In 2020, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) awarded more than $3.7 million in 132 grants to organizations from all 10 Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Regions in New York State for Museum Program Funding. Grant applications for 2021 are due March 12 by 4 PM. We are pleased to share some helpful tips from NYSCA to navigate the grant application process and examples from previous Museum Program Grantees to help inspire your institution as the deadline approaches. 

NYSCA Grantee Map, (all grant recipients for all NSYCA programs)

The goals for the Museum Program Grants from NYSCA are to “help advance museums and other related professional service organizations by offering support for arts and cultural activities, and encourages creative thinking to better engage the public.” Funding can be awarded to museums, cultural nonprofits, Native American Tribes in New York State, and units of government in municipalities in New York State, like public libraries, school districts, or public parks. All organizations must have its main place of business located in New York and serve New York State constituents. 

Museum Program Grants

This program seeks to recognize excellence in museums engaged in arts and cultural activities, encourage creativity, foster life-long learning through museums, expand audience for museums, recognize strong leadership and institutional management, and support non-profit organizations providing opportunities for museum professionals. Within the Museum Program Grants there are three funding categories: General Operating Support, Project Support, and Regrants and Partnerships (the last category being by invitation to apply only). 

General Operating Support

General Operating Support is investment by NYSCA into an organization’s ongoing work instead of a specific project or program. Funds can be used to support administration, finance, programming, or other organization activities. From NYSCA’s Museum Program Guidelines when considering General Operating Support, “NYSCA examines the nature, scope, and quality of an organization’s programs and activities, its managerial and fiscal competence, and its public service.” 

Some of the main criteria to qualify for General Operating Support from NYSCA is that an organization must:

• Have ongoing programs, exhibitions, or other arts and cultural activities that are open to the general public

• Makes evident a substantial commitment to arts and or culture, with a prior record of accomplishment in producing or presenting cultural activities

• Demonstrate fiscal responsibility, like positive fund balance or a balanced organizational budget without substantial or recurring deficits

• Employ one or more qualified and salaried full time or part time administrative staff

• Have a policy of fair payment to artists

Museums like the Long Island Children’s Museum on Long Island and the Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton both received General Operating Support form NYSCA in 2019 for their public programming and exhibitions. The Long Island Children’s Museum specifically uses these funds to support their traveling exhibits, theatre performances, and other community outreach initiatives while the Roberson Museum uses General Operating Support to fund a percentage of the salaries of their Director of Education, Public Programs Coordinator, Registrar, and Director of Exhibitions. The Museum at Eldridge Street received $20,000 in General Operating Support for general operations including their historic building tours, temporary exhibitions program, k-12 educational programs, adult learning programs, lectures and concerts, and neighborhood walking tours.

Long Island Children’s Museum Theatre, which is partially supported by NSYCA General Operating Support, is Long Island’s only year-round venue that offers more than 200 live family-focused performances. Photo courtesy Long Island Children’s Museum

General Operating Support is usually awarded on a multi-year basis. These grants are no less than $5,000 and cannot exceed more than 25% of an organization’s budget. 

Project Support

Project support offers an opportunity for museums or related service organizations to “seek funding for projects or programs that are essential to maintain, improve and/or increase service to their audience/communities.” NYSCA cites arts or cultural projects like exhibitions, education programs, public programs, interpretation, collections research, catalogs, audience development, and services to the field.

The minimum awarded is $2,500 and grants cannot exceed 50% of the total project budget. 

Bronx Children’s Museum

Bronx Children’s Museum’s “Dream Big” Summer Arts Enrichment Program.  Photo courtesy Bronx Children’s Museum

The Bronx Children’s Museum received $8,000 in NYSCA Project Support for their community based learning project, “Dream Big”— a five week summer arts enrichment program to children in the South Bronx that focused on the theme “Building the Bronx.” The Dream Big Summer Enrichment Program serves approximately one hundred 2nd and 3rd graders from Bronx community-based organizations and schools. Its purpose is “to encourage children to entertain and elaborate on their grandest desires for their futures.” Offered as a summer enrichment program at two to three community based organizations as day camps, museum teaching artists provide visual and performance arts instruction three days a week for up to fifteen sessions. The theme changes each year but it is always Bronx related. The program culminates is a Dream Big Day which celebrates the entire program and where notable Bronx-born in the arts and public life (like Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor) interact with the children and help inspire them to pursue their dreams. Children also present what they have learned throughout the program.

Other Project Support Funding

The Voelker Orth Museum is a museum in Queens that tells the story of an immigrant family in the 1890s. The Museum received $5,000 in NYSCA Project Support for the first phase of a new interpretive plan that will include audience evaluation and asset review. 

Lakes to Locks Passage received $18,00 to continue services to the field with workshops, roundtables, and technical assistance to museums in northern New York State for building strong governance, improving capacity, and creating thematic interpretive programs to increase visitors’ understanding of the region’s cultural resources. 

The New York Botanical Garden received $20,000 in project support for their exhibition “KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature” a garden-wide exhibition that will bring new, critical perspectives to the body of work by Japanese Contemporary Artists Yayoi Kusama. The exhibition combines newly commissioned site-specific, early, and existing artwork and will be a multi-sensory presentation of Kusama’s connection with nature. 

The exhibition will cover the entire 250 acres, inside and out and will feature Kusama’s first obliteration greenhouse.

The exhibition opens on May 9, 2020.

Tips and Advice from NYSCA

• Read the Guidelines carefully. There are updates every year.

• Ask questions! Reach out to NYSCA Program staff.

• Use the formatting tools in the NYSCA-CFA to make your application easier to read.

• Submit early. Don’t wait until the last day to apply—there are no extensions.

• Follow up. Whether your request is funded or not, follow up with NSYCA Program staff after you receive notice to schedule time to hear feedback.

Applicants to the Museum Program can choose to apply for either General Operating Support or Project Support, but not both. Organization may submit applications for another NYSCA Program, like Facilities Projects, Folk Arts, or Visual Arts, etc.) if applicable.

Consolidated Funding Application Tips

• Be prepared. Review all the steps to apply: https://arts.ny.gov/application-guide

• Choose your words wisely when it comes to character counts. Character counts at the maximum and do include spaces. Tell your story with detail but don’t be repetitive.

• Use your options. For NYSCA, budget notes are really important, so don’t skip them.

• Upload support materials. Each category has different requirements so be sure to read carefully and upload the required materials as PDFs as to not lose any formatting. 

• Again, submit early. No exceptions for CFA applications. 

Grant applications are due March 12, 2020 by 4 PM.

