Blog and Newsletter

A STATEWIDE CONVERSATION WITH MAINE’S CULTURAL SECTOR

(Museums, Theaters, Festivals, Venues, Residency Programs, Historic Sites, Arts/Music Related Businesses) 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 9:00 - 10:00 am VIA ZOOM

REGISTER HERE:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlcOisqj8pH9y_LtajwUZ0XMcw1WlGMPrG

MODERATED BY Stuart Kestenbaum

• What are the challenges your organization/business is facing during Covid-19?
• How best can Maine’s cultural community unify at this time?

THIS VIRTUAL GATHERING IS HOSTED BY: 

MAINE CULTURAL NETWORK STEERING COMMITTEE

Mark Bessire, Portland Museum of Art

Steve Bromage, Maine Historical Society

Shoshona Currier, Bates Dance Festival

Hugh French, Tides Institute and Museum of Art

Ben Fowlie, Camden International Film Festival and Points North Institute

David Greenham, Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine

Sarah Hansen, Portland Landmarks

Sheila Jans, CultureWorth

Monica Kelly, Bay Chamber Concerts

Stuart Kestenbaum, Monson Arts

Abbe Levin, Cultural Development Consultant

Nat May, Onion Foundation

Daniel Minter, Indigo Arts

Linda Nelson, Portland Ovations

Christopher Newell, Abbe Museum

Bari Newport, Penobscot Theater Company

You can learn more about this opportunity and apply online here. Applications are due on July 8^th by 4 pm. Please contact Nelle Hanig, Business Programs Manager, Economic Development Department, at nrh@portlandmaine.gov with any questions.

Over the past few months, Perch Design Studio has been compiling a free pandemic toolkit for small museums, galleries, visitor centers, and other public spaces.

It contains guidelines, inspiration, and resources for engaging audiences, building community, and creating digital experiences in the era of COVID-19 and beyond. We hope that our friends in the Maine museum community find it helpful!

Check it out here: https://toolkit.perchmade.com

The Executive Committee of the Association of Maine Archives and Museums (MAM) Board of Directors is outraged by the murder of George Floyd of Minneapolis. Many of us in Maine's community of collecting institutions, being keepers and teachers of history, want to make clear that this crime is no isolated incident but part of a generations-long pattern of American systemic racism that has resulted in Black Americans being disproportionately targeted by police, victimized by police violence, and imprisoned by the criminal justice system. The list of victims in recent public memory is frighteningly long: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Timothy Thomas, and names we do not even know.

Collections held by members of MAM reveal Maine's role in creating the structures of systemic racism that persist today, but they also reveal stories of meaningful change that have originated here. 

In partnership with these and other anti-racist efforts, MAM is seeking and prioritizing professional development programming offerings for our members that focus on decolonization and race. Please get in touch if you are aware of professionals in our field who may be able to lead workshops and presentations along these lines.  

Museums and archives have a role in bringing to light and fostering dialogue about the persistent violence and economic inequalities within communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, in our state, nation, and globally. We are grateful to the leadership of our colleagues at Museum & Race, Society of American Archivists, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture for compiling resources to help us uncover, grapple with, and begin the discussion about the race-related collections we hold in our institutions; please take a look at them: 

• Reading List from Museums and Race
• Social Justice Resources List from the Society of American Archivists
• Talking About Race Web Portal from the National Museum of African American History and Culture

And to better understand race-relevant history of Maine and the United States:

• Portland Freedom Trail
• Maine's Visible Black History
• Malaga Island, Fragmented Lives, an online exhibit from the Maine State Museum
• Black History in Maine, a podcast from Maine Public Radio
• University of Southern Maine African American Collections
• The Atlantic Black Box Project: New England's Role in the Slave Trade
• The 1619 Project: A History of American Slavery

Thank you in advance if you have any contacts to share for expanding MAM's programming, as described above, and for any other actions you are taking toward social justice.

Hello,

The Maine State Archives is pleased to announce the New Century Community Grant Program for the preservation of archival collections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations are finding their resources strained. With limited in-person interaction, this can be a great time for archival projects. The New Century Community Grant program aims to support and provide needed resources to care for and improve access to the archival collections held in Maine. Funding for the grant program comes from the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council and the Maine State Archives.

More information and the grant application can be found on the Maine State Archives website here: https://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/organizations/grants.html

June 26 is the application deadline; we expect to announce grant awards around July 15.

