Sep 09

CT Collections Assessment Grant

The Connecticut Heritage Foundation and CT Humanities are pleased to announce that they have partnered with Conservation ConneCTion to provide the Collections Assessment Grant Program. This initiative provides museums, historical societies, and other collecting institutions with information to improve care and access to their collections.

Collections Assessment Grant

Application deadline: October 11, 2022
The Collections Assessment Grant Program (CAG) provides small and mid-sized museums with a free assessment of their museum or archive collections. Successful applicants will receive a free half-day site visit from a museum curator or archivist who will examine collections on exhibit and in storage, and review policies and procedures related to collection care and management. Recipients will receive a collection assessment report with a prioritized list of recommendations for improving the care and management of collections. These recommendations are intended to help institutions improve the care of their collections, alert board members to collections care concerns, provide documentation that can support development of a long-range collection/preservation plan, and be used to fundraise for collection projects.
Learn More
CLHO will be hosting a free online info session on Monday, September 12 at 1 p.m. to walk you through the application process. The info session will be recorded and made available on our YouTube channel afterwards.
Register for the Info Session
Application and Eligibility
While priority will be given to institutions with budgets under $50,000, institutions with a budget not exceeding $250,000 are eligible. Applicants are encouraged to review the grant guidelines before completing an application.
Before applying, organizations must contact Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Director of Conservation ConneCTion, at CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov to discuss your project. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are available to review draft applications received at least two weeks before the grant deadline.
Read the Guidelines and Apply
The Collections Assessment Grant is a program of Conservation ConneCTion in partnership with the Connecticut Heritage Foundation and is funded by a grant from the CT Cultural Fund. The CT Cultural Fund is administered by CT Humanities, with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature. 

Sep 09

History on the Commons

Announcing: History Studio on the Commons

The Massachusetts History Alliance has an opportunity for people who are passionate about history.The History Studio is a free virtual event platform for the history community, available now on the Mass History Commons. This is a forum for people to highlight something they are excited about. Do you have something you would like to present? Skills to share or a project to show off? A film, lecture, or workshop you’d like people to know about? The History Studio on the Commons is your studio space and soapbox.Plan and propose your history-focused content and the Mass History Commons team will handle the promo and logistics. You show up with your material, and we do the rest!  Like Conversations on the Commons, History Studios are free to host and attend.We are now booking History Studios through fall.

Learn more and claim your spot here!

Questions? Contact the Mass History Commons team at commons@masshistoryalliance.org
Mass History Commons is a project of the Mass History Alliance supported by the generous contributions of our sponsors:
Mass Humanities (Major Sponsor)Bennett Rosenberg Family FundState Historical Records Advisory Board (MA-SHRAB)Mike PotaskiDorchester Historical SocietyHelp keep the ship afloat! Become a sponsor of the Mass History Commons.

Jun 10

Demystifying Data Collection: CT League of History Organizations

You are invited to the following CLHO program:

Demystifying Data Collection: How to Ask for Demographic Information from Visitors, Board, and Staff

When: Thursday, July 14, 2022 12:00 PM, EDT
Where: Zoom

Will you be attending?

 

 

 

EVENT DETAILS:

Demystifying Data Collection: How to Ask for Demographic Information from Visitors, Board, and Staff

 

Join Susie Wilkening of Wilkening Consulting, in partnership with CT Humanities and the CT League of History Organizations to bring you a virtual info session to help you navigate best practices with data collection. The session will take place via Zoom and is free to all to register.

Asking your visitors, board, or staff to provide demographic information can feel awkward. Yet this information is critical for understanding audiences and representation. We’ll share best practices for ethically asking these questions, provide templates, and talk through scenarios you may encounter. We’ll also allow plenty of time for any questions you have. 

 

  Susie Wilkening
Principal, Wilkening Consulting

Susie Wilkening is the principal of Wilkening Consulting, a museum audience research firm based in Seattle, WA. She is working closely with Connecticut Humanities to gather data on the cultural sector in Connecticut, and was the analytical might behind the 2021 Nonprofit Connecticut Cultural Census. Wilkening Consulting also partners with the American Alliance of Museums to field the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, is currently working on a census of academic museums and galleries, and fields comprehensive research for individual museums. She is the author of Audiences and Inclusion: A Primer for Cultivating More Inclusive Attitudes Among the Public. You can find much of her research at wilkeningconsulting.com/data- stories.html.

May 27

Bidwell House Museum opening

Coming up this weekend, the Museum’s 2022 season will begin.  Diane Taraz will give her first in-person concert at the Museum since 2019. On Monday, May 30, they will be offering guided tours of the house, by appointment. For information on booking a tour, click HERE.

The first talk takes place next weekend.  Click HERE to see the list of upcoming programs through mid-July.