Further Reading / Resources

Museum Program Overview

https://arts.ny.gov/programs/museum

Recent NYSCA Grants Search 

Search for recently funding NYSCA organizations

http://www.nysca.org/grant_app/org_search.cfm

Applying to NYSCA for FY21? Start Here!

https://arts.ny.gov/blog/applying-nysca-fy21-start-here

Earlier in February, I traveled to the Philipsburg Manor Historic Site in Sleepy Hollow to join a discussion with representatives from 20 institutions led by Historic Hudson Valley about how they are telling the stories of enslavement in the Colonial North.

Participants came from historic sites and museums in the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and New York City sharing  success stories, resources, current projects, and challenges across the sector. .

(left) Michael Lord, Associate Director and Content Developer for Historic Hudson Valley, leads a tour of Philipsburg Manor

Historic Hudson Valley

Historic Hudson Valley (HHV) has been committed to telling the story of enslavement in the colonial north for more than two decades. They do this at their Philipsburg Manor site through a dynamic range of programs and digital initiatives that are responsive to the needs of educators, students, and the public. HHV uses primary documents from the Philipse and Van Cortlandt families and scholarly research to “illuminate the lives of the enslaved Afrians who lived and worked in the Northern states; to grapple with the inhumanity of their plight, and to make their skilled contributions to the American economy and national culture abundantly evident to our visitors.” 

Philipsburg Manor is a 1750 milling and trading complex that was home to 23 enslaved individuals of African descent. Extensive research has been done using primary sources to learn  the names of those enslaved on this site. If I had arrived some twenty years earlier, the experience would have been very different. In fact, I might have learned very little about any enslaved individuals who lived and worked there. Historic Hudson Valley made the decision to tell the larger story, bring their content up to date, and move these stories forward using primary and secondary sources and translating them to the public. 

“People Not Property” Project

The original interpretation at Philipsburg Manor focused on the Philipse family. HHV wanted to alter its interpretation to focus on researching and telling the stories of those enslaved at the manor and the story of enslavement in the Colonial North. The “People Not Property” website project explores the history of slavery in the Hudson Valley region. The project was one of 253 across the United States and was awarded $500,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to create digital exhibitions and advance research. The website is an interactive documentary that explains the history of enslavement in the Northeast, focusing on the Hudson Valley by using stories, videos, and re-enactments. “People Not Property” focuses on the lives of the 32 enslaved Africans who built and maintained Philipsburg Manor. 

(left) Objects in the Philipsburg Manor that are used to help tell the stories of those lived and worked there.

Michael Lord, Associate Director and Content Creator for Historic Hudson Valley who convened this Historic Sites and Slavery Roundtable, recognized the importance of acknowledging the existence of slavery in the Colonial North and telling these stories from the perspective of the enslaved. With the success of the new interpretation at Philipsburg Manor and the “People Not Property” project helping to inform the public about the impact of slavery in the north, HHV hopes to gather like minded people representing museums and historic sites in the Hudson Valley and beyond to share collective challenges and share their institutional perspectives.

Around the Table

Participants included curators, interpreters, directors of public programming and education from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Historic Huguenot Street, Morris-Jumel Mansion in NYC, and Sylvester Manor Educational Farm on Long Island. 

23 participants from around the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and New York City gathered at the Philipsburg Manor Historic Site in Sleepy Hollow  for an informal discussion about historic sites and the presentation of enslavement in the Colonial North.

At the start of our tour of Philipsburg Manor, each participant shared what their museum or historic site was doing to tell their stories of enslavement. Laura Carpenter Myers, Director at Van Cortlandt House Museum (located in Van Cortlandt Park in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of The Bronx and the oldest surviving building in the borough) shared that the museum is looking for grant funding to tell the stories of those enslaved and is inviting the community to participate by hosting community coalition meetings. 

The Dyckman Farmhouse, built in 1784 in upper Manhattan in the Inglewood neighborhood, is researching the history and lives of those who were enslaved. Now, museum staff are trying to figure out the next steps and how to best use this information to tell these stories. 

Preservation Long Island shared that like the Van Cortlandt House Museum, they too are using community round tables to gather information from the public on the three historic house museums that they manage on how best to tell the stories of enslavement, specifically at Joseph Lloyd Manor and the life of Jupiter Hammon, one of the first published African American authors who lived, wrote, and was enslaved at Lloyd Manor for most of his life. Educational programs for teachers now include workshops on the history of “Colonial Long Island’ and the “Slave Experience in New York.” Preservation Long Island recently launched The Jupiter Hammon Project, a major initiative that will develop a new interpretive direction for the Lloyd Manor that “encourages responsible, rigorous, and relevant encounters with the story of Jupiter Hammon” as well as Long Island’s history of enslavement and its impact on society today.

Donnamarie Barnes, Curator and Archivist at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm shared the “Hidden in Plain Sight” Program which is sharing the histories of enslaved African American people who lived, worked, and died on Long Islands’ East End. The program, which took place as part of the 5th Annual Black History Month Celebration on February 24, explored the history of slavery on the East End and “the omission of that history from the founding narrative of the United States.” Sylvester Manor, like HHV, is using primary documents to find the names of the enslaved and to understand their lives. 

Challenges as a Region

While these historic sites and museums are making incredible strides in research and creating now content and interpretation, there are challenges. After the tour of Philipsburg Manor, we gathered back inside the visitor center and spoke about the shared challenges. Levada Nahon, Interpreter of African American History with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, asked how historic sites and museums share primary documents that tell the stories of enslavement in the Colonial North with the public. Nahon commented that “we should start addressing enslavement happening in the North and move away from the notion that the Dutch weren’t enslavers.” Sharing resources with the public from each historic site is important to help recognize enslavement in the North. “It’s important to get the word out to our audiences to challenge the southern narrative.

One other challenge that many participants shared was training staff and volunteers on how to talk about slavery and the terminology to use. Nahon asked “how do we train the staff for these dialogues and what is the emotional impact of these new interpretive techniques?” At this point in the discussion,  there was a lot of great advice and resources shared from other institutions. Heather Lodge, Manager of Youth and Family Programs at Greenwich Historical and Bush-Holley House, who also was involved with the Witness Stone Project in Guilford, shared information about the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience network who is helping historic sites with safe spaces and resources about sharing difficult histories. 

Moving Forward

At the end of the discussion, all institutions agreed that there are still important stories waiting to be told and the need to continue to recover peoples’ stories with new perspectives. Historic Hudson Valley hopes to continue to have these meetings and to continue the discussion. Connecting historic sites and museums who have similar goals is important to share resources, stories of success, and to share strategies to navigate challenges. 

