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.

State Senator Speaks Out About Arts in Education

State Senator Jose M. Serrano blogs about the importance of arts in education.

Who Are the Game Changers?

Who do you think are *game changers* in the museum biz right now? These are folks who not only mixing up the way museums interpret collections and connect with the public, but they're also the ones figuring out how to sustain new ways of doing business.

Nominations?

A New Economic Model for Museums?

Andrew Taylor’s blog post, Rethinking Arts Economies and Arts Exchange, introduces Stolen Chair Theatre's new initiative to support new works. Instead of grants and traditional subscriptions, they propose a community support system modeled on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

Like the CSA model, Stolen Chair hopes to build a membership community, a "CST", which would provide 'seed' money for the company's development process and then reap a year's worth of theatrical harvests. The organization has received a grant to create the model as part of The Field's Economic Revitalization for Performing Artists (ERPA) initiative.

Writes Taylor, “Is unprofitable theater (or other arts endeavor) a charity, a community resource, an entitlement, a labor of love, or some combination thereof? Whatever we choose as our cluster of definitions, it will be helpful to align our business models and our resource strategies accordingly.”

New York State Museums in Conversation Conference: Call for Participation

What Inspires You? is the theme for the 2010 Upstate History Alliance/MANY conference, scheduled for April 11-13, at the Albany Marriott, Wolf Road in Albany.

We all take inspiration from many ­ sometimes unlikely ­ sources. In continuing the conversation format of last year's conference (the largest gathering of museum professionals in NY State), UHA and MANY seek discussion proposals that focus on what inspires you about the work of others, be they museums, libraries, nature centers or parks, small or big businesses. What have you seen that's been so great, so innovative, so enterprising, so adaptable, and so fun that you want to talk about it with your colleagues?

We welcome proposals from a wide range of institutions and practitioners, within and outside the museum community, to encourage lively discussions that offer new perspectives on our work and create new connections to each other.

Submitting a Proposal
The deadline for submitting a proposal is November 2, 2009. Proposals must be submitted electronically, as an email attachment to stephanie@upstatehistory.org
Visit www.upstatehistory.org/services/conferences/conference.html to download the proposal form and for more information. The program committee will review proposals and decisions will be made by the mid November.

Questions?
If you have any questions or are looking for assistance with developing a proposal, contact UHA Program Coordinator Stephanie Lehner at 800.895.1648 or MANY Director Anne Ackerson at 518.273.3400 or info@manyonline.org

2010 Museums in Conversation Theme: What Say You?

MANY and our conference partner, the Upstate History Alliance, are planning our 2010 Museums in Conversation Conference for April 11-13, at the Albany Marriott (site of the 2008 conference).

We're kicking around theme ideas and we need your help. Should the conference theme be practical or aspirational....or both? Will a conference about leveraging resources bring folks out in droves in these tough times?

Tell us what you think.

MANY Director Wins 6-Word Novel Contest!

MANY Director Anne Ackerson just received word that she is the co-winner of the 6-Word Novel Contest, sponsored by Blue Avocado, the online resource for nonprofits. The news was announced here and a box of avocados is on its way to Troy.

Anne's winning entry was chosen from more than 200 flash-fiction novels. Hers: My secret discovered. Plane ticket purchased.

Judge Janis Lane-Ewart , Executive Director, KFAI Radio Without Borders, Minneapolis, Minnesota, noted this novel's "ability to capture my imagination, sense of escapism, and mystery."

Get ready, MANY readers -- Blue Avocado is sponsoring a 6-Word Mission Statement Contest this fall!!

Photo: White Books by Vicki's Pics