For more information or questions about your specific project, please contact Kate McBrien, Deputy Secretary of State for Archives, at 207-287-5790 or by sending an email to katherine.mcbrien@maine.gov.

A new book by Seashore Trolley Museum's Phil Morse and Jean Flahive, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride, won The Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing!

Read more here: https://narcissus1912.blogspot.com/2020/05/gold-winner-book-award-teddy-roosevelt.html

The COVID-19 global pandemic has left many archival workers financially vulnerable as institutions shut their doors and contract work disappears. In response, an ad hoc group of concerned archivists, in partnership with the SAA Foundation, established the AWE Fund to provide immediate support to archival workers in the United States, particularly those in contingent positions, who are disproportionately affected by this crisis and its financial impact.

The fund has already raised over $80,000 thanks to a generous seed grant from the SAA Foundation and momentum from over 450 individual donors. This has allowed the fund to provide financial support to 77 archival workers with a concrete message that the archival community has one another’s backs. They want to ensure news about this fund reaches all corners of the profession.

To learn more about the fund, please visit the SAA site here: https://www2.archivists.org/groups/saa-foundation-board-of-directors/archival-workers-emergency-fund.

IMLS, SBA Offer Webinar On the Paycheck Protection Program for Museums, Libraries

IMLS, SBA Webinar Now Available On-Demand

As Small Business Administration (SBA) Phase 2 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding remains available, IMLS hosted SBA Economic Development Coordinator Noah Brod in a webinar discussing PPP issues most relevant to museum and library communities.   The webinar is now available on-demand on the IMLS website. Mr. Brod’s presentation addresses PPP issues pertaining to eligibility, payroll costs, and forgiveness calculations, as well as questions concerning unique business organizational structures. Along with the most up-to-date SBA guidance available, the webinar features a Q&A segment addressing PPP-related concerns specific to museum and library communities. For more information, please visit the IMLS website and subscribe to email updates. Photo courtesy of High Desert Museum About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

From Rooted in Rights

“Social distancing and stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19 have forced arts and cultural organizations to convert many performances, events, and programs to virtual, online platforms, which has repercussions for people with disabilities. As we rebuild from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic, we need to ensure that accessibility solutions are included in creating our new virtual and in-person programs."

For more info and to register: https://rootedinrights.org/event/connecting-with-everyone-accessible-virtual-arts-programs/

$15 Million in IMLS CARES Act Grants Now Available for Museums and Library Services  Applications for Pandemic Response Funding Due June 12, 2020

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced two new funding opportunities for museums, libraries, federally recognized tribes, and organizations that primarily serve Native Hawaiians. The combined $15 million federal investment will provide direct support to these institutions, equipping them to respond to community needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  "Museums and libraries have never been more essential to their communities," said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. "COVID-19 has not only created a public health emergency, but it has also created a deep need for trusted community information, education, and connection that our libraries and museums are designed to provide." The CARES Act allocated funding to IMLS to enable libraries and museums and organizations serving tribal communities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including by expanding digital network access, purchasing Internet accessible devices, and providing technical support services to their communities. The $15 million available through these new grants follows previous phases of funding announced over the past few weeks.  The deadline for submitting applications for either funding opportunity is June 12, 2020, with awards anticipated in August. IMLS CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries supports museums and libraries in addressing their communities’ immediate and future needs caused by the pandemic. Projects may focus on preserving jobs, training staff, addressing the digital divide, planning for reopening, or providing technical support and capacity building for digital inclusion and engagement. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize services for high-need communities. IMLS CARES Act Grants for Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum and Library Services assists tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians in responding to the urgent and future needs of their communities. Applications focused on digital inclusion, technical support, rehiring or retraining staff, reopening planning, and other pandemic-related priorities are welcomed. "Access to and use of all kinds of health, job, government, educational, social, and cultural resources are necessary to weathering the current situation, beginning efforts to reopen, and providing services to sustain communities,” said Kemper. "Together, we can brighten the future for museums, libraries, and people across America.” Upcoming Webinars Interested applicants are invited to attend free informational webinars to learn more:  IMLS CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries: Thursday, May 14, 2:00-3:00 PM ET  IMLS CARES Act Grants for Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum and Library Services: Friday, May 15, 2:00-3:00 PM ET  These webinars will be through GoToMeeting, and advance registration is required. Recordings will be made available on-demand on the IMLS website.  For More Information  To apply for these grants, as well as to IMLS’s other available funding opportunities, please visit the IMLS website.     Photo Courtesy of NCSU Libraries

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.