I Have An Announcement…

I have an announcement…

A chapter in my life is closing. I am leaving the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

I have enjoyed my five years at the NURFC. I have had the opportunity to grow, learn and spread my museo-wings (who knew that I would discover some graphic design talent along the way?!). My NURFC journey has had its ups and downs (whose journey hasn’t?) but I am leaving this great institution optimistic about its future, grateful for all of the opportunities it has provided and proud of my accomplishments/contributions.

In my many roles at the NURFC I have had the distinct pleasure of working with nearly every staff member, at one point or another. The NURFC staff is dedicated and passionate. I will be forever thankful for their kindness, guidance and support.

I am excited for the next step of my career and the new challenges/opportunities that await me.

So, what am I doing?

I have accepted the position of Strategic Projects Coordinator at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio.

I am excited but this week I need a little help – my twitter handle has been @NURFCjamie for years now. As I move to a new institution and a new position, what should I change it to?

Cincinnati Museums Announce Merger

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) and the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) have announced plans to merge the two institutions into one corporate structure.

The Cincinnati Enquirer‘s feature, “Freedom Center Could Close” in December 2011 by Mark Curnutte, and its accompanying articles, were written over several months and meetings with Kim Robinson, NURFC President and CEO, and the Presiding Co-Chairs of the Board, John Pepper and Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr. Curnutte received access to the Freedom Center’s financial records and conducted dozens of interviews, with community stakeholders, scholars, anti-tax activists and more.

The articles painted a picture of an institution striving to connect the dots between preserving the past, educating the present and inspiring visitors to “fan the flame” for a better future for all. The NURFC’s mission is:

We reveal stories about freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.

That’s powerful! And a mission that would receive tremendous community support, right?

Not exactly.

The NURFC has faced criticism for not meeting projected attendance numbers, its inability to connect with the local community and create a sustainable business model, since it opened in 2004. The NURFC has made great progress under the leadership of Kim Robinson, and has cut expenses in light of the decreasing amounts of government funding and private contributions but it hasn’t been enough to close the $1.5M gap in expenses versus revenue. At yesterday’s press conference Robinson said, “We saw a way through to December, but if we didn’t find a solution by January 2013, we would close,” in response to a reporter’s question.

This merger is the solution.

The Cincinnati Museum Center is no stranger to mergers. The Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum and Museum of Natural History & Science were brought together by a series of mergers in the 1980s and 1990s. The Cincinnati Enquirer‘s “Museum Mergers: How Have They Fared” quotes AAM‘s Dewey Blanton saying, “Over the past six months, we’ve probably gotten three inquiries from different parts of the country asking about the success rate of mergers.” The article also features other arts/culture mergers in Pittsburgh, Dayton and Chattanooga.

The NURFC/CMC merger will not only improve the finances of both institutions, it will also create opportunities to reach new donors and develop new exhibits together. While the NURFC and CMC will remain separate 501(c)(3)s with separate missions, together they will reduce payroll expenses by sharing administrative work and eliminating redundant positions. An estimated 15 people could lose their jobs in the merger between the two organizations. The NURFC currently has 34 FTEs, the CMC has 300 FT/PTEs. Kim Robinson will become the Executive Director of the NURFC and report to CMC’s CEO, Douglass McDonald, who will be in charge of the entire operation.

While there are still many details that need to be worked out, this is an exciting time. The synergy between the two organizations is palpable and as John Pepper said, “Truly the proverbial marriage made in heaven.”

My thoughts on the merger?

In December 2011, I wrote a heartfelt post titled, “What Freedom Means to Me.” The NURFC matters. If you read the articles, interviews, tweets, etc. around the news of this merger you will see that both the NURFC and CMC are in agreement:

• Museums inspire us.
• Museums are vital to great communities.
• The mission of the NURFC is vital to our community.
• Together we can better serve our community.

I’m all for it. The merger will give the NURFC the much needed sustainability to preserve and protect the mission of the organization. It’s unfortunate that several NURFC and CMC employees may lose their jobs, however, without the merger the NURFC could close completely and all 34 FTEs could lose their jobs. Change is difficult, but necessary.

To read “Cincinnati museum merger a model for other cities?” click here.

