Among the 160 national awards announced by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were over $800,000 in grants for Connecticut museums.
“Congratulations to the Museums for America grantees. We are pleased to support museums through investments in high-priority, high value activities that benefit communities throughout the US,” said Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director. “These museums, small and large, will help to educate and inspire the public for years to come.”
IMLS awarded $18,777,552 in federal funding nationwide, with applicants providing at least a 100% local match.
Basic details are provided below, and you can read more here.
Beardsley Zoo, Bridgeport. Award Amount: $78,000; Matching Amount: $81,000
Grant Category: Engaging Communities
Contact: Ms. Margaret Sackrider, Zoo Educator. (203) 394-6563; msackrider@beardsleyzoo.org
The Beardsley Zoo will continue its "Conservation Discovery Corps" teen program, a year-round informal science education program designed to provide diverse and economically challenged but environmentally aware students, aged 14 to 17, with applied wildlife conservation training in the zoo and through field research. Students are trained in conservation and education concepts that are applied through field expeditions and collaborations with scientists in research and habitat restoration activities to prepare them as zoo exhibit interpreters and teenaged Conservation Discovery Corps ambassadors. Through their interactions, participants develop increased self-confidence and gain valuable work skills in leadership, teamwork, and public speaking.
Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington. Award Amount: $145,410; Matching Amount: $191,120
Grant Category: Building Institutional Capacity
Contact: Dr. Sue Sturtevant, Executive Director and CEO. (860) 677-4787; sturtevants@hillstead.org
Hill-Stead Museum will begin a "Capacity Building Project for Outdoor Programs." This project will support programs and events that utilize the museum's designed cultural landscape as the context for learning, exploration, refreshment, and community connection. The culmination of several years of institution-wide efforts to more fully utilize the museum's exceptional natural resources, the project will contribute to the process of expanding the exhibition and programmatic platform from a focus on the historic Pope-Riddle house and its collections to one that includes the entire historic cultural landscape and builds on the full artistic, literary, and humanitarian legacy of Theodate Pope Riddle. Specific programs will include "Excursions into the Natural World," an intergenerational nature education program, a new farmer's market, and the nationally acclaimed Sunken Garden Poetry and Music Festival.
Antiquarian and Landmarks Society, Hartford. Award Amount: $150,000; Matching Amount: $189,736
Grant Category: Engaging Communities
Contact: Ms. Beverly Lucas, Curator. (860) 247-8996x14; beverly.lucas@ctlandmarks.org
The Connecticut Antiquarian and Landmarks Society will hire a community educator who will be responsible for audience engagement, community partnership, and community-based programming at the society's five core properties. Building on previous research, the community educator will focus on projects that address specific audiences and audience needs for each core property. This work is integral to fulfilling the society's strategic plan and to strengthening its ability to serve the public by identifying and delineating the highest-priority community- and audience-focused programs for each its core communities.
Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield. Award Amount: $128,835; Matching Amount: $180,121
Grant Category: Collections Stewardship
Contact: Ms. Catherine Fields, Director. (860) 567-4501; cfields@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org
The Litchfield Historical Society will develop online archival finding aids, as well as launch the online component of the artifact database for the society's collections from the Age of Jackson through the Colonial Revival (1835-1935). This project fulfills the society's mission to preserve and interpret Litchfield history through the organization, description, documentation, and dissemination of specific archival and artifact collections. This project will enable the society's collections on this important era in American history to reach a wider audience than now possible. The society has designated these collections as its highest priority for increased access based on frequency of research and photographic service requests; upcoming exhibitions on the Civil War and Colonial Revival; demonstrated interest by scholars; and usefulness of the material for teachers and in educational programs.
Sea Research Foundation, Mystic. Award Amount: $122,037; Matching Amount: $122,787
Grant Category: Engaging Communities
Contact: Mr. Pat Shea, Director of Digital Media Group. (860) 572-5955; pshea@searesearch.org
Sea Research Foundation, comprising Mystic Aquarium and the Institute for Exploration and Immersion Learning, will implement its distance learning curricula to further inspire youth in science, math, and technology through exploration and discovery. Sea Research Foundation's project, "Nautilus Live Experience," will build on an innovative deep ocean exploration exhibit at Mystic Aquarium; it will incorporate a dynamic, live, and interactive theater experience and supporting Web site. The project promotes marine science literacy, ocean conservation, environmental awareness, and education and research while engaging audiences in long-term expeditions via live-boat communication.
Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven. Award Amount: $148,015; Matching Amount: $148,143
Grant Category: Engaging Communities
Contact: Ms. Jane Pickering, Deputy Director. (203) 432-0798; jane.pickering@yale.edu
The Peabody Museum of Natural History will use funds for "EVOLUTIONS," an after-school program for 60 New Haven public school students in grades 9 to 12, from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, in an academically rigorous, for-credit program focused on science literacy, college preparation, and career awareness. Students will spend one afternoon a week at the museum during the academic year, where they will produce a museum exhibition, attend seminars, explore museum collections, participate in college field trips, and intern in a variety of Yale laboratories. Older students will participate in a "career ladder" where they will learn to interpret the museum's exhibits for the public. Students will be trained by a professional museum evaluator to implement tracking studies and other evaluative methods to assess the impact of their activities on museum visitors.
Stepping Stones Museum for Children, Norwalk. Award Amount: $46,294; Matching Amount: $46,294
Grant Category: Building Institutional Capacity
Contact: Ms. Rhonda Kiest, Executive Director. (203) 899-0606; rhonda@steppingstonesmuseum.org
Stepping Stones Museum for Children will implement the use of a comprehensive survey tool to enhance the museum evaluation processes. This tool will be capable of linking a front of house kiosk, PDAs, and other touch screen/tablet interfaces and online delivery tools with a back office database application. By doing so, the museum will acquire valuable data to inform strategic decisions, optimize programs and customer service, and steward the museum's mission to "broaden and enrich the educational opportunities for children ten and under and enhance their understanding of the world." Implementing the survey tool will result in real time, actionable, and reliable data to help develop programming for both exhibitions and education, support business decision making, and provide a better understanding of the needs and interests of current and prospective audiences.
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