2007 CONTEXT Workshops:

4 full-day, on- site presentations in regional locations

A1) Re-Furnishing the House Museum With Stories: Evolution of the Message

Revisiting the process of Historic House interpretation: Why, with and for whom?

Date: Monday, March 19, 2007

Time: 10 am – 4 pm

Host: Historic Huguenot Street, Huguenot Historical Society

Location: New Paltz, NY (Ulster County) Please see www.hhs-newpaltz.org for travel information and directions, telephone 845-255-1660 or e-mail info@huguenotstreet.org.

A2) Re-Furnishing the House Museum With Stories: Evolution of the Message

Revisiting the process of Historic House interpretation: Why, with and for whom?

Date: Monday, May 14, 2007

Time: 10 am – 4 pm

Host: Philipsburg Manor/ Upper Mills, Historic Hudson Valley

Location: Sleepy Hollow, NY (Westchester County) Please see www.hudsonvalley.org for travel information and directions, telephone 914-631-3992 or e-mail info@hudsonvalley.org.

B1) Furnishing Plans and Presentations: Putting the Message Into Effect Development of an in-house furnishing plan

Date: Monday, March 26, 2007

Time: 10 am – 4 pm

Host: Bush-Holley Historic Site, Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich

Location: Cos Cob, CT (Fairfield County) Please see www.hstg.org for travel information and directions, telephone 203-869-6899 or e-mail info@hstg.org.

B2) Furnishing Plans and Presentations: Putting the Message Into Effect

Furnishing the house with drama, theatre and participatory presentations

Date: Monday, May 21, 2007

Time: 10 am – 4 pm

Host: Mount Vernon Hotel Museum

Location: New York, NY (New York County) Please see www.mvhm.org for travel information and directions; telephone 212-838-6878 or e-mail l.bedell@mvhm.org.

Who should attend?

Staff, boards, volunteers, and consultants in a diversity of areas (e.g. research, education, management, communications, community planning, conservation, historic preservation, exhibition design, marketing/audience development) are encouraged to attend at any point in the cycle, by attending an annual winter symposium, and/or 1 to 4 workshop offerings each spring.

When and where are the programs held?

Symposia and workshops are hosted by historic house museums, historic sites and historical societies throughout the Hudson Valley and greater metropolitan New York region. Programs are scheduled to take place on Mondays, generally, when most house museums are closed to the public and staff, board members and volunteers are able to participate off-site. An annual Field Forum evaluating our progress and introducing the next year's programs, will be held on a Friday in October, as part of LHC's annual meeting. The 2007 Annual Meeting will be held on Oct. 12^th.

What are the registration fees?  What does that include?

Registration fee for attending any individual symposium and/or individual workshop:

$55 per person

$45 pp for LHC member individuals or single representative of an LHC member organization

$40 pp for two or more attending from an LHC member organization

Registration includes the cost of full-day program, morning coffee, lunch, and resource materials.

Registration fees for the entire 2007 series:

Symposium March 5^th, + all 4 workshops (March 19, March 26, May 14 & May 21):

$200 per person

Registration fees for March 2007 Symposium + any 2 workshops of your choice:

$120 per person

For information about membership and membership benefits of Lower Hudson Conference, please see www.lowerhudsonconference.org/membership.

How can I register and pay?

Please register by printing and filling in the Practicum Registration form, below, and mailing the form, along with your check, payable to Lower Hudson Conference, to: Lower Hudson Conference/ Historic House Museum Practicum/ 2199 Saw Mill River Road/ Elmsford, New York 10523.

Are there resources to support the cost of travel to these programs?

In New York State, paid or volunteer staff of museums and historical agencies may apply for NYSCA "Go!" Grants from Upstate History Alliance, to subsidize travel for professional development programs. Requests for "Go!" Grants are due at least 30 days before the proposed travel. Contact Upstate History Alliance (UHA): 1-800-895-1648; info@upstatehistory.org; www.upstatehistory.org.

Practicum Goals: Overall, the Historic House Museum Practicum program looks to re-invigorate mission, initiate change, invite new audiences, encourage professional collaborations, and improve presentation and planning in historic house museums and sites, so as to provide benefit to the public, and sustain their value to local communities.

Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies & Museums (LHC)

Mission:
Lower Hudson Conference serves the museum and history communities as a catalyst to:

• Advance Professional Standards and Practices
• Build the capacity of organizations to meet their missions, and
• Create a network of effective, professional stewards of regional history and culture- now and in the future.

Vision:
We envision communities that value the exploration and preservation of their heritage and culture, and are empowered to save it for and interpret it to future generations.

Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS)

Lower Hudson Conference's Historic House Museum Practicum series is supported by a multi-year grant from The Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that grows and sustains a "Nation of Learners," because lifelong learning is critical to success. The Institute of Museum & Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through its grantmaking, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build 21^st century skills and increase civic participation. www.imls.gov. 

2007 Practicum Program Sponsor:  New York Council for the Humanities

Tel: 212-233-1131 or visit www.nyhumanities.org.

Lower Hudson Conference receives operating support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), a state agency. www.nysca.org.

Additional Program Sponsorships are available. Please contact LHC Executive Director,Tema Harnik at 914-592-6726, or e-mail lowerhudson@msn.com.

Symposium I: Historic House Museums in Context

Date: MARCH 5, 2007 (snow date: Monday, March 12)

Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Host: Lyndhurst

Location: Tarrytown, NY (Westchester County) Please see www.lyndhurst.org for travel information and directions, telephone 914-631-4481or e-mail Lyndhurst@nthp.org.

The Symposium introduces considerations of the historic house museum as a whole: historic and interpretive contexts, cultural collections, lighting and technology, and surrounding landscapes in today's communities. Identifying issues, standards of practice and "fresh thinking" on evaluating, documenting and finding new voices for expanding the interpretive message of the Historic House Museum in the context of organizational mission, planning and today's public audiences.

Speakers/ presenters: Dr. Jacquetta Haley, Haley Research & Consulting; Kate Johnson, Historic Hudson Valley; Sara Ogger and Jane McNamara, New York Council for the Humanities; Case studies: -Developing multiple interpretations for the Bush-Holley House, Cos Cob, CT, Debra Mecky, Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich; -Evaluating Interpretive Options for 1750, 1850 & 1950 buildings at Conference House site, Staten Island, NY, Sandra Huber, Historic House Trust of New York City. Comment panel: Jack Braunlein, Lyndhurst; Leslie LeFevre-Stratton, Historic Huguenot Street; Paul Himmelstein, Appelbaum & Himmelstein Conservators, others.