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April 15, 2020
Heritage Preservation Grants
Grant recipients and applicants are encouraged to contact grants staff with any questions. The Grants Office is operating with staff working from home. During this month, the best way to contact us is by email. For a list of staff emails, go to our staff web page which lists our contact information. However, if needed a phone conference call or video conferencing can be arranged. We will continue to do our best to support you and ask for your patience as we work to answer your questions. If you have any questions, please reach out. We appreciate all that you do to preserve Minnesota's history, and we look forward to continuing our important work.
Grants Office Webinar: Rewrite Better Applications/Pre-Applications
Thursday, April 16 - Webinar: 3 to 3:30 p.m. (CDT). When you have the chance to rewrite an application before you resubmit it, you may ask, “What does the Grants office want from us?” In this webinar, we will discuss how to improve your pre-application or an unfunded application. Presented by Grant Specialist, John Fulton. SOME CONTENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED. Learn more »
Large Grant Pre-application Deadline
Pre-applications for the MHCHG large grant round (requests over $10,000) will be due Friday, May 29, 2020. The pre-application is a required part of the large grant application process. Contact the Grants Office with questions.
From the Blog
This week's blog post is from Sherburne County Historical Society. Have a blog? Let us know!
More on Epidemics in Sherburne County
With all of the commentary about pandemics and COVID-19, research revealed the serious amnesia Americans develop regarding the multitude of diseases and infections ravaging the world. It seemed a good idea to explore these epidemics and the impact upon Sherburne County. Unfortunately, very little evidence exists about the pandemics and epidemics in Sherburne County.
In the twentieth century, at least six epidemics can be documented in Sherburne County. Influenza raced through the county in 1918, 1957, and 1968. Lest we all forget, the most recent Influenza Epidemic lasted from April of 2009 until April of 2010. In the twelve months, there were 60 million cases reported in the United States. Over 12,000 people died, 67 of them in Minnesota. Read more »
Job Opportunities
Minnesota Historical Society's Job Announcement, Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Opportunity pages.
MNHS
MNHS has paused hiring as we've turned our attention to responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you for your patience.
LOCAL
Administrative Assistant
St. Catherine University, Information Management Department, St. Paul, MN, seeks an Administrative Assistant.
REGIONAL
Executive Director
Bergstrom Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, seeks an Executive Director.
Preservation Architect
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI, seeks a Preservation Architect.
General Manager of Historic Sites
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI, seeks a General Manager of Historic Sites.
Museum Director
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI, seeks a Museum Director.
Administrator of Collections
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI, seeks an Administrator of Collections for the Division of Collections.
Marketing & Brand Manager
Wisconsin Historical Foundation, Madison, WI, seeks a Marketing & Brand Manager.
Executive Director
Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA, seeks an Executive Director.
Director
Mount Prospect Historical Society, Mount Prospect, IL, seeks a Director.
Community Outreach Coordinator
Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, MO, seeks a Community Outreach Coordinator for the African American History Initiative.
Site Manager
T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Nashville, IN, seeks a Site Manager.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Museum Conservator
The National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C., seeks a Museum Conservator. Deadline April 22, 2020.
Folklife Specialist
Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD, seeks a Folklife Specialist.
INTERNSHIPS/VOLUNTEERS
Board Member
Edina Historical Society, Edina, MN, is seeking a board member to serve a 3-year term.
Do History Here
Image used by permission from the Pine City Area History Association.
Virtual Birthday Party for Harold Stassen
April 13 - Online: 6 p.m. (CDT). Dakota County Historical Society - The virtual birthday party will feature author Steven Werle, author of the book “Stassen Again” that explores the meteoric rise, lifetime of achievements, and unique persona of “boy wonder” Harold Stassen. Registration is required to receive the meeting room invite.
