Johnson County Museum of History Volunteer Fair

Come to the Johnson County Museum of History from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 1, 2007. Enjoy a tour, learn about volunteer opportunities and visit with staff and current museum volunteers. Light refreshments will be served.

Examples of the kinds volunteers needed include:

• Genealogy Volunteers
  The Johnson County Museum houses one of the best genealogy libraries in Indiana and has many research requests from all over the country. Are you an avid genealogist? Do you like to archive and index items? The genealogy library needs your help researching genealogy requests, indexing records and archiving items.
• Curatorial or Collections Volunteer
  Do you have museum experience or an interest in working with our collections? Do you have a love for historic fashions? You can become a curatorial volunteer and help organize and care for museum collections.
• Programs
  The museum hosts more than ten programs a year, including the annual Christmas festivities and the Fall Festival. The museum is always in need of extra hands to help serve refreshments, guide visitors, set-up/tear down and even demonstrate vintage toys and other collection replicas.
• Educational Tours and Activities
  The Johnson County Museum provides tours for more than 1,000 school-age children each year. With the museum's limited staff, this task can be overwhelming. The museum needs energetic people to help guide the school tours through the museum's exhibits and log cabin.  Are you a retired teacher who wants to help? The museum is looking for former and current educators to help prepare educational materials, activities and programming.
• A Helping Hand
  If you are interested in just lending a hand when needed, the museum often needs help moving large artifacts and display cases, as well as setting up tables and chairs for programs.

The museum is located at 135 N. Main St. in Franklin. For more information, contact JCHM Curator Jill Gordon at (317) 346-4502.

John Wesley Powell Prize

The Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG) invites nominations for the 2007 John Wesley Powell Prize. This award alternates annually in recognizing excellence in the fields of historic preservation and historical display. Entries for Historic Preservation will be considered for 2007.

The award for historic preservation is given for achievement in the preservation of records, artifacts, buildings, historical sites and other historical entities. The Powell Prize is given to either an individual or to principal collaborators for a single effort completed in the calendar years 2007-2007.

The nominated activity should demonstrate: (1) exemplary practices that can serve as models for future federal activities in historical preservation, (2) significant value in furthering history of the federal government, and (3) excellence and thoroughness of historical research and appropriate application of historical research to the activity.

Any agency of the federal government may submit nominations. Nongovernmental organizations, including federal contractors, may submit nominations for activities carried out on behalf of the federal government. The winner will be announced in spring 2008 and invited to accept the award at the SHFG annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

All nominations must include the following information:

• Name of the nominated project or activity. 
• Contact person(s) name, address and telephone number. 
• Name of the nominator if different from the contact person, address and telephone number. 
• A one-thousand word or less description of the project or activity, including discussion of its scope and purpose and names of any co-sponsors. 
• Supporting visual materials appropriately labeled and clearly depicting key aspects of the nominated activity (see the SHFG webpage at www.shfg.org for more details).

Where to Submit Entries and Deadline

Please submit one copy of each nomination to each of the three committee members listed below by Nov. 15, 2007. All submitted material becomes the property of the Society for History in the Federal Government.

1. Beth M. Boland, 6726 Kennedy Lane, Falls Church, Va., 22042 
2. Lin Ezell, National Museum of the Marine Corps, 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, Va. 22172-1938 
3. David Waltrop, National Reconnaissance Office, Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance, 14675 Lee Road, Chantilly, Va. 20151

Additional questions can be directed to the Powell Award Chair, David Waltrop, at DavidWaltrop@aol.com.

The Faces of Lincoln: Idealizing the Image at Warrick County Museum

The Faces of Lincoln: Idealizing the Image exhibit will be at the Warrick County Museum Nov. 2 – Dec. 3, 2007. Lincoln’s assassination instantly elevated him from man to myth. The nation was thrown into mourning and his face became a symbol of sacrifice and saintly public service. African Americans revered him as the “great emancipator” and voted the party of Lincoln for many decades. Schoolchildren studied him as an example of honesty, service to nation and sacrifice for right. His birthday, along with George Washington’s, became a national holiday, a time to celebrate the virtues associated with his name. Lincoln’s image came to represent American ideals. The federal government used Lincoln’s face on money, and others employed his name to make money for their commercial enterprises by trading on the virtues associated with Lincoln’s name and image. Today, it is difficult to separate the man from the myth.

Viewers of this portion of The Faces of Lincoln exhibit are invited to consider “who was the 'real' Lincoln?” They are challenged to look closely at the images and try to determine what kind of images and symbols the printmakers used to convey their, and the nation’s, feelings toward Abraham Lincoln.

This exhibit follows The Faces of Lincoln: Developing the Image and The Faces of Lincoln: Creating the Image exhibits. It is the third and final exhibit in The Faces of Lincoln series.

The Warrick County Museum is located at 217 S. First St. in Booneville.

This traveling exhibit will be on loan from the Indiana Historical Society. For more information about the IHS traveling exhibit program, go to www.indianahistory.org/LHS  < http://www.indianahistory.org/LHS> and click on “Traveling Exhibition.”   

