September 4, 2008

ACM NEWS

ACM/Nickelodeon Children’s Museum Promotion Update
This October, nearly 130 ACM member museums will participate in a national promotion of children’s museums through Nickelodeon’s online ParentsConnect.org GoCityKids' "Steals & Deals."

Currently, Nickelodeon staff are working to include all the participating children's museums on the GoCityKids site, with events for their locations. Nickelodeon’s plan is to put up one national attraction page for ACM, with all the participating museums linked. This will become the page that the GoCityKids "coupon" and newsletter will link to as the "source."

The deal will go live on the GoCityKids Web site on Monday, September 29. Nickelodeon will send ACM a preview of the information a week prior so that ACM can let them know of any factual changes to be made.

Earlier this week, ACM provided Nickelodeon with a quote for a press release that Nickelodeon will distribute. The release is not yet finalized. Once it is, ACM will provide a link to it from its Web site, which you might use for your own purposes.

ACM is creating a page on the ACM Web site that will describe the partnership and list all museum participants. This page is currently under construction, but the location will be:http://www.childrensmuseums.org/goCityKidsMuseums.htm

Background and details about this promotion can be found in the Bulletin Board section of the ACM Members Only Web site. Confirmed information about the promotion will be emailed to museum participants later in September. Contact ACM’s Program Officer, Communication, Diane Kopasz with any questions.

MEMBER NEWS

Travel + Leisure Family Go Guide
The September issue of the tony travel magazine includes a special Fall/Winter Family section. Four children’s museums are featured on the full-page spread: Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY), Boston Children’s Museum (MA), The New Children’s Museum (San Diego) and Please Touch Museum® (Philadelphia). ACM was approached by the magazine earlier this summer for assistance to pull together this feature. While we provided many more profiles than the magazine could accommodate in this issue, ACM does plan to pitch its member museums for the next Spring/Summer Family issue.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/family-play-a-while-at-four-great-childrens-museums

Congratulations to the Children's Museum of Fond du Lac!
The Children's Museum of Fond du Lac (WI) welcomed more than 1,000 visitors to its Grand Opening Celebration August 19-24, at the Windhover Center for the Arts. The museum unveiled 11 interactive, hands-on exhibits that encourage exploration of the seven continents of the world including, “Great Wall Construction,” “Shadow Safari” and “The Village.” The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac began in June 2002 as a project of the Leadership Fond du Lac program through the Association of Commerce.

Three cheers for Bronzeville Children’s Museum!
Bronzeville Children’s Museum (Chicago, IL), the only children’s museum to focus solely on African-American culture and history, moved into its new home in August. Geared toward all children, the museum features health and wellness programming and profiles of famous Chicagoland African-Americans, inventors and other historical figures. The museum originally opened more than 10 years ago in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Watch an ABC News video clip with footage of Bronzeville Children’s Museum’s new home on Stony Island Avenue and an interview with founding Executive Director Peggy Montes at the link below:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6335587#bodyText

Hurricane Gustav and Children’s Museums
Both Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (Gulfport, MS) and Louisiana Children’s Museum (New Orleans) were threatened by the recent hurricane, but thankfully did not suffer extensive damage. We are happy to report all is well.

How in the World Do You Make Emergency Preparedness Fun?
Here’s one way: The Assisi Foundation and a walk around Grover from Sesame Street will help bring recognition of Emergency Preparedness Day at The Children’s Museum of Memphis on September 20. Each family will receive a free Sesame Street Let’s Get Ready! kit, containing a DVD, activities for children and tips for parents to help families prepare for emergencies together.
 

OPPORTUNITIES

IMLS Museums for America Grant Deadline: November 1, 2008
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting applications for the FY 2009 Museums for America (MFA) grant program. As the Institute's largest museum grant program, Museums for America supports projects that help qualified institutions achieve their goals, further their missions and build their capacity to better serve their communities. MFA grants are available to museums of all types and sizes located in the United States or its territories. Museums for America grants are awarded in the following areas:

1. Engaging Communities (Education, Exhibition and Interpretation)
2. Building Institutional Capacity (Management, Policy and Training)
3. Collections Stewardship (Management of Collections)

IMLS has scheduled two audio conference calls to give prospective applicants an opportunity to ask IMLS staff questions pertaining to the Museums for America grant program. The calls will be held on the following dates and times:
> Thursday, September 18, at 3:00 p.m. EST
> Tuesday, October 7, at 3:00 p.m. EST

Visit the Museums for America page: http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/forAmerica.shtm closer to the date of the call for specific dial-in instructions.

