AIM Seeks Proposals for 2008 Annual Conference

The Association of Indiana Museums seeks proposals for its 2008 annual conference: Strengthening Community: The Museum's Role. Session proposals can be sent to 2008 Annual Conference Committee Chair Lana Newhart-Kellen at Newhart@connerprairie.org.

The conference will be held Aug. 24 - 25, 2008, at Conner Prairie Museum in Fishers, Ind.

Filson Institute Requests Proposals for Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis: Two Visions of America

The Filson Institute for the Advanced Study of the Ohio Valley and the Upper South proposes a two-day academic conference Oct. 24-25, 2008,  Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis: Two Visions of America.The conference will examine the competing visions of the United States that developed in the antebellum era, symbolized in the lives and values of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, both of whom were born and spent their early years in Kentucky. The conference will be in Louisville, Ky., at The Filson Historical Society.

The approaching bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth and the sesquicentennial of the Civil War have sparked an outpouring of scholarly and popular attention to the coming of the Civil War and Lincoln's role in articulating a northern vision of American freedom and democracy. Just eight months prior to Lincoln's birth in February 1809 – and just miles away – the future president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, a man who would articulate a very different vision of American society and culture, was born. Both men came from similar backgrounds: the sons of well-traveled, hardscrabble farmers who for a time settled in Kentucky, seeing a place of opportunity on the northern borders of the slave South. Soon, the lives of both men would diverge sharply, with the Lincolns heading north into a land of free labor, and the Davis family heading south to plantation Mississippi. But that the border state of Kentucky could give rise to such differing lives and visions of America points to the significance of the middle ground – the region lying on the border between slavery and freedom – in the growing sectional divide of the antebellum era.

This conference, then, will explore the nature of these different visions of America, and the role of what nineteenth-century Americans called the "middle states" – from the Chesapeake in the east, through the Ohio Valley and to Missouri in the west – in forging distinct and divergent sectional identities in the 50 years before the Civil War.

The program committee welcomes proposals from graduate students, junior and senior scholars examining the conference theme of the border states and the growth of sectionalism, including, but not limited to the following:

• Interpretations of the Constitution
• The meaning of nationalism
• Race and the status of African Americans
• Political life and ideas
• Gender roles and paternalism
• The nature of agricultural production
• Urban development
• Manufacturing
• Honor and the use of violence
• Western expansion
• Regional identity formation
• Religious Life
• Public memory and historical commemoration

Publication of a selection of revised essays from the conference is anticipated.

Please send three copies of a proposal of no more than two pages clearly outlining subject, arguments and relevance to the conference topic, and a vita of no more than two pages to:
The Filson Institute Conference
The Filson Historical Society
1310 S. Third St.
Louisville, KY 40208.

Conference Conveners:

Stanley Harrold (Professor of History, South Carolina State University)

Paul Finkelman (President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy, Albany Law School)

Proposals are due on Jan. 14, 2008. Single papers or conference panels are welcomed. The conference will meet in consecutive single sessions, with three sessions each day. Papers will be placed online on the Filson Historical Society's Web site prior to the conference. Funds will be available to help defray some travel costs for presenters. For questions concerning the conference, please contact Dr. A. Glenn Crothers at the address above or e-mail at crothers@filsonhistorical.org or visit www.filsonhistorical.org/institute.html.

Auto Indiana: Celebrating the Automobile in Indiana to Visit Bartholomew County Public Library
 
From Elwood Haynes's early machine to today's numerous parts manufacturers, Auto Indiana: Celebrating the Automobile in Indiana examines the role of the automobile in the Hoosier state. Indiana was one of the leaders in automobile production until the 1930s, when Detroit emerged as the nation's technological and industrial giant. Eighty-eight Indiana cities and towns have either had automobiles manufactured or assembled in their communities, and approximately 523 automobiles, trucks, motor-cycles and cyclecars can claim Indiana production or assemblage. The exhibit focuses on such topics as Haynes's life and career as an inventor in Kokomo, an early assembly line at the Revere Motor Car Corporation plant in Logansport, samples of the Studebaker Corporation's advertising literature and the automobile's effects – both positive and negative – on society. 

The exhibit will be on display Jan. 2 to Feb. 1, 2008, at the Bartholomew County Public Library, located at 536 Fifth St. in Columbus, Ind.

Workingman's Institute to Exhibit The Faces of Lincoln: Creating the Image  

The Workingman's Institute in New Harmony welcomes The Faces of Lincoln: Creating the Image from Jan. 3 to 31, 2008. This is the second of three Faces of Lincolnexhibits and investigates the ways that photographers, printmakers and cartoonists tried to influence public opinion about Lincoln by altering his appearance and by placing him in make-believe situations.

As an attorney, Abraham Lincoln portrayed himself as a man of the people who had lifted himself from humble beginnings. When he became a presidential candidate, he continued to refer to his poor, humble, unschooled youth, both because it was at least in part true and because it made him seem more like the common Americans who would vote for him. However, Lincoln also made efforts to shape his image into an appropriately presidential one. Photography played a major role in shaping Lincoln’s image. In fact, Lincoln claimed a photograph by Mathew Brady made him president.

Despite the authentic nature of photography, these images were susceptible to change. Developers such as Brady could remove flaws to present a more “refined” Lincoln. The lithographers who copied these images for newspapers and magazines could and did change them at will, sometimes at Lincoln’s expense. Detractors turned Lincoln’s common man image into one of an unrefined bumpkin and therefore emphasized less attractive features.

Viewers of this portion of The Faces of Lincolnexhibit are invited to consider the messages these images express as well as considering how Lincoln shaped his own legacy through his words and deeds.

