To encourage members of the Association of King County Historical Organization to take advantage of this chance to learn more about best practices, procedures, and policies for heritage collections, the AKCHO board has approved a limited number of $65 scholarships to offset the cost of registration. These scholarships are available to AKCHO members only, and to take advantage of this offer, you must register for the workshop by May 23.

If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please contact Eric Taylor at 206-296-8688 or email to inform him that you have registered for the workshop. If you are currently an individual AKCHO member or represent an organizational member, and are among the first ten to register before May 23, you will receive your scholarship payment at the workshop on June 23.

Visit www.4Culture.org/apply for a calendar of open programs, and click on “collections care” to review the guidelines for HCC and access the online application. Contact Eric Taylor, Heritage Lead, at 206.296.8688 or eric.taylor[at]4culture.org for questions about the program or eligibility.

Image: Restored WPA Mural by Kenneth Callahan © 2010, courtesy of Museum of History & Industry

The Balboa Art Conservation Center (BACC) is a nonprofit regional conservation center devoted to the preservation of material culture in the areas of art and history. The BACC’s Western Region Field Service Program supports preservation efforts at collections-based institutions in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. Launched in 2000 with major support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the program currently provides services to museums and historical organizations across a 370,000-square-mile area.

Financial assistance of $100 will be made to defray registration costs for one participant in each workshop per day. To be eligible, individuals must work for a nonprofit institution with historical or cultural collections that are accessible to the public. The institution must have a total annual operating budget of $500,000 or less. Stipend applications must be sent to BACC and postmarked by January 11. For more information about BACC and the Focus on Collections Care workshop series, go to www.bacc.org/ed_wkshop.

Image: 2010, Courtesy of Renton History Museum

The information included in the publication may help you strengthen your planning and 4Culture funding proposals. Look for the Heritage Collections Care guidelines and application to be posted on the 4Culture website at the beginning of May. Applications will be due June 30, 2010.

Historic artifacts in archival storage box. © Southwest Seattle Historical Society

Don’t miss this rare and FREE opportunity for hands-on training in collections management at the White River Valley Museum. This workshop is intended for heritage organization staff and volunteers who are involved in the care of their institution’s collections. It will breakdown, in detail, budget-conscious and eco-friendly methods of collections care that still meet professional standards. The workshop will focus on three major concepts: meeting professional standards for collections care, regardless of staff size or professional training; finding methods to care for collections that are environmentally friendly; and saving money for your institution. Workshop participants will receive an instructional booklet which includes written materials from the workshop, worksheets, and an extensive list of resources.

Information gleaned from this workshop may be helpful in crafting proposals to 4Culture’s Heritage Collections Care funding program, which opens for applications on May 5 (with a deadline of June 30.)

The workshop will take place at the White River Valley Museum, 918 H Street SE, Auburn, and will be led by the museum’s Collections Assistant, Hilary Pittenger, a Master’s candidate in Museology at the University of Washington. This workshop is being offered FREE of charge, as part of her thesis project.

Call 253-288-7439 or email hpit...@auburnwa.gov to register or for more information.

Collections Care Volunteer © White River Valley Museum

event

4Culture’s 2009 Heritage Collections Care funding program opens its application period with a basic collections care workshop. Co-sponsored by the Association of King County Historical Organizations and hosted by Eastside Heritage Center, in partnership with the City of Bellevue, this free, full-day workshop will include illustrations and discussions of general collections care and preservation issues with Conservator Dana K. Senge, and an overview of the application process for the Heritage Collections Care program by 4Culture Heritage Lead Eric Taylor. Planned sessions include presentations about the care, handling, storing and exhibiting of common materials in heritage collections: textiles, paintings, objects, paper and photographs. Those associated with a King County heritage organization as volunteer, staff, or board member are encouraged to attend. Read more.

RSVP by April 30 to Brandi Link, 206 296.8707.