Further Reading / Resources

Historic Hudson Valley “People Not Property” 

https://peoplenotproperty.hudsonvalley.org/

Preservation Long Island “The Jupiter Hammon Project”

https://preservationlongisland.org/preservation-long-island-launches-the-jupiter-hammon-project/

Hidden in Plain Sight

https://www.sylvestermanor.org/calendar/2019/2/24/black-history-month-celebration-in-plain-sight

Teaching Tolerance: Using the WPA Slave Narratives

https://www.tolerance.org/frameworks/hard-history/race-in-the-united-states/slavery

This letter originally appeared in our "This Month in NYS Museums" newsletter sent on 1/29/2020. For the latest information about the Museum of Chinese in America please visit:https://www.mocanyc.org/visit/

In his 2020 book, The Storytelling Animal, scientist Jonathan Gottschall proposed that human beings are natural storytellers; that we love stories so much we incorporate and use objects, artifacts, ephemera, and out natural world to tell stories about ourselves and our cultures to make them relatable to other humans.

Imagine dedicating forty years of your life to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the stories of your family, your neighbors, and your community, and waking up one morning to learn that all you collected to tell those stories was gone.

Last week’s fire in a brick building at 70 Mulberry Street in New York City has devastated the Chinese community in New York and across our country. They did not only lose their community center, they lost their stories embodied in the collections of The Museum of Chinese in America.

The museum staff may be able to gain access through first responders to part of what may remain of the collections later today (January 29). Although they believe that most of the collection did not burn, the rescue, restoration, and conservation of the collection requires assistance and funding beyond the current means of the museum. Imagine the damage caused by 12 hours of water pouring from fire hoses onto rare books, archival materials, precious textiles, and ephemera and the expense of rescue and restoration. 

We have little control over disasters like floods and fires, but there are things we can do as museum professionals to take precautions with this unimaginable loss in mind.Call your local first responders, invite them to your museum, show them where you store your collections, share your stories with them so that if the water rises, or a fire starts, they are better prepared to help in an emergency.

Donate to the rescue efforts at MOCA. Every donation is significant, no matter

the amount. 

Sign up and volunteer to share your professional expertise with MOCA staff.

We will do our best to share the news of the recovery and preservation efforts in the weeks to come. Please help however you can. 

Listen to NPR’s “All Things Considered” interview with Nancy Yao Maasback, MOCA President What The Museum of Chinese In America Lost In A Fire

From the NY Times: 85,000 Pieces From Beloved Chinatown Museum Likely Destroyed in Fire

From the Gothamist: Archive Recovery To Begin At Museum Of Chinese in America Days After Devastating Fire

From the New Yorker: What We Lost in the Museum of Chinese in America Fire

"Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty" was a phrase coined by Jack Weinberg in the 1960s.

Photo courtesy of the Button Museum.

Dear Members of the MANY community,

This past November I turned 57. Depending on which demographer you choose to believe, I am either a Baby Boomer or a member of the elusively-defined Generation “X.” My older cousins wore POW-MIA bracelets to honor soldiers captured in the Vietnam War. Some went to Woodstock, others got stuck on the Thruway trying to get there. I was surrounded by people who fought for racial and gender equality, protested against injustice, questioned authority, broke dress codes, and stepped outside of social norms. There was a clear divide from older generations fueled by a mutual lack of trust; places and spaces to come together and agree on politics, music, or values were few and far between. 

I held part-time jobs through college and graduate school, and paid off my student loans by the time I was 40. Once I entered the museum world, I was frequently the youngest person in the room. I was told to be quiet in meetings and deferential to senior staff. A colleague stopped me after a meeting to tell me that I shouldn’t act like I knew what I was doing, because I didn’t. About a year later that person apologized, admitted that they spoke harshly, and hadn’t given me a chance. I have never forgotten that apology because it taught me how to gracefully admit when I had done something wrong. 

We are once again at a time when a generational divide has sown a lack of trust in our society and in our workplace and distracted us from achieving common goals that would benefit ourselves, our families, and our organizations. I know I have complained about having to learn yet another new way to electronically manage files, send emails, or keep a calendar to accommodate how my staff tracked my travel. But recently, someone reminded me how it felt to be the youngest person in the room. 

The divide between older and younger museum professionals may be more about history, culture, and technology than money or political power, but the gap is real. If you are a Baby Boomer in the position to hire a new staff person, you can find articles on LinkedIn about traits you need to know and practice to successfully train a Millennial. A Millennial told me it was one of the most condescending things that they had ever read. 

A Pew Research Center study from the fall of 2019 confirmed what most of us already know, that Millennials are the fastest growing sector of non-profit professionals, leading older Americans in their adoption and use of technology. Millennials are not the ones hanging out in bars until last call. They have young children and mortgages, are passionately dedicated to the museum field, and won’t be able to retire their student loan debt before they turn 40.

The generation divide in museums may also be defined by how you learned to do your job. Did you have a typewriter at your first desk? Did someone deliver a press proof that you edited by cutting and pasting text and sending it back to a typesetter? If you answered these questions with “yes” and remember how it felt when that first computer was delivered to you, I ask you think about how those tools changed the way you communicated, managed projects, and produced exhibitions. Now imagine never having to change and learning how to do your job already fluent and highly skilled with those tools. Many Baby Boomer and Generation "X" colleagues question younger staff about why they want to do things differently and discuss the challenges of working with Millennials. It may be time for those of us with gray hair to remember how it felt to be told to keep quiet and be deferential. 

Gathering together generationally may feel safe, but it also may be distracting us from larger issues in our field and diverting our attention from ways in which we can advance our institutions. If it can fit your schedule and your budget, come to the MANY conference in Albany, get out of your comfort zone, and let’s find a safe space together to build trust and share ideas without regard to the year on our birth certificates. 

With thanks for your support,

In December 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that more than $761 million in Round IX of New York State Regional Economic Development Council Initiatives (REDC) were awarded to municipalities, non-profits, art and cultural organizations, and museums. 58 museums across New York State received just over $21 million in REDC Initiatives. 

Funding to museums included Empire State Development (ESD) Grants, Market New York (MNY), Environmental Protection Fund: Parks, Preservation and Heritage Grants (OPRHP), and New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) initiatives. 

Funding to museums by REDC Region

NYSCA’s Arts and Cultural Initiatives

NYSCA’s Arts and Cultural Initiatives funding provides up to $5 million across New York State’s 10 economic development regions. Its purpose is to enhance and transform the cultural and economic vitality of NYS communities. Funding support is broken down into three categories: NY State Arts Impact Awards, Workforce Investment, and Workforce Fellowships. 

Workforce investment funding supports the creation of new full or part-time positions as well as the expansion of existing part-time positions to full time. It includes either general full-time or part-time positions, or a resident artist (like a visual artist, folklorist, or choreographer). 

The Wild Center received $30,000 from NYSCA Workforce Investment for its Fellowships program. This Fellowship provides job training and experience focused on museum operations, interpretation, and the region’s cultural and natural history. This program helps emerging museum professionals prepare for the next stage in their careers. 