PRESS RELEASE: Cincinnati Museum Center and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Take Steps to Join

Share Your Museum Date Stories

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Museum Minute! Today’s post is simple; we’re asking you (yes, you) to share your museum date stories: the meh, the fabulous and the bad. We want to know them all!

I’ll get us started.

My husband and I go on museum dates on a fairly regular basis. I love museums and he tolerates them. I’m a history person and he is interested art and design.

The last exhibition we saw that we both loved was Supply and Demand: 20 Year Retrospective at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. The show featured over 20 years of Shepard Fairey‘s work, including illustrations, screen prints, collages, works of wood, metal and canvas. We went on opening night and stood in line a block away from the museum for about 30 minutes in mid-February 2010. It was cold but the crowd was excited and the music was loud. Did I mention that Shepard Fairey was a DJ at the opening party? It was kind of a big deal. We walked through the exhibition (which was huge) holding hands and found ourselves getting lost in the artwork, having discussions about imagery and messaging and running into friends we hadn’t seen in ages. All in all – it was a stellar date night (and we still talk about).

We even have the exclusive screen print of the  Zaha Hadid-designed Contemporary Arts Center signed by Shepard Fairey hanging in our living room to remind us of that night. Swoon.

Share your museum date stories!

What Freedom Means to Me

Today’s Museum Minute is a personal statement regarding my opinion on an institution I support, respect and work for. I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment.

Please note: the text in blue is quoted from, “Freedom: The Need for Courage, Cooperation, & Perseverance as the Struggle Continues,” an article I co-wrote with Dina Bailey, Director of Exhibitions and Collections, and Stephanie Creech, External Relations Manager, featured in Museums of Ideas: Commitment and Conflict.

I work at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Yesterday, the NURFC was featured in The Cincinnati Enquirer, in an article titled, “Freedom Center Could Close.” This article has shared the unique challenges this institution – like so many other museums – has faced since its inception, the corrective actions taken, the many achievements reached and what the future holds for the NURFC.

I don’t want to see this place close. Ever. So, I’m going to hop on my Museum Minute soapbox and tell you a little bit about this essential institution and why this place matters.

As our mission states, “We reveals stories about freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.” That’s one heck of a charge, right? Challenge and inspire! Take courageous steps!

The NURFC opened in August of 2004, three years after the Cincinnati riots of 2001. Yes… Cincinnati had riots in 2001.

This place matters.

As mentioned in previous posts, I have loved museums since I was a kid. I didn’t know or understand back then that people actually “worked” in museums but I always felt at peace amongst the objects and the history that surrounded me. In the spring of 2006, while studying history at the University of Cincinnati, I landed an internship at the NURFC and it was a bit intimidating. I felt so small in the beautiful building, plus the word “national” is a part of its name and I certainly wasn’t an expert about the history inside. This place is where I began my museum career as an intern and where it continues today, as the Creative and Digital Content Manager. In my time here, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most amazing, passionate and professional people I have ever met and have grown into a museum professional myself.  My personal journey is one small example of the professional impact the NURFC has had.

This place matters.

The NURFC is a one-of-a-kind museum. Its very location on the banks of the Ohio River, “the River Jordan,” is enough to give a person chills. If you stand on the balcony of the second floor and look at the river and into Kentucky you are looking at the narrow divide that separated a free state and a slave state. Runaway slaves, and the heroic conductors that assisted them, crossed that river in all conditions seeking freedom.

This place matters.

Through changing exhibitions, permanent exhibitions and dialogue-focused programming, the NURFC ties the past to the present and encourages visitors to take action today for a better tomorrow. The foundation of the institution is in the history of the Underground Railroad. The legacy of the Underground Railroad, its natural extension the Civil Rights Movement, and more recent victories, e.g., the end of apartheid in South Africa, have the power to inspire and model movements for universal freedom.  In recapturing historic narratives, the NURFC creates an experience of the past that enables people today not only to question historical perceptions, but also to see how “the past is prologue” in resolving contemporary challenges. 

This place matters.

The museum doesn’t stop there. The NURFC’s new groundbreaking, permanent exhibition Invisible: Slavery Today discusses forced labor, child labor, sex trafficking, bonded labor and domestic servitude still occurring around the globe today. Slavery did not end in 1865; it is alive and well in 2011. An estimated 12 – 27 million people are caught in one or another form of slavery.

This place matters.

