 717-1822 or bplebeau@noctrl.edu.
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3. HELP

 

IMLS Requests Proposals to Study Public Funding Methods for Museums

 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) invites proposals for a cooperative agreement to examine the effectiveness of different mechanisms of delivering public support to museums in the United States. The Institute is supporting this study to provide data that can be used to help enhance current methods of delivering federal and state funds to the nation’s museums.

 

For thirty years, federal funds have increased the capacity of the nation’s museums to provide educational, cultural and civic benefits to the American people. The Institute has developed an array of national discretionary grant programs to fulfill its statutory role. There is currently no program in place to leverage the federal investment in museums by encouraging similar efforts at the state and local level. This study will identify a representative sample of states and identify and assess the impact of current methods of delivery of state and federal funds in those states.

 

The deadline for proposal submissions is May 4.
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4. EXHIBITS

 

Artrain USA Shows _Native Views_ in Kokomo

 

Artrain USA will showcase _Native Views: Influences of Modern Culture, a contemporary Native American art exhibition, in Kokomo May 3-8. Comprised of 71 artworks by 54 Native American artists, _Native Views_ explores the influence of popular culture and the many commonalities shared by all Americans. Visitors will discover the richness, complexity and breadth of contemporary Native American art while examining varying perspectives on society. Guest curator Joanna Bigfeather (Western Cherokee and Mescalero Apache) redefines Native art by broadening the limits and confronting the stereotypes that currently define it.

 

For more information, contact the Howard County Historical Society at (765) 452-4314.
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5. ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NEWS

 

New State Budget Contains Young Abe Lincoln Amphitheater Funding

 

Two years after Republican lawmakers cut state support for operation of the Young Abe Lincoln Amphitheater, State Rep. Russ Stilwell (D-Boonville) has succeeded in restoring funding for the Lincoln State Park attraction.

 

Stilwell said the new biennial state budget approved today by the Indiana General Assembly contains more than $1.6 million in state funding for the amphitheater and the production of Young Abe Lincoln that takes place at the facility in Spencer County. In addition, Stilwell secured $1.475 million for the upcoming celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president.

 

By working with key legislators who negotiated the final state budget plan, Stilwell, the House majority leader, was able to secure $825,000 for the Young Abe Lincoln production and $810,000 for the Lincoln Amphitheater, as well as the funding for the bicentennial commission.

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6. JOB OPPORTUNITIES

 

Director of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Ohio Historical Society

 

The Ohio Historical Society (OHS) seeks a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as the Director of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. This position oversees the museum and collections in Wilberforce, Ohio, and will be responsible for implementing a vision to refocus the mission from its current national orientation to one focused primarily on Ohio and the early Northwest Territory. The position administers a budget of $820,000 and 13 full-time employees. The position is responsible for oversight of all aspects of the museum’s exhibition and educational programs, both offered directly on-site and via other outreach programming. The position also serves as the primary liaison to other OHS programs and services and works closely with public officials and the museum Planning Council.

 

The ideal candidate is creative, yet practical, with excellent communication skills, the capacity to provide tactical and strategic financial oversight and experience with staff supervision. Successful candidates must also demonstrate ability to provide entrepreneurial leadership to establish creative partnerships and a stronger presence in Ohio communities statewide while also maintaining a strong presence for the established museum. Candidates must have a passion for African-American history, a compelling vision for creating engaging and attractive visitor experiences and a thorough understanding of methods for developing exceptional educational programs for all ages and audiences.

 

Preferred qualifications include a Masters degree in history or related field or equivalent experience; minimum of five years of progressively responsible administration, experienced manager and demonstrated relevant experience in many of the areas of responsibility, an informed understanding of the mission/vision of a public history organization and the applicability of various interpretive delivery systems to attract and serve a diverse audience. Experience with fund-raising approaches, exhibit development and strategic planning for educational and interpretive programs is essential.

 

Position compensation starts at $60,216 and will be commensurate with experience. Employer will assist with relocation costs. Relocation is negotiable. Serious consideration will only be given to those applicants who submit a cover letter, resume, salary requirements and three professional references to Human Resources, OHS, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH, 43211. Position will remain open until filled. EOE
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Executive Director, Scott County Heritage Center & Museum

 

Starting Date: Third Quarter 2007
Wage: Low to mid $30,000 and benefits negotiable
Contact: Billy Comer, President
How to Apply: Mail cover letter and resume with three professional and personal references Preservation Alliance, Inc.; Post Office Box 122; Scottsburg, IN 47170. (812) 752-1050. Also, please provide an overview of your success in grant writing.
Deadline to Apply: All applications must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2007.

 

Qualifications

  • Suitable education and interest in local history, preservation, and museum management.
  • Appropriate experience and knowledge of museums and preservation. In addition, marketing and proven grant writing abilities required.
  • Ability to coordinate events and work with volunteers of all ages. Cooperation with community organizations and governmental entities a must.
  • Ability to deal with numbers including budget preparation.
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds, climb stairs and stand for long periods.
  • Ability to write and speak well.

Note: The Scott County Heritage Center & Museum is entering into an extensive renovation/restoration project; experience in this area would be favorable.

 

Responsibilities and Duties:

  • Increase financial support for the museum via grant/foundation writing and fund-raising activities and increase membership of the organization.
  • Collect, catalog and conserve artifacts for the museum.
  • Develop, plan and promote events at the Heritage Center & Museum, including the Theatre Company events.
  • Maintain regular hours of the museum and be willing to accommodate special events as required.
  • Increase volunteer support for assistance at the site and with events.
  • Work with all committees within Preservation Alliance, Inc.
  • Provide facility management for all PAI properties and supervise paid and unpaid staff.
  • Carry out board approved policies and suggest other policies for board approval.
  • Other duties as may be assigned by the president of the Board of Directors of Preservation Alliance, Inc.

Preservation Alliance, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer.
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7. SAVE THE DATE

 

Association of Indiana Museums Conference, Sept. 9-10, Evansville

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8. ON THE INTERNET

 

2007 Matching Gifts Best Practices Survey

 

The 2007 Matching Gifts Best Practices Survey from the Matching Gifts Symposium is available online at www.supportingadvancement.com/potpourri/surveys/matching_gifts_practices/matching_gifts_practices_results_2007.htm.

 

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COMMUNIQUE ONLINE is provided for the benefit of local historical societies and museums throughout Indiana.  It is e-mailed to a subscriber list maintained by Katherine Dill, Field Services Representative, Local History Services Office, Indiana Historical Society. Anyone may subscribe.  This is a free publication.  To be added or removed from the mailing list, simply e-mail kdill@indianahistory.org (mailto:kdill@indianahistory.org) or call toll free 1-800-IHS-1830. 

News releases from local societies are welcomed and may be faxed to 317/234-0427, E-mailed to the above address, or s-mailed to Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
 
Please visit the IHS Local History Services web site at www.indianahistory.org/lhs.

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