Genesee Country Village & Museum received $15,600 in renewed support for an Assistant Preservation Carpenter, a full-time resident artist position, who will demonstrate their craft for visitors, offer community education programs, and assist in the maintenance of the sixty eight buildings on-site.

A $20,000 Workforce Investment was awarded to the Burchfield Penney Art Center who will expand a part-time Curatorial Associate into a full time position. The goal is to enable this position to expand their services to the community and visitors from across New York State and beyond.

The Arts & Cultural Facilities Improvement Program (Arts ACFIP) provides funding for renovations and/or expansions that are open to the public, projects to support sustainable and energy efficient spaces, improvement in accessibility, and improvements to technology and other equipment that benefits the public. 

The Hispanic Society of America received $145,000 for a special exhibition gallery helping to renovate its East Building’s ground floor and will focus on juxtaposing its global Hispanic collections with Contemporary Ibero-Latinx art. 

In the Finger Lakes, the National Women’s Hall of Fame will use its $145,000 Arts ACFIP Award to restore its iconic Seneca Knitting Mill Smokestack and will focus on making the building accessible while completing the second floor occupancy to celebrate Great American Women. 

Market New York

In 2018, New York State tourism grew by $6 billion and generated nearly $155 billion in economic impact. Museums are included in this tourism economic impact and helped contribute to the more than 250 million visitors (https://esd.ny.gov/industries/tourism).

To grow and sustain this economic impact, ESD established Market New York (MNY) to strengthen tourism and attract visitors to New York State. For Round IX of REDC Funding, 18 museums were awarded a MNY grant to support tourism marketing initiatives that include capital and construction projects, fund special events, bring in special exhibitions, and fund tourism marketing campaigns aimed at increasing visitors. 

In the Western Region, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Garden Society received $500,000 to promote their 120th anniversary and their new facility expansion project set to open in 2022 to increase awareness of the Buffalo Botanical Gardens among residents and tourists. 

A large glass building is planned for the southwest side of the Botanical Gardens as part of a planned expansion. 

(Rendering courtesy of the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens via Buffalo News)

The Brooklyn Historical Society received $169,950 to launch a marketing, advertising, and PR campaign aimed at increasing Brooklyn tourism by expanding its visibility. This campaign will promote two of the Brooklyn Historical Society’s unique sites, a landmark 1881 building in Brooklyn Heights and a 3200 square feet gallery in the Empire Stores building in DUMBO. The Brooklyn Historical Society notes that this project is the most comprehensive campaign of its kind in its 155 year history.

Historic Huguenot Street received $290,000 from Market NY to construct a state of the art visitor center with the goal to increase capacity and enhance the museum as a key attraction in the Mid-Hudson REDC region. 

Historic Preservation Funding from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP)

Major funding was also announced for the preservation of historic properties under the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). These historic preservation fund improvements, preservations, rehabilitation and restoration to sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as structural assessments and planning for these projects. 

The George Eastman Museum received $600,000 to restore and repair historic garden structures and also will increase accessibility to The Grape Arbor, Pergola, and Loggia. 

Other major restoration projects funded in this REDC round was $600,000 to the Oneida Community Mansion House to complete phase I of its exterior rehabilitation project. This work will include repairs to the 19th century roof, drainage, masonry, painting and window restoration.

In Binghamton, the Roberson Museum will use $320,870 for critical restoration work of the windows and trim of the Roberson Mansion and Carriage House.

The Montauk Historical Society was awarded $313,500 to help restore the iconic Montauk Lighthouse and the John Jay Homestead will use funding to protect the historic home from fire by adding a fire safety management plan. 

Sonnenburg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Site received $500,000 to build a new entrance and update parking to become ADA compliant.

Increase in Capital Funding

31 museum received nearly $18 million in REDC Capital Funding. These projects include both new and renovations to existing museum building to create great accessibility for visitors, increase capacity, and expand educational and community programs.

The Tesla Science Center on Long Island received $750,000  to transform the only existing laboratory of inventor Nikola Tesla into three unique attractions—a museum honoring Tesla and his legacy, a center for education and research, and an entrepreneur and technologist innovation program.

$276,000 was awarded to the Buffalo History Museum to invest in its guest amenities for a better and more welcoming visitor experience with air conditioning, new seating in their auditorium, and universally accessible guest welcome stations. 

Rendering of the Universal Hip Hop Museum on the Bronx/Harlem waterfront by S9 Architecture (photo courtesy Curbed NY)

In New York City, the Universal Hip Hop Museum received $3,500,000 to build and promote a new cultural arts institution and the first museum in the world dedicated to the preservation of hip hop history and culture that will attract visitors and help to further develop the Bronx/Harlem River waterfront. Construction will begin this summer and the Museum is expected to open in 2023. 

Year Over Year

2018 v 2019 REDC Capital Funding to NYS Museums

REDC Funding to museums was down by almost $2 million from 2018, however the number of museums awarded increased from 57 to 58. There was also a $3 million increase in capital grant funding through ESD and Market NY Grants. 

As funding increases to capital projects to museums across the state, MANY will continue to advocate for additional funding for education and programming in museums. 

In October 2019, the Museum Education Act (Bill #6819) was re-introduced by New York State Senator José Serrano. This Act will amend the arts and cultural affairs law in relation to providing financial assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, and other cultural institutions located in low-income urban, suburban, or rural communities. The Museum Education Act will create a mechanism to fund programs at New York’s cultural organizations, specifically educational services and strengthen the way museums work within their communities. 

For the full list of NYS museums who received REDC funding click here.

For the full list of 2019 Round IX REDC grant recipients please visit: https://regionalcouncils.ny.gov/2019-awards-ceremony

Tourism is New York State’s third largest industry and New York’s museums are significant partners. In 2018, museums helped contribute to the state's 253 million visitors and $114.8 million total tourism economic impact. The New York State Division of Tourism / I LOVE NY helps to promote museums by, creating dynamic marketing campaigns and offerings, funding to local and regional partners through programs like Market New York, which has helped museums  bring in special exhibitions and events and fund capital projects. Earlier this month, I spoke to Ross Levi, Executive Director of the New York State Division of Tourism, about his role at I LOVE NY, how museums are important to New York State's tourism industry, and tried to confirm his favorite museum. “We [I LOVE NY] see [the relationship between tourism and museums] as a very reciprocal relationship and we want to be able to help museums so that museums are able to help tourism,” he said.

(left) Ross Levi, Executive Director of the New York State Division of Tourism/I LOVE NY, photo courtesy I LOVE NY

Megan: What is your current title with I LOVE NY? How long have you been there?

Ross Levi: I am Executive Director of the New York State Division of Tourism, which is often referred to as I LOVE NY, and also a Vice President at Empire State Development (ESD). I’ve been with ESD since 2012 and worked initially in tourism and business marketing before migrating exclusively to tourism, where I've served as Executive Director since 2017.