Application guidelines and instructions available at: http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/forAmerica.shtm.

ACM Allied Organization Conferences
Now is a great time for museum professionals to go “back to school” and attend one, or more for extra credit, of the following allied museum service associations’ annual autumn meetings:


Western Museums Association Annual Meeting
No Limits: Museums Define the Future
September 17-21, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska

Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference
In the Public Eye – Science Centers at the Crossroads of Science and Culture
October 18-21, 2008, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) Annual Meeting
The Museum as Storyteller, MAAM on The Mall
October 26-29, 2008, Washington, District of Columbia

New England Museum Association Annual Conference
Sustaining Communities: The Power of Museums
November 12-14, 2008, Warwick, Rhode Island
>Includes a special Children’s Museums Day

New England Museum Association’s (NEMA) Museum Education MarketPlace
ACM members are invited to participate in NEMA’s Museum Education MarketPlace, Thursday, November 13, during its annual conference. NEMA is seeking displays and handouts and presenters for one-on-one discussions with conference attendees during the informal morning session. Programs featured should demonstrate innovative ways museums have strengthened existing relationships within their communities as well as the challenges and rewards of establishing new partnerships to address constituents needs.

To apply, email a paragraph highlighting the project description to NEMA Museum Education MarketPlace coordinators Elisabeth Nevins, and Jennifer White-Dobbs Deadline for submissions is Friday, September 19.

2008 Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids is Saturday, September 20
The Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids signature event is this month. ACM is serving as an Honor Roll partner and encourages all museum members host an event or participate in a celebration with their local Boys & Girls Clubs and other community groups. Planning for and participating in these events can include family picnics, street carnivals, parades, back to school rallies or ice cream socials. For program and planning ideas, visit http://www.dayforkids.org/.

Email ACM’s Program Officer, Communication, Diane Kopasz, if you are hosting an event so that she can have it incorporated into the Boys & Girls Club’s Making Memories Family Activities Calendar.

9th Annual Lights On Afterschool is Thursday, October 16
Have you started planning your Lights On Afterschool event? For the second year in a row, New York City’s landmark Empire State Building will be lit a vivid yellow in honor of Lights On Afterschool day. This year’s celebration will mark the 10th anniversary of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal afterschool initiative. Visit the Afterschool Alliances Web site for planning tips, links to new tools and Afterschool Alliance posters.

Expand Youth Service Learning Projects, October 26-28
Join Youth Service America in Orlando, Florida, for the 2008 Youth Service Institute October 26-28. The Institute will present opportunities for participants to strategize critical ways to think AND act both locally and globally. Children’s museums and other nonprofit organizations will further develop their youth service learning programs while learning inventive ways to engage young people as assets and resources on Global Youth Service Day and throughout the year. Young people are particularly encouraged to attend the Institute.

To register and discover more about Global Youth Service Learning Day, slated for April 24-26, 2009, where youth in more than 100 countries organize community service projects to address local needs, visit:
http://ysa.org/ProgramsServices/YouthServiceInstitute/tabid/181/Default.aspx

CLASSIFIED

There are 7 grant and award opportunities on the National Grants and Awards Calendar. Here are some highlights with upcoming deadlines:
> National Gardening Association and Gardener’s Supply — October 15
> National Endowment for the Humanities, Picturing America — October 31
> Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museums For America — November 1

There are 22 openings on ACM Museum Jobs section. Here are some of the latest postings:
> Science Center of Iowa [President and Chief Executive Officer]
(Des Moines)
> Grand Rapids Children’s Museum [Exhibits Manager] (MI)
> Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
[Producer, Arts, Sciences Programs - Education Curator] (CA)
> Heifer International [Director of Education - One World Village]
(Little Rock, AK)

    
There are 63 exhibits on ACM Exhibits MarketPlace. Exhibits are organized by square footage. Here are some of the latest exhibits available for sale and rent:
> “Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living for Children”
— 1,200 sq. ft. (no rental fee, museums pay one-way pro-rated shipping).
> “Watersheds, Wildlife & Wonder” — 1,000 sq. ft.
> “Molecules & Health: The Shape of Science” — 1,500 sq. ft.
> “Super Service Center” — 130 sq. ft.

All E-Updates are available online. We welcome member contributions: press clippings, exhibit information, major announcements. Please forward all materials for the E-Update and ACMForum to acm@ChildrensMuseums.org.