History Center Names New Director
 
Matt Elliott, president of the History Center’s board of directors, announced today that Todd Maxwell Pelfrey has been named as the organization’s new executive director, succeeding Donn P. Werling. Pelfrey has been serving as the center’s associate director for more than three years.

Since February 2004 when Pelfrey first arrived at the History Center, also known as the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society, he has played a major role in many of the society’s accomplishments. Within the past year he was the driving force behind creation of a new strategic plan outlining the organization’s goals for the future, a plan which was enthusiastically adopted by the board at its March meeting.

He has also led the historical society’s educational programming, including overseeing events at the historic 1827 house on Bluffton Road built by Miami Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, where programs have enjoyed record-breaking attendance this season.

Pelfrey is originally from Lexington, Ky. After completing a bachelor of arts degree at Muskingum College in Ohio, he earned a master’s degree in American history from the University of North Dakota, graduating summa cum laude. He served for two years as assistant manager and chief interpreter at the Olentangy Indian Caverns in Ohio before coming to Fort Wayne. Since joining the History Center staff, he has been active in all aspects of the operation, from historic interpretations to fundraising. He assumes his new position on November 19, 2007, when Werling retires.

The Preparation Assistant, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

The preparation assistant works under the supervision of the registrar for loans and exhibitions to perform a variety of specialized tasks in the care, handling and display of works of art owned by, loaned to and exhibited by The Smart Museum of Art.

Essential Functions:

• Assist with the construction, installation and deinstallation of both special exhibitions and the permanent collection. This includes building and painting temporary walls and platforms, moving object cases throughout the building, and installing art in all media using accepted museum standards and practice.
• Assist with framing, packing, unpacking, crating and transporting art objects using accepted museum standards and practice.
• Assist with maintaining galleries, art storage areas, preparation workshop, loading dock, sculpture courtyard and building facilities. This includes changing lights, painting, disposing of crates and other refuse, purchasing supplies, monitoring climate control system, keeping an inventory of frames and other supplies, placing signage around the building and light cleaning.

NOTES: US Residents Only. Salary depends on qualifications. Comprehensive University of Chicago benefits offered. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. 
 
Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree with some fine arts and/or art history coursework required.
• A minimum of two years of experience with the care and handling of fine arts in a museum or gallery setting strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with a broad range of installation techniques and hardware required; experience with carpentry, taping and interior painting, preferred.
• Knowledge of museum standards regarding the care and handling of objects required.
• Experience with installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of AV and new media works preferred.

Mental and Physical Demands:

•  Excellent communication and organizational skills; ability to see projects through to completion; ability to apply creative methods to solve installation problems with an attention to detail.
• Ability to work well both as part of a team and under own direction; ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to climb ladders and scaffolding; ability to lift up to 50 lbs.; ability to stand for long periods of time; ability to use eyes and hands to examine and handle delicate objects.
• Ability to work unscheduled overtime during periods of installation/de-installation.

Candidate must be available for 19.5 hours per week between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Applications are accepted electronically only. Submit an application at http://www.uchicago.edu/uchi/working/. Reference Requisition # 077646.

Exhibition Designer, The Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Ill.

The Chicago History Museum seeks qualified individual to design exhibitions that are experiential, engaging and accessible to diverse audiences; that effectively communicate content; and that apply up-to-date presentational methods. Must have excellent skills in hand rendering and Vectorworks drafting program, written and oral communication skills, interest and ability to work collaboratively with pan-institutional exhibit teams, and ability to appreciate and tell a good story.

Requires BA in design, architecture or related field, two years experience in designing collections-based museum exhibitions. Graphic design experience a plus. For detailed job description visit www.chicagohistory.org. Competitive salary and benefits. Send letter of application, current resume and phone numbers of three work references to: Vice President of Administration, Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614. EOE, M/F/D/V. Deadline for applications: November 30, 2007.   

Echoes of War: Stores from the Big Red One

To supplement Ken Burns' The War, which aired in September, Ball State University and WIPB-TV produced a digital media experience titled Echoes of War: Stores from the Big Red One, located at http://www.bsu.edu/echoesofwar. Whereas Burns' fourteen-hour documentary covered the broad sweep of World War II, the BSU-WIPB television shows focused more narrowly on the First Infantry Division – the "Big Red One."  This program was live, interactive and educational. It originated from the First Division Museum at Cantigny in Wheaton, Ill.

Standing in the museum's exhibits or on the grounds, historians and museum staff interviewed eight veterans about their wartime memories and combat experiences in World War II. The audience emailed or phoned in questions that were answered on air.

In addition to the two versions of Echoes of War linked to the web page, there are five webisodes in the video gallery, sample artifacts from the First Division Museum, biographical sketches of the participating  veterans, useful internet links and interactive activities useful in  classroom settings. Look for oral history interviews to be added to the  web page in the near future.

For more information, see the web page or contact:

WIPB-TV
Attn: Echoes of War
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
echoesofwar@bsu.edu
(765)285-1249