Can you give me a brief overview of what you do in your work?

The New York State Division of Tourism promotes all of New York State as the premier travel destination, and we do that in a number of different ways. We promote New York State through marketing including paid advertising like TV commercials, PR and earned media efforts, digital and social media, and printed collateral. We also do domestic and international sales work like leading sales missions, participating in travel trade shows, and reaching out to tour operators. We also provide industry support by funding local and regional tourism initiatives, and we work on policy development to make New York State a more appealing destination to potential visitors. 

At the end of the day my responsibility is to inspire travel to New York State by keeping it a top-of-mind destination for travelers when considering or planning a trip. 

What motivates you to do what you do? What do you get excited about? What are some of your goals?

First of all, knowing that tourism is New York State third largest industry supporting one out of every 10 jobs in the State – I feel a responsibility to tourism as an economic driver. My aim is to promote the incredible diversity of all that New York State has to offer as a travel destination and also help foster public policies that continue to make New York State a highly desirable place to visit, while supporting our tourism industry partners. They are the ones who are out there spreading the word and at the end of the day,  most responsible for delivering on the promise that we make to consumers. 

Beyond that, I love to travel, and I’ve always loved to travel. The greatest times in my life were when I was on a trip somewhere and I really love that I can help other people make lifelong memories and experience the joy of travel. It’s pretty great that my job is to convince others to have fun, to recharge, to broaden their horizons, and it’s even better when the product is New York State—an amazingly diverse place as a vacation destination, and a place for which I have a strong passion.

How many museums do you think you’ve visited in New York State since you become Executive Director of I LOVE NY?

Wow—at least dozens, but most likely scores. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I have always loved museums. As a kid, I grew up in Connecticut and visited the museums at Yale University; the Peabody Museum of Natural History, the University Art Gallery. I have always loved museums, and not just as an academic exercise but they were always fun for me. There were exciting, interesting places where you're exposed to things and worlds you didn’t know about. I still have a sense of wonder when I visit a museum that I have never been before, no matter the topic—whether its a fly-fishing museum in the Catskills or the It’s a Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls. New York has such an amazing variety of museums that the sense of wonder is never ending. 

You mentioned tourism being the third largest industry supporting New York State. Do you see museums supporting tourism and helping to drive economic development?

Oh yes, absolutely We know that nearly 80% of all U.S. leisure travelers engage in cultural or heritage activities such as visiting museums as part of their vacations, according to the U.S. Travel Association. So, we recognize that museums are a vital part of any tourism ecosystem and that is particularly true for a state like New York where we really have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to amazing museums, from the large world-famous destinations that everyone knows to the more niche institutions. We at I LOVE NY, along with the many other tourism promotion partners across the state that we work with, want our museum partners to thrive and we want them to help us help them.

How can museums in New York State better utilize I LOVE NY?   

There are a lot of different ways but I'll highlight four:

One is to make sure that you are connected with your local Tourism Promotion Agent (TPA). Every county in New York State has a TPA that is officially assigned to overseeing and coordinating tourism for their area. They act as our front line folks who we go to whenever we have a new campaign. It is very important that museums are connected with their TPAs, so when we reach out to the TPAs, they are well informed about what’s going on in the museum world in their area. They are also the ones responsible to make sure attractions and museums are listed on the I LOVE NY website and mobile app. 

Connect with your TPA to make sure you are on ILOVENY.COM and listed on the mobile app.

Two is to engage with our Path Through History initiative, either by becoming an official Path Through History attraction and/or by participating in a Path Through History Weekend. The Path Through History Weekend is a Tourism Heritage Initiative and a way that I LOVE NY can speak specifically to people who are interested in adding a heritage tourism element as part of their trip. One of its signature activities is the two Path Through History Weekends held each year: one in the spring and one in the fall. You don’t have to be a Path Through History attraction to hold an event and participate in a Path Through History Weekend. 

Third, it’s great to keep us informed of your public relations efforts because we post press releases on the I LOVE NY website, giving you additional exposure to the journalists with whom we are connected..

Lastly, if it is appropriate, apply for Market New York funding through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA). This program allows museums to apply for grant funding that supports capital projects, special events and exhibitions, and special marketing initiatives that get the word out about their institutions. 

Can you tell me more about Market New York?

Market New York is a grant program that provides matching funds for tourism marketing projects, special events, and tourism facility capital improvements that will ultimate create economic development by increasing tourism throughout the state. More than $15 million awards were just announced as part of Round IX of the program [See our write up about 2019 REDC museum funding]. We hope there will be a Round X included in the next State Budget and, if so, that application process will open in the spring. 

How did you end up at I LOVE NY? What led you to this job? What were you doing before?

I’ve had a very varied career. My first career out of college was in marketing in the film industry for studios like Universal Pictures, Miramax and 20th Century Fox. I then had a second career; I went to law school and was a lawyer and advocate that included a long stint at New YorkState’s LGBT advocacy organization. I was their Executive Director for a few years, and helped coordinate the effort to legalize same-sex marriage in New York State. 

My first connection to Empire State Development and Tourism was to help launch Governor Cuomo’s LGBT initiative—a tourism project to make a specific invitation to the LGBT community. My overall background allowed me to go back to the future with marketing and led me here and to lead the Division of Tourism when my predecessor left in 2017.

Can describe a favorite day on the job?

In a way, it’s hard to say because there is no typical day at I LOVE NY, but I really enjoy interacting with and helping to support our tourism partners. That's probably one of my favorite parts of the job. We have such a talented and professional group of professionals working in New York’s tourism industrywhether those are destination marketers, or the people who run the attractions, colleagues at other state agencies, and the advocates at our state tourism trade groups. I am really grateful to get out in the field and to speak with and learn from our tourism partners, which includes participating in industry meetings like the MANY Conference or seeing the latest developments at a tourist destination. So, my favorite parts of the job are being out in New York State alongside my colleagues in the tourism industry.

Final Thoughts?

We exist to help the tourism industry and that very much includes museums. We can help museums fulfill their missions by helping them attract a larger and more diverse group of visitors often at no cost to the museum. In turn, we know that when museums succeed, they help us meet our responsibility in making New York State the world’s ultimate vacation destination. 

We see it as a very reciprocal relationship and we want to be able to help museums so that museums are able to help tourism. 

I emphasize the importance of museums to tourism and we recognize that museums have missions and an important societal role beyond that. As a New Yorker, I am glad for that role, even though  I need to focus on the tourism and economic development piece of it. One of the things that I feel satisfied about is that since I’ve been here there has been increased dialogue between the museum and tourism worlds. While we recognize that there is such a natural relationship there in helping each other succeed, we don’t necessarily speak the same language and that’s ok. There is so much cross over but there are independent pieces as well. 