We Count! Virtual Concert
April 18 - 7 to 9:30 p.m. (CDT). Center For Hmong Arts & Talent - Hmong organizations from around the country are organizing this virtual concert to support Hmong artists, offer some fun and joy, and to support the Census because being counted helps provide funding for the community needs and to stand up to the coronavirus. The line up includes Paradise, Jason Thao, 3days band, Selena Hang, Kyle Moua, Tifee Lee, Nancy Yang, Treasure and Ka Lia Universe and Pagnia Xiong. Learn more »
St. Paul Virtual Art Crawl
April 24, 25 and 26 - Online: St. Paul Art Collective has made the decision to move the Saint Paul Art Crawl to a VIRTUAL platform. Browse some art, contact an artist or gallery, see something you like and send the artist a message. Learn more »
Spooky Stories to Scare the COVID-19 Away
May 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, and 27 - Online: 7 to 8 p.m. East Side Freedom Library - Lao American artist Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay brings a 6-video series! To kick off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, they are bringing you ghoulish tales from the Asian diaspora told by six APIA artists 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin, Ka Vang, May Lee-Yang, Naomi Ko, Eric Sharp, and Daniel P. Tran. Learn more »
Poly wants a Crack at History
Renville is offering transcripts and audio recordings of local news stories voiced by Amazon's "Poly." Listen in or Read »
Digital Eye-Spy update to Glensheen’s Virtual Tour
Glensheen Mansion went digital by creating a new Virtual Tour. Now the house museum has added an enhancement to the virtual tour experience - an eye-spy Treasure Book for the whole family. This new enhancement was designed after the success of the original in-person Treasure Book that was created in 2015 for guests on tour while exploring the mansion.
How do you do it?
- Download the Virtual Tour Treasure Book
- Print it off (Select 'Fit to Page' on print settings)
- Go to Glensheen’s Virtual Tour
- Use the Treasure Book as you guide yourself through the mansion
Cokato Museum & Akerlund Studio
Watch the first video segment of Behind the Exhibit Ropes: H. C. Bull House.
Renville County Historical Society
The Museum is featured on Destination Small Town's A Closer Look Video.
Runestone Museum
Casey is visiting from the Legacy of the Lake Museum to lift stuff from the Fur Trade Exhibit.
Continuing Education
Highlighted Museum: Sibley County Historical Museum, Henderson, MN. Operated by the Sibley County Historical Society. Photo by Elkman under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
Consultants Weathering the Storm
April 16 - Webinar: 2 to 3 p.m. (CDT). American Association for State and Local History - Amidst the tidal wave of museum layoffs and closures, many independent consultants are struggling to stay afloat. As Anne Ackerson writes in The COVID-19 Impact on Museum Consulting, “These are the people who work independently across the field in collections, education, governance, art handling and more. They work from job to job, shouldering the full costs of benefits, building careers while offering services many museums and heritage organizations need, but can’t afford on a full-time basis.” What does the future, both short- and long-term, look like for consultants in the museum field? Join Anne Ackerson, Dina Bailey, and Max van Balgooy to discuss unique challenges facing consultants as they consider envisioning new paths or staying the course. Learn more »
Condition Assessments
April 20 to May 1 - Online Course: Northern States Conservation Center - Whenever an object leaves or enters your museum, it should have a dated condition report completed. A condition report is so much more than "good" or "poor." Learn about different types of condition reports, what is essential and what is optional information in each, the function of a condition report, and how to use an online condition assessment tool. Cost: $99. Learn more »
Greater Minnesota Virtual Networking: Workforce Trends
April 20 - Live/Online: 1 to 2 p.m. (CDT). Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - Join this virtual networking session to hear from MN River Area Agency on Aging about Minnesota's changing workforce trends. Cost: no cost to attend. Learn more »
Planning for an Uncertain Financial Future, Part Two
April 20 - Webinar: 2 to 3 p.m. (CDT). American Association for State and Local History - The current COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenging financial climate for American history organizations of all sizes. As we consider how to best respond to these rapidly changing circumstances, we face difficult decisions to ensure institutional survival. In this facilitated discussion, we will address the topic of financial crisis planning with particular focus on budget revisions and forecasting, communications with stakeholders, and business resumption. Additionally, we will review topics related to emergency planning, financial modeling, and current legislation as needed. This webinar will be an opportunity to introduce and discuss pertinent areas of financial planning with museum professionals, trustees, and, volunteers. Cost: $5 members/$10 non-members, Free with promo code. Register/Learn more »
