Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants

Last Call for Small Grants!
The last Fast Track (small) grants deadline for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants Program is Friday October 29, 2010. If you have a project that meets guidelines, needs $7,000 or less, and will be done by June 30, 2011, now is the time to apply. Questions? Contact the Grants Office.

Final Reports
The last piece of the grants process is the final report, which is due 30 days after the project end date. The grant agreements list both the project end date and the final report due date. To complete, download the final report form (and the Donated Materials and Labor forms, if applicable) to your computer, fill in, and send via the Drop Box. Be sure to put 'Final Report' and your grant number in the subject line. Questions on completing the form? Contact the Grants Office.

Logo Contest
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources seeks entries for a contest to design the logo for the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Deadline: November 23, 2010.

From the Blog

Traveling Exhibits Inaugural Run (new post) - The Minnesota Legislature in its 2009 legislation appropriating money from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund supported a new exhibit at the Minnesota History Center, along with a traveling version. Recipients for the two traveling exhibits were chosen through a competitive process.

Role for Local History During Church Closures (4 new comments) - Nothing is more frustrating to local history or genealogical researchers when they seek a person who attended a closed church, and the records cannot be located. How are you communicating with local churches about the need to preserve their primary records?

Job Opportunities

Assistant Curator
Glessner House Museum, Chicago IL, seeks Assistant Curator. Deadline: November 15, 2010.

Museum Coordinator
Glessner House Museum, Chicago IL, seeks Museum Coordinator. Deadline: November 15, 2010.

Accountant
National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa IA, seeks Accountant. Deadline: November 20, 2010.

Office/Gift Shop Manager
National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa IA, seeks Office/Gift Shop Manager. Deadline: November 20, 2010.

Curator/Assistant Director
Ephraim Historical Foundation, Ephraim (Door County) WI, seeks Curator/Assistant Director. Submit resume to Sally Jacobson.

Promotion and Events Coordinator
Science Center of Iowa, Des Moines IA, seeks Promotion and Events Coordinator.

Membership Coordinator
Science Center of Iowa, Des Moines IA, seeks Membership Coordinator.

CRM Integration Specialist
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul MN, seeks CRM Integration Specialist.

Internships
Family Museum, Bettendorf IA, offers unpaid part-time/seasonal/temporary internships.

Do History Here

Artists Show
LeDuc Historic Estate, Hastings MN, hosts Hastings Artists Show, November 6-14, 2010, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Call 651-437-7055 for more information.

Annual Meeting
Steele County Historical Society announces its annual meeting, Tuesday November 9, 2010, 6 p.m., Owatonna Eagles Club. This year's theme is the 1950s, with a recreated radio show, interpretive characters from the past, and singing. Tickets: $17/person. Call Laura at 507-451-1420 by November 5 for reservations.

Cultural Diversity Event
Come experience cultural diversity in Fargo-Moorhead at the 16th Annual multi-ethnic festival, Pangea-Cultivate Our Cultures, Saturday November 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead. Free.  

Publication Party
Ramsey County Historical Society hosts a publication party for "Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill, Life in the Shadow of the Empire Builder, James J. Hill" on Saturday November 13, 2010, 2 p.m. at Landmark Center. Talk by author Biloine (Billie) W. Young and researcher Eileen R. McCormack. Free. Reservations required; contact RCHS, 651-222-0701.

Continuing Education

Free Workshop
Image Permanence Institute offers no-cost workshop series, Sustainable Preservation Practices. Midwestern venue held at Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, December 6-7, 2010. Space is limited; register online.

Costume Accessories Workshop
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg VA, hosts Costume Accessories: Head to Toe conference, March 13-16, 2011.

News

Museum of the Month
Does your small museum deserve to be a museum of the month for the Small Museum Association blog? Email SMA with your nomination. Include 1-3 photos of your museum, contact and visiting information, contact information, relevant facts, and an essay explaining why your museum is great (150 words or fewer). All Museums of the Month will be featured in the blog's link column, on the SMA Facebook page, and on the SMA website.

Success Stories
Small Museum Association seeks success stories for the 2011 American Association for State and Local History conference in Richmond VA. How doe we transform our small museums from places of provincial or local interset into ones that share local stories, but do it in a way that invites an audience beyond the local community? How have you tied your historical organization into regional or national themes? Email Stacy Klingler with your story.

Annual Appeals
Grow your donor base and total donations. Guidestar offers fundraising tips in "Four Questions to Answer in Every Appeal."

Historical Society Mailing List
Afton Historical Museum is creating an email mailing list to inform colleagues about the Historical Society's monthly activities and events. If you would like to be added to the list, email the Museum. Also check out their new website.

Field Note

The above sign, which could rival Hemingway's six word short story, is a timely reminder that Friday October 29, 2010 is the final deadline for Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grants. Applicants have until 11:59 p.m. that night to submit a proposal. After 13 months of deadlines, all money allocated for grants will be exhausted with this final deadline. If you have questions on preparing proposals, contact the Grants Office, 651-259-3459.