Further Reading / Resources

To learn how your museum can apply for Market NY visit https://esd.ny.gov/market-new-york-tourism-grant-program

To learn more about I LOVE NY visit https://www.iloveny.com/

To find you Tourism Promotion Agency visit https://www.iloveny.com/articles/post/county-and-regional-tpa-list/

Owned and operated by the Underground Railroad History Project, the Myers Residence is using the house and objects found on site to challenge longstanding, stereotypical assumptions about free people of color before the Civil War. Its immersive approach to interpretation aspires to empower people to become agents of change in their own communities.

On Livingston Street in Albany, you’ll find a house that stands out from the rest. A mid-19th century three story brick Greek Revival that was once home to abolitionists Stephen and Harriet Myers. Today it is listed on the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail and is a site on the National Park Service’s National Network to Freedom.

Purchased and saved from decades of neglect in 2004 by the Underground Railroad History Project, their goal is to preserve and restore the Myers Residence back to what it was in the 1850s. With nearly $1 million raised through grants and individual donations for preservation and restoration work on the building’s exterior, they are now turning their attention to interior restoration and interpretation.

Preservation with a Purpose

Mary Liz Stewart, Executive Director of the Underground Railroad History Project (URHP), began the organization out of a want to bring documented information about local Underground Railroad activities into her 5^th grade classroom. Her husband, Paul, was writing for a local newspaper, The South End Scene was also searching for documented information about the Underground Railroad in Albany for his articles. Through their research, they uncovered stories of those who had previously been “written out” of history that provided different accounts of the Underground Railroad activism. The Stewarts realized that the story they were uncovering belonged to the community and created the URHP. The Myers Residence is an important artifact of the anti-slavery and Underground Railroad period in Albany and has been documented as headquarters for Underground Railroad activity.

I met Stewart at the Myers Residence for a tour. When I arrived at 9:30 on a brisk January morning, there were already workers mixing cement for the restoration of the back stairs and preparing the ground for the installation of a new lift. “It’s important for accessibility and to remove as many barriers as we can,” said Stewart. She pointed out that there is only one fence on the property, at the rear, which was also intentional. “People of color have traditionally been excluded, so we decided not to put up fences surrounding the property.”

The interior walls have been striped back to plain plaster, an industrial carpet protects the original wooden floors, and interior doors have been removed. It is a blank canvas. I asked about any plans to leave parts of the house in an unfinished state. “We’ve had people ask if we plan to leave one room unfinished but with all the wealthy white men’s houses in Albany… the Schuyler Mansion, Ten Broeck, Crailo...it is important to have this home of an enslaved man be restored to the same standards,” said Stewart.

Splitting with Tradition

The front room has furniture you might have found in the 1850s when Stephen and Harriet Myers lived here as well as contemporary art. There is a second empire style couch from the 1850s but rather than a “do not sit” sign, visitors are encouraged to sit. It’s part of the overall goal of the Myers Residence to help the house and its history feel touchable for today's visitors. Stewart wants people to feel connected to the house and immersed in its history. By allowing visitors to sit on the furniture, the Myers Residence splits with traditional historic house museums.

What is most striking in the front parlor is a corner devoted to the Schuyler Flatts Burial Ground Project. Created to pay tribute to the discovered remains of 14 formerly enslaved people, the remains were reinterred in decorative catafalques made from wood and designed by artists. The remains lied in state at the Schuyler Mansion Historic Site in 2016 before being buried at St Agnes Cemetery. Photos of the 14 catafalques are displayed in a corner in the front parlor along with a large mixed media sculpture. This sculpture, created by visual artist D.D. McCullough titled, “The Scales of Injustice,” focuses on the “torture and pain experience by Africans during slavery.” The sculpture was created to accompany the 14 catafalques at the Schuyler Mansion Historic Site, and was then installed at the Myers Residence after being reinterred.

"The Scales of Injustice" by D.D. McCullough with images of artist designed catafalques displayed on the wall.

Writing and Murals on the Walls

Decorating the rest of the walls in the front parlor are signatures of some of those who have supported the Myers Residence and the URHP. The signatures punctuate the unfinished plaster and reflect the community effort that has surrounded this preservation project.

Written in a permanent market, signatures of Underground Railroad History Project supporters adorn the walls —including the signature of Congressman Paul Tonko, NY 20

The back parlor is a shared workspace. Two desks are pushed together in the middle of the room. It’s the office hub for all Underground Railroad History Project programming. Beyond the desks my attention was drawn to the brightly painted mural that travels up the stairs.

The mural, “Seeking Sanctuary” contains 100 events on a timeline that begins in 1741 with the NY Slave Conspiracy. “Each point highlights those who provided sanctuary, those who sought sanctuary, and those events in American and National history that caused the need for sanctuary,” said Stewart.  “It reflects the fact that the Myers Residence was a place of sanctuary in antebellum New York and continues to be a place of sanctuary today as it is used to promote racial reconciliation and healing.” The mural was designed and painted in 2018 by teens in the Young Abolitionist Teen Scholars’ Institute lead by local professional artist Oliver Peters. The mural travels with visitors up the stairs to the second and third floors and to current events.

“Seeking Sanctuary” mural recognizes 100 events on a timeline beginning in 1741 highlighting people who provided sanctuary, those who sought sanctuary, and events in American and National history that caused the need for sanctuary.

Artifacts Challenging Stereotypes

The back room of the second floor (once a bedroom and now the reading and exhibit room) is where visitors will find just a few of the artifacts found onsite. The Myers Residence uses archaeological artifacts that have been excavated on the property to tell more of its story. A pair of boots, pieces of a ceramic doll, a child’s tea set, slate pencils, and other artifacts are displayed. “There are a number of artifacts that had they been whole and intact, would have been part of a complete dinnerware,” shared Stewart. This dinnerware set found onsite is now used to share the Myers’ story and their role in Albany in society. “We use those pieces as a way to help displace some of the stereotypical notions that hover in public memory which usually suggest that free people [of color] before the Civil War did not have much. Finding artifacts like this [dinnerware] indicates the opposite for Harriet. This large collection of dinnerware pieces becomes an indicator of Harriet having a full set of matching dishes,” Stewart said. In addition to the artifacts changing previous stereotypical assumptions, the house plays an important role. “The house itself becomes an artifact...its ten rooms, the Greek Revival Style architecture, gas lighting, crown molding… all of these things are easily acquainted with the white wealthy families,” said Stewart. “This building speaks to both the wealth as well as the capacity of people of color before the Civil War who contributed to the health and vitality of the community which they were based.”

Pieces of a ceramic child’s tea set found on the property during archaeological excavations. This archaeological evidence reminds visitors that the Myers were also a family in addition to their work in civil rights activism.