May 19

CT Humanities and CT Summer at the Museum Grants

CT Humanities Now Accepting Applications for CT Summer at the Museum Grants

CT Humanities is honored to partner with the CT Office of the Arts again to administer the CT Summer at the Museum Initiative in 2022.

The Department of Economic and Community Development, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, Connecticut State Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood and Connecticut Humanities, is delivering these financially accessible summer enrichment opportunities to families and children of all ages using funding provided through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act). 

These grants are being made available to CT Museums to facilitate free admission for all CT children aged 18 and under and one adult caregiver between July 1, 2022 and September 5, 2022. The intent is to help provide unencumbered access to museums for families across the state, regardless of income.

Applications are due before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022.

Award Amounts

In summer 2021, award amounts ranged from $1,000 to $550,000. In summer 2022, we are anticipating that award decisions will be calculated based on your summer 2021 revenue from admissions for CT visitors under 18, a percentage of summer 2021 revenue from admissions for CT visitors over 18, and a base award determined by your operating expenses in 2021 and previous years. “Summer 2021” is defined as July 1 – September 6, 2021. All eligible organizations will receive a minimum award of $1,000. Organizations that do not charge admission will receive funding (to be determined based on the number of applicants) to help cover expenses related to increased visitation.

Where to Apply

All 501(c)(3) non-profit museums should apply through CT Humanities. For-profit museums should complete an application with the CT Office of the Arts (coming soon).

Already Free?

Are you interested in participating in this free admission initiative but don’t want to apply for funding? You are invited to join the listing of organizations with free admission by registering here.

More Information

Visit the CT Humanities website for more information, including eligibility guidelines, important dates, FAQs, and a link to apply. 

Want to know more? CLHO is hosting a virtual information session on May 24 at 11 a.m. The session will be recorded for those unable to attend live.

Questions? Email lpartridge@cthumanities.org
Visit the CT Summer at the Museum Grants Page
RSVP for the Info Session

Apr 28

Mass History Alliance Annual Meeting

Image: Photograph of bridge collapse, Mark Dewey Research Center, Sheffield Historical Society.

It’s time to register for the Mass History Conference

A conference for Massachusetts history organizations and people

June 6, 2022 (in person) & June 7, 2022 (online)

Join colleagues from across the Commonwealth as we prepare to embrace the new or unexpected.

Take a peek at the program and learn more about registration options.
(Don’t miss the early bird discount!)
Register today!

This conference is presented by the Mass History Alliance and made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:

Mass Humanities, Premier Conference Partner
State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA-SHRAB), Conference Partner
Historic Beverly, Conference Host

Apr 19

Mass History Conference registration open for in person and virtual

Registration is OPEN!

The Massachusetts History Alliance invites you to the 2022 Mass History Conference: Embracing the New or Unexpected, to be held June 6 and 7, 2022.In the spirit of this year’s conference theme, we’ll be trying something new. We’ll gather Monday, June 6 at Historic Beverly’s Hale Farm and Tuesday, June 7 online for two days of sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, and a keynote address by Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters.Join us to hear what’s happening across the field, learn new skills to bring back to your work, and connect with your colleagues either in person, virtually, or both. Learn more at masshistoryalliance.org and register today to get the Early Bird discount!

Mar 25

Mass State Historical Advisory Board grants for archival supplies

The Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB) is excited to announce, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), that a second round of  grants up to $500 are now available to cultural institutions in Massachusetts for the purchase of archival supplies. Any institution or organization that maintains archival collections may apply, and preference will be given to those who have already received a Roving Archivist assessment and to those with collections spanning 500 linear feet or less (to learn more about the Roving Archivist program, please visit the SHRAB website). Funds may also cover supplies that are necessary to maintain research and reading room safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. A small cost share of 25% is required from applicants, which can be covered through matching funds or in-kind services. For more information and to apply, please review the SHRAB Institutional Application for Regrants or email SH…@sec.state.ma.us.

The deadline for applications is April 7, 2022.

Feb 01

Community History: What is it, and what can it do for you?

Conversations on the Commons invites youFebruary 3, 2022, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

With Lee Blake, President of the New Bedford Historical Society and Penni Martorell, curator of collections at Wistariahurst Museum and Holyoke’s City HistorianWhat is Community History? What formats does it take? What is the difference between local history and community history? How can we embrace both? How does community history practice require historical organizations to change their understanding of history? What are the challenges and rewards? Has your organization participated in projects that gather and share history from the local community? Are you interested in doing so?REGISTER HERE or visit the Mass History Commons to learn more.This event will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive.

Questions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org

Conversations on the Commons

Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent, empathize, laugh, complain, think, collaborate, brainstorm, plan, and in general be up to no good.

Suggest a Conversation topic or volunteer as a peer panelist or moderator.

Jan 21

What is community history