Facebook Friends::Win a Free Individual-level MANY Membership!

We topped 300 Facebook friends this week so in honor of your interest and loyalty, we've cooked up a little contest for free year-long individual memberships!

Just answer these five questions correctly by NEXT WEDNESDAY, February 24th, and the first 5 correct responders will receive a one year membership subscription (that includes a monthly e-news and advocacy alerts, as well as discounts on annual conference registration, our salary survey and other publications). SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO: info@manyonline.org.

Ready?

1. This upstate community is home to a modern art gallery, a LEED-certified university museum, a science museum and a zoo, an historic house associated with Teddy Roosevelt, and an historical society that calls the former New York State Building its home. What city is it?

2. Where will you find Dale Chilhuly's Fern Green Tower dominating the admissions lobby?

3. What is the oldest museum in New York State?

4. In what community was the Culper Spy Ring active?

5. Where in New York City do you go to see the Little Red Lighthouse?

SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO: info@manyonline.org

The Deaccession Discussion Heats Up Again

It's a new year and with it come lots of reviews about how the museum community fared in 2009. We know the answer to that -- not well. The financial outlook for 2010 remains difficult for many museums across New York State.

And that turns our attention back to the selling of museum collections to pay debt. You'll want to check out these two recent blog posts:

Real Clear Arts by Judith Dobrzynski

CultureGrrl by Lee Rosenbaum

as well as Dobrzynski's op-ed, The Art of the Deal, which appeared in the NY Times (online January 1) and Daniel Grant's Wall Street Journal article, Portrait of a Challenging Year (December 29).

These four articles will help to set the stage for deacessioning discussions in our state this year.