Paper Trail

There are also important paper documents about the Myers that have been discovered in recent years that help provide a more comprehensive understanding of their lives. Visitors can flip through copies of chattel mortgages (the originals safely held in the Albany County Hall of Records) that list items owned by Stephen and Harriet Myers used as loan collateral. “These are incredible records of their personal possessions that gives us the opportunity to have a better understanding of what their personal world was like, what daily life was like, and what we are going to do when it comes time to furnish the building,” Stewart said. The goal is to interpret the house on a multi-dimensional scale. To portray the lives of Stephen and Harriett Myers as more than abolitionists, but as community activists, parents, working and supporting their family. “They were people with full, rich lives who engaged with organizations and activities beyond the Underground Railroad activism...but all efforts that were about equity and civil rights.”

Leaving Empowered

Comments left by visitors decorate the walls in the reading and exhibit room.

Stewart hopes that by using these artifacts in the interpretation of the house and its programming, visitors will connect with the Myers and draw connections from their lives in the 1850s to today.

There are post-it’s that cover the walls in this reading/exhibit room. These are thoughts left by visitors about their tour, about what they learned, what they liked, and how their visit affected them. It is an immersive experience.

“We want to empower people to engage and to become agents of change in their own networks, in their own communities working towards a more equitable and just society for everybody,” said Stewart. “We hope that when people come and become engaged with the Myers Residence, they will leave empowered and recognize that people of color have had a more significant impact on the American narrative.”

The Myers Residence is open for tours Monday to Friday, 5 – 8 PM and on Saturdays 12 – 4 PM.

For more information about the Myers Residence and the Underground Railroad History Project visit: https://www.undergroundrailroadhistory.org/

Dear Members of the MANY Museum Community,

This last "Letter from Erika" in 2019 is different. It is a first look at data provided by 206 museums (15% of our state’s museums) who answered over a hundred questions in our 2019 State of New York State Museums survey. This first survey of the field conducted by MANY since 2011, paints a new picture with charts, graphs, and data visualizations created by Megan Eves, MANY’s Marketing and Social Media Coordinator who studied this summer with Edward Tufte, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Statistics, and Computer Science, Yale University. The full report will be published in March 2020.  This letter also includes testimony I delivered on Thursday, December 12 at a hearing on Capital Funding for Arts and Cultural Organizations called by the Assembly Standing Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports chaired by Assembly Member Daniel J. O’Donnell (District 69) and the Assembly Subcommittee on Museums & Cultural Institutions chaired by Assembly Member Robert C. Carroll (District 44). My testimony was shaped by the survey data that illuminated differences in distribution and types of funding to museums.  We have included a map and an alphabetical list of the museums who shared their information. We are grateful for the time and generosity of our colleagues. When published, the charts and report will be located on a members-only access page of the website. Members will need to log into their MANY profile on the website to access the report.  About the Charts Not every museum answered every question in the survey. You will find an “n” number on each chart to support the data; text analysis will include the phrases “of those who responded to the survey,” and “of those who responded to the question.” Charts included in this letter are:  Museums by discipline, budget size, and region Types of Museum buildings and public spaces New York State funding by museum budget size, region, and granting agency Average salary compensation by region and percentage of budget Intern compensation by region and budget size Thank you for your support in 2019. We served a record number of museum professionals through our conference, workshops, and Meet-Ups. Our membership has grown to almost double what it was just three years ago.  Your membership helps us sustain operations and produce important publications like our newsletter and the State of New York State Museums. A tax-deductible donation to our annual fund will help MANY ensure a better future for all New York Museums. Click here now to make a donation; gifts of any size are welcome and deeply appreciated.

With thanks and wishing you a Happy New Year,

NYS Capitol Building in Albany, NY

Dear Members of the MANY Museum Community,

This fall we saw hundreds of museum professionals at Meet Ups and Workshops in every region of our state. We were immersed in planning the programs and events for the 2020 annual conference and developing new member benefits, including a partnership with the New York Council for Non Profits that will allow MANY members access to NYCON services at greatly reduced rates. 

When I look back at our fall calendar, I am filled with gratitude for our hosts and our program attendees. I am also grateful for support from our elected officials. Behind all the public facing work we have done this year to support best practices and professional development, there has been another project quietly developing. 

I am pleased to share the news that on October 28, New York State Senator José M. Serrano introduced Bill #6819 which is an act to amend the arts and cultural affairs law in relation to providing financial assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and other cultural institutions located in low-income urban, suburban, or rural communities, or that provide educational services to such communities, otherwise known as The Museum Education Act. We extend our thanks to Senator Serrano for his leadership and bill sponsors Senators Comrie, Hoylman, Kennedy, Little, Lou, May, Ortt, and Sanders.  This new bill would allow funding to museums chartered by New York State Ed as well as to museums chartered by the Secretary of State or other legislative action. These two changes to the proposed law greatly expand the number of museums who would be eligible for funding. While we are awaiting confirmation about the bill’s introduction in the Assembly, we were pleased to learn this week that the new acting commissioner of the State Education Department, Shannon Tahoe will include the Museum Education Act in her budget testimony.  

I will be testifying on December 12 at a public hearing conducted by the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports. The focus of the hearing is to examine the enacted 2019/2020 budget as it relates to the funding of art and cultural institutions. I will share information about museum capital funding needs, challenges with the application process, and capital projects completed or underway. We have some great data from our State of New York State Museums Survey (report coming soon!) but if you did not participate in the survey or would like to send an update about your capital needs or your projects, please send me an email and let me know what you are working on in your museum.

In other Advocacy news, registration is open for AAM’s Museums Advocacy Day that will be held February 23-25, 2020 in Washington DC. In 2019, New York had the largest delegation of any state in the nation. We had great fun talking to our Congressional Representatives and their staff about the importance of museums to our state and our nation. If you have ever thought about joining us at Museums Advocacy Day, with the 2020 election coming up, this is the year to do it!

It is taking many hands to build this bigger platform that will help create a stronger voice in advocacy and expanded funding streams for all of our state’s museums. We will need museum professionals from all of state’s museum, no matter your budget size, discipline, or location to speak up in 2020 and share with your elected officials how your museum makes a difference in your community. We also need your support to make all that we do possible. Each and every donation, no matter the amount allows us to help you. Making a donation to MANY is easy. Just click here and help us help you amplify all the great work being done in New York’s Museums.

 

With thanks,

Assemblyperson Jonathan G. Jacobson (left) from NYS Assembly District 104 attends the Hudson Valley meet-up at Dia:Beacon and gives remarks.

The Alice Austen House on Staten Island represents the life and work of Alice Austen (1866-1952), an early American photographer and a woman ahead of her time. She was one of America’s most prolific female photographers and captured over 8,000 images throughout her life. The house was restored to its former glory after years of neglect as interpreted as a traditional historic house museum. In 2015, the museum received a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to re-interpret the museum to focus more on the life of Alice Austen and in 2017 updated their National Landmark designation to become a National Site of LGBTQ History.

