The Association of Maine Archives & Museums (MAM) is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a major grant from the Maine Humanities Council and the Pulitzer Prize Centennial Campfires Initiative. The award will fund MAM’s 2016 Professional Development Series titled “His Story, Her Story, Our Story: Making Meaning of Your Collections” that will culminate with Pulitzer Prize winning historian and author, Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s, keynote address at MAM’s annual conference in October.
MAM’s 2016 Professional Development Workshop Series based on the theme of storytelling is designed to expand the knowledge and skills of staff and volunteers working with collections. With over 1000 collecting institutions, Maine’s public and private collections span the breadth of the humanities—from arts and literature to religion and politics. Much of the work in museums and archives is in the humanities and related to researching, preserving, and interpreting collections and this work culminates in sharing stories - whether it’s through interpretation and exhibits, research, marketing, publications, advocacy, and more.
MAM’s workshop series will offer avenues to varying perspectives, invigorating discussions, and opportunities to gain deeper understanding of collections to the study of the humanities. Participants will learn how to better care for and manage their collections and understand inspiring new ways to interpret collections according to best practices in the field. An exciting lineup of opportunities is already scheduled. Visit MAM’s website, www.mainemuseums.org, for more information and to register for the following workshops:
May 9: Storing Collections, at the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley
May 17: Accidental Stories Pertaining to Collections and How to Use Them to Reach New Audiences, at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor
June 8: Nuts and Bolts of Exhibit Development, at Camden Public Library
June 18: Grant Writing Basics: Crafting Your Story for Fundraising Success, at the Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle
June 27: Caring for Collections, at the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley
The 2016 Professional Development Series concludes at MAM’s annual conference on October 14, at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine Orono. The conference will feature special guest Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ph.D., 300th Anniversary History Professor at Harvard University. In 1991 she received the Pulitzer Prize in History for her groundbreaking work “A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812.” The book examines the life of Martha Ballard, who practiced in the Hallowell area. Dr. Ulrich served as president of the American Historical Association in 2009. She has authored several books and articles on early American history, women’s history, and material culture and is currently writing a book on 19th-century Mormon diaries. In her keynote, she will share her experiences and insights in researching and bringing to light unknown stories of objects in Maine’s past and will inspire participants on how to make meaning of their own collections.
MAM’s 2016 Professional Development Series is funded in part by the Maine Humanities Council as part of the Pulitzer Prize Centennial Campfires Initiative, a joint venture of the Pulitzer Prizes Board and the Federation of State Humanities Councils in celebration of the 2016 Centennial of the Prizes. The initiative seeks to illuminate the impact of the humanities on American life today, to imagine their future, and to inspire new generations to consider the values represented by the body of Pulitzer Prize winning work. For their generous support for the Campfires Initiative, we thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Pulitzer Prizes Board, and Columbia University.