Historic House Call: Mission
April 23 - Webinar: 2 to 3 p.m. (CDT). American Association for State and Local History - House museums are complex organizations but one of the most effective tools for navigating this complexity is the humble mission statement. In this 30-minute webinar, Erin Carlson Mast, president and CEO of President Lincoln's Cottage in Washington, D.C., discusses how she's leveraged the values embedded in their mission statement to transform their community programs and daily operations to affect the lives of their visitors. She is interviewed by Max A. van Balgooy, co-editor of recently published Reimagining Historic House Museums and president of Engaging Places. Cost: No cost to members/$30 nonmembers. Learn more »
Documenting Your Historic Structure
April 23 - Online Workshop: 10 a.m. Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums - Ever notice something new on your historic building and wonder if it has been like that for a day or for years? Photo documentation can be very helpful to create a timeline and a record for your historic building. This session will give helpful hints and tips on how to photograph and document your building in a useful way to help show its condition over time and to ask for help to fix and maintain the buildings. Presented by Jessica Fortney, Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps. Join Workshop »
TIPS & TOOLS
COVID-19 Resources
Social Distancing the Midwest Way
View a list of Midwest Museum-Generated Fun For Social Distancing – from the Association of Midwest Museums which includes, Activities for Home, Collections Features, Story Time, Virtual Tours & Exhibitions, and Oldies but Goodies. Learn more »
Main Street America
National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Resources in Response to the Coronavirus
- We're in this Together
- 13 Virtual Ways to "Edutain" Kids About History and Preservation
TIPS & TOOLS
19 Steps: Planning for Extended Covid-19 Close Down
Video: COVID-19 Basics: Re-Entry to Cultural Sites
Webinar Recording: Collections care in lockdown – livestream Q&A
Temporarily closed or unoccupied properties during COVID-19
Dealing with Unexpected Closures (including great checklist)
Fund Your Mission
Financial Planning in Uncertain Times
April 29 - Webinar: 12 to 1 p.m. Propel Nonprofits - The webinar will provide techniques and approaches to having practical conversations critical to organizational decision making, while also providing analytical tools to assist in gauging the risks to your income and the flexibility of your expenses. Cost: no cost to attend. Learn more »
TIPS & TOOLS
Four development activities to work on now for future payoff
Strategies for Short-term Financial Survival
News
What's New in the Archives
What's new? Learning to work from home, getting adjusted to home offices, finding ways to communicate and coordinate work. In addition to that...
Birth and Death Township Records from Nobles and Olmsted Counties.
The minutes, financial statements, and other records from the board of the Penumbra Theatre Company, a professional African American theater company based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Records of the India Association of Minnesota, which was first known as the India Club of Minnesota and was formed to support the community of Asian Indians in Minnesota and to promote the national values and culture of India.
Correspondence, agendas, bylaws, minutes, financial reports, notes, newsletters, brochures, miscellaneous printed matter, and newspaper clippings collected by a leading Minnesota gay rights activist Leo Treadway.
Archiving 2020 is Going Virtual
Due to the uncertainty around COVID-19 the Archiving 2020 leadership has decided to take the conference online. Join an international community of technical experts, managers, practitioners, and academics from cultural heritage institutions, universities, and commercial enterprises, to explore and discuss the digitization, preservation, and access of 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, and audio-visual materials, including documents, photographs, books, paintings, videos, and born-digital works.
- Short courses will take place the May 11-15.
- Technical papers will be presented May 18-21, with longer times for Q&A.
- Courses and papers (with virtual coffee breaks for engaging with other participants) will be scheduled between the hours of 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (CDT).
Featured Book
Duluth: An Urban Biography by Tony Dierckins.
Virtual Book Launch
TODAY April 15
7 to 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Exhibits to Go
Preservation Specialists Directory
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