Exhibition panel as part of the new permanent exhibition “New Eyes on Alice Austen”

Photo courtesy Danielle Bennett

“Clear Comfort”

Alice Austen’s home, “Clear Comfort” was built in 1690 as a Dutch Farmhouse. She moved to the house in the late 1860s where she lived with her mother. In 1917, Gertrude Tate moved in and they both lived in the home until 1945 when financial problems forced them out. “Clear Comfort” had been in the Austen family for nearly 100 years. The house fell into neglect and a group of citizens (later the Friends of Alice Austen House, Inc.) successfully saved the house in the 1960s, gained it historic landmark status, and restored the house in the mid 1980s. 

When current Executive Director Victoria Munro first visited the house, it was a simple self-guided tour that focused on period furniture placed to replicate the late 19th century. “I didn’t know who Alice Austen was. I only knew that I was visiting a historic house in a park. There were some photographs in the entryway and the rooms were filled with furniture from the time period of the home and there were two contemporary art galleries. But I left not really knowing who Alice Austen was, not knowing that she was a photographer and definitely not knowing that she was a lesbian. As an artist who is gay, that would have been really big for me,” said Victorian Munro, Executive Director. 

The “Family Tree” exhibition panel

Photo courtesy Danielle Bennett

Interpretation Changes at the Alice Austen House

Munro first came to the house in 2015 to write programming about women’s history and help create a more structured women’s history program. In 2017, she became the Executive Director. Under her leadership the house received a $250,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for the implementation of a new onsite interpretation and expanded website content called New Eyes on Alice Austen: Redesigning the Museum’s Permanent Installation. The museum used scholars to help re-envision the permanent exhibition that would incorporate Alice Austen’s contributions to photography, immigration, women’s and LGBTQ history. 

Before this grant the house only included 25 photographs from Alice and did not help to tell her story. The scholars brought in as part of the NEH grant helped to create an overarching voice for the museum by using more of Alice’s photographs and life. Scholars helped contextualize Alice Austen in New York City history, women’s history, immigration, LGBTQ history, and photographic history. “We felt like we were finally doing justice for Alice and her story,” said Munro. “As the installation for this new permanent exhibition was forming, the scholars helped us pull together every quote possible on Alice’s work to create an identifying voice for the museum. We unfortunately don’t have her voice. We have notations on her photographs, but by the time Alice was interviews she was in the final years of her life, she was homeless, and wasn’t exactly in a position of power to speak about her younger years.”

The installation of the new permanent exhibition took around two years and used high-resolution photographs and updated text that was recommended by the scholars. The museum no longer displays period furniture, since most of it didn’t belong to the family. Alice’s story was integrated into all educational programming. Victorian Munro reflected that there were times during this transformation where it was difficult to explain to people about the interpretation changes. “We had people who just really loved the Alice Austen House but they were so receptive to what the changed looked like and the new visitor experience. They see how the rooms are interpreted without any furniture but they can move through it, see Alice’s camera, see her work, and it’s an amazing experience.”

Alice Austen’s photographs of what the house looked like when she lived there replace the period furniture. Photo courtesy Danielle Bennett

The Alice Austen House expanded their mission to include “exploring personal identity” to help highlight LGBTQ interpretation and other programming. Photographs of Alice’s partner Gertrude were hung on the walls of photographs and when the house was designated an LGBTQ Historic Site in 2017, a new introductory text panel was installed in the museum entrance that acknowledges the 53-year relationship between Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate. This reinserted Gertrude as a central figure in Alice’s life and including her into the physical space of the house.

Content Inclusion

“In accepting the amendment to our national designation, it gave us a huge responsiblity to the LGBTQ community, to actively program for them, and also provide inclusive programming for everyone else because it’s everyone’s history,” said Munro. Since the new installation of the permanent exhibition and new designation as an LGBTQ Historic Site, visitorship has doubled. “We have had visitors that have been here before and come back and have been so overwhelmed, especially if they are part of the LGBTQ community. They are so moved to see Alice and Gertrude’s relationship included in our narrative, to see Gertrude included on the family tree.”

Historian Danielle Bennet who worked at the Alice Austen House as Visitor Experience & Social Media Manager during its transformative time said, “If you open your house to a story that’s about differences, you not only embrace that particular difference but you end up becoming more open to exploring others and embracing the community however it comes. I think it makes a museum more open and vulnerable as an institution.” Bennett commented that the Alice Austen House is now much more robust in its new permanent exhibition and by sharing the story of Alice and Gertrude, the house is providing more inclusive content to its visitors. 

Interpreting Queer History

“I’ve found that sometimes museums know what they have in the collection, object wise, but going back to read the content within the collection, the letters, diaries...and to look at this content with fresh eyes to see what’s there,” said Bennet. “There are probably some really interesting pieces awaiting uncovering and interpretation. “I ask people to grapple with uncertainty. As historians were never going to know exactly how things were like. We can make best guesses and its harder to make a guess about queerness and transness because it has been scrubbed from the record but if you find something there, the odds are actually probably pretty good that there’s a reason why something persisted to present day.”

As historic house museum tell the stories about the other people who lived there and wonder how to best interpret queer history, Bennett suggests looking at the history with a bigger lens. “Houses need to talk about the other people who lived there, the other people who were closest to the houses’ namesake. Their stories are going to have something interesting. [Museums] need to ask who counts here? Are you only counting people who have certain kinds of privilege? If someone who lived in these spaces seems like they were queer, does that make their story count less?” Bennett also suggests from her research and experience working with historic houses is to create and work with community panels or advisory groups from people who know the topic, a queer academic or a queer person with a similar life experience. “People from a certain group can see things that staff might not see and it’s useful to bring in people with different viewpoints, especially when interpreting queer history.”

------------

About the Alice Austen House

The Alice Austen House is a New York City and National Landmark, on the Register of Historic Places and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s distinctive group of Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios. In June 2017, the Alice Austen House, where Austen and her life partner, Gertrude Tate, lived together for nearly 30 years, marked its national designation as a site of LGBTQ history and updated their designation to become a National Site of LGBTQ History. This was an achievement of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, funded through a grant from the New York State Historic Preservation Office and made possible by the National Park Service.

Further Reading

Alice Austen House 

https://aliceausten.org/

LGBTQ Heritage 

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqheritage.htm

NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/

Visit the newly redesigned Alice Austen House and celebrate its rich history and innovative events

https://www.neh.gov/news/visit-newly-redesigned-alice-austen-house-and-celebrate-its-rich-history-and-innovative-events

Danielle Bennett, Historian and Museum Professional

http://daniellebennett.nyc/