The Workingman's Institute is located at 407 W. Tavern St. in New Harmony,  Ind.
 

Honeywell Center to Feature Tell Me a Story

From Jan. 5 to Feb. 6, 2008, the Honeywell Center will exhibit Tell Me A Story, an exhibit first showcased at the Indiana Historical Society's grand-opening celebration. It is comprised of images from the society's 1999 annual photography contest.

Framed photographs combine with descriptive text by the photographers to portray Hoosier life and history in Tell Me A Story. Stories of the Feast of the Hunters' Moon, the Old Sycamore and the Tornado of '98 are just a few of the many found in this traveling exhibition. The contest included entries from all parts of the state and involved photographers of all ages.

The Honeywell Center is located at 275 W. Market St. in Wabash, Ind.

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

Matt Durrett has been hired as the Indiana Historical Society's Assistant Coordinator, National History Day in Indiana. Mr. Durrett formerly held an internship at the IHS, when he worked in the Education Department coordinating the NHDI central district competition, working on the History Train and organizing professional development seminars for teachers as part of the Teaching American History Grant. More recently, he has been working at The Children’s Museum as a Collections Intern. Mr. Durrett has a BS in secondary social studies education from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and expects to complete his master’s in museum studies from IUPUI this month.
 
Aileen Novick is the new IHS Assistant Coordinator, Public Programs. Ms. Novick is currently the program director at Historic Locust Grove, a museum in Louisville, Ky., and has additional programming experience from a Herlihy internship at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, N.H. and a position as interpreter for the city of Charlestown, Mass. Ms. Novick also has editorial experience from positions with the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Yale University Press and Yale Alumni Magazine. In addition, she  has collections experience from a student assistantship with the Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, Conn. Ms. Novick has a BA in history from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and an MA in history with a focus on public history from Northeastern University, Boston. 
   

Exhibitions Project Manager, The Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.

Job Description:
The Project Manager coordinates the development, design, production, installation and de-installation of exhibitions and completion of post-opening punch lists. S/he also acts as a spokesperson for the exhibition when presenting to the media, general public and core museum constituencies.

Responsibilities Include:

• Coordinating the development, design, production, installation and deinstallation of exhibitions
• Ensuring that the exhibition is on schedule and on budget
• Facilitating weekly team meetings where team members report on tasks completed, resolve open issues and set goals
• Organizing and leading museum-wide meetings between departments that are working together to share the exhibition with the public 
• Serving as liaison between The Field Museum and outside lenders, organizing institutions and the public

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent education required
• Museum experience preferred
• Foreign language(s) a plus
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to multitask and prioritize and resolve myriad details
• Must be skilled with computer software such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Filemaker Pro
• Good communication skills, both interpersonally and in a group setting
• Comfort and skill with public speaking
• Diplomacy, mediation and problem solving skills
• Effective meeting skills

One Full-Time, Term Position (35 hours/week, one year from start date)

The Field Museum accepts applications on-line. To apply for this position, complete the on-line application found at www.fieldmuseum.org/.

No phone calls please.

The Field Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
   

Students Create WikiMarion About Indiana Town's History

A new Web site called WikiMarion is devoted to the history of Marion, Ind., and the surrounding areas, the content for which was written by students of Marion High School history teacher Bill Munn. Students created the site for the Community History Project. Visit www.wikimarion.org/Main_Page to see video documentaries, and read about local heroes and oral histories about significant local events and people.

Article Addresses Permissible Activities for Nonprofits

A useful article about activities permitted for nonprofit organizaitons can be found in last week's issue of Friday Night Facts, an e-newsletter published free by the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Krieg DeVault Nonprofit Alert - Permissible and Prohibited Political Activities can be viewed by visiting www.in.gov/ofbci/. Click on "e-newsletters" in the list along the right side of the page, scroll down to "Friday Night Facts" and select "FNF Volume 7, Issue 48." The article is on page 4.

Online Articles Offer Advice on Accepting Digital Copies of Photos

A recent article appearing in the Minnesota Historical Society's online newsletter Tech Talk addresses the trend among local historical organizations accepting digital copies of photographs from the public, and then returning originals to the owners. The article is written by some of the society's digital experts and can be viewed at www.mnhs.org/about/publications/techtalk/TechTalk_JanFeb2008.pdf.

The End of History Museums: What's Plan B?

Carson Cary, former Vice President of Research Division of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, discusses the future of museums in The End of History Museums: What's Plan B? The lecture can be read at www.bu.edu/ah/programs/carsoncary.pdf.

Vitrines from Indiana Historical Society

The Indiana Historical Society is giving away, free to any local Indiana historical organization, nine vitrines (pedestals with a Plexiglas case top that slides into the top). The wooden bases will need to be painted. You can take one or all nine.

Available are (dimensions approximate):

• 3 vitrines pedestal 3’ x 3’ x 3’8” high
    Plexiglas 3’ high
• 1 vitrine pedestal 3’ x 3’ x 3’8” high
    Plexiglas 2’3” high
• 1 vitrine pedestal 3’8” x 5’2” x 2’9” high
    Plexiglas 3”6” high
• 2 vitrines pedestal 2’1” x 7’11” x 3’3” high
    Plexiglas 3’8” high
• 2 vitrines  pedestal 2’11” x 7’11” x 3’7” high
    Plexiglas 3’8” high

Vitrines must be picked up by the end of the business day on Jan. 3, 2008.

To claim a vitrine, send an e-mail to localhistoryservices@indianahistory.org. Items will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will not be an issue of Communique Online  the week of Dec. 24, 2007. The next issue will be published on Jan. 4, 2008. Happy New Year!!