The emotions experienced at the NURFC are many. I have seen grown men cry and I have seen rambunctious children leave speechless. Any feeling experienced at the NURFC is legitimate and valued. This is a difficult history but let us not forget that the stories shared by the NURFC are a chapter in American history and must not be ignored. It is a history that affects us all. The NURFC isn’t a museum “just about slavery,” this is a museum about the courage, cooperation perseverance and resolve needed to overcome tragedy and injustice. Through this difficult history, this struggle we find freedom and we find hope.

This place matters.

The NURFC is dedicated to changing the world by changing the way we view ourselves and one another so that, together, we can walk in the footsteps of Mandela, Wiesel, Chavez, King, Gandhi and countless other everyday freedom heroes. There is a spark within each of us. We can all fan the flame for love, justice and peace.

This place matters.

I could go on and on and on. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a vital institution to the city of Cincinnati, the state of Ohio, the United States of America and the global community. I’m not saying there haven’t been missteps along the way. No institution is perfect and the NURFC has not been immune to its own imperfection, however, the stories we tell, the mission we seek to embody and the passion of those souls who work to see the NURFC succeed matters, because this place matters.

What does freedom mean to me? It means everything.

To see this institution fail would be a travesty.

Thank you.

(Stepping off the Museum Minute soapbox.)

Ohio Museums Association: Call for 2012 Session Proposals

Planning for the Ohio Museums Association (OMA)‘s 2012 Annual Conference (April 15-16, 2012), hosted at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, is underway. The theme for this year is: Iconic Experiences: Museums As Cornerstones of Ohio Communities.

Iconic artifacts and experiences – and the museums that house them – are indispensable cornerstones of their communities. How does an artifact, an experience, or a museum itself become iconic? Are there signature pieces in your museum that you pass by every day, without realizing their full potential to benefit your institution and your community?

Do you have experience, advice or ideas on:

• How to make your museum a “Community Anchor Institution” – a place critical to the quality of life and the competitiveness of our communities
• How to make the most of an important piece in your collection
• Using your existing signature collections to their fullest potential
• Creating an “iconic experience” for your visitors
• Topics for emerging museum professionals
• How to appeal to multi-generational audiences

OMA is looking for innovative and engaging session proposals that will create an interactive experience for museum professionals and provide them with the tools they need to perform their jobs at a higher level.

The Session Proposal Submission Deadline is December 1, 2011.

Create a program with a high take-away value—equipping the attendees with knowledge and skills they will be able to immediately put into practice. Think of ways to engage the attendees in open discussion and provide an opportunity for museum professionals to discover how others solve problems, develop programs, produce exhibits and serve their communities while staying true to their mission. Please keep in mind that for this state-wide conference, the audience comes from a wide variety of institutions that vary in size and discipline.

To submit a proposal, download and complete the “Call for Proposal” form from OMA’s website. Proposals can be submitted via email to oma[at]ohiohistory[dot]org, faxed to 614.297.2376, or sent through US Post to: Ohio Museums Association, 800 E. 17^th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211

OMA reserves the right to evaluate all proposals and to schedule those that accomplish the goal of a balanced program.

For more information send an email to oma[at]ohiohistory[dot]org or me (I’m on the OMA Board – I may know a few things) at jglavic[at]nurfc[dot]org.

Announcing Our Team!

Museum Minute is about to get a lot more exciting — there are now three of us on the Museum Minute Team. We’re planning to post 3+ posts each week and hopefully our diverse experiences will lead to some really neat entries.

I wanted to officially introduce our wonderful new contributors–be prepared to see posts from them soon!

Jamie Glavic (@NURFCjamie on twitter) is an emerging museum professional. As the manager of marketing and web communications at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC), Jamie is committed to using new technologies and unique campaigns to share the message of freedom and raise awareness about contemporary injustices around the globe. She has been an employee of the NURFC since 2007 and has played an integral role in leading the museum into the digital age, including but not limited to: developing an active social media presence, overhauling the Freedom Blog to encompass voices of various departments throughout the institution as well as website redevelopment.

Heather Stecklein (@hjstecklein on twitter) is an archivist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and has an MA in history from Loyola University, an MA in library science from the University of Iowa and an MA in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University (which is also my alma mater. I believe we both held the same graduate assistanceship at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository—Heather one year before me.)

I am really excited to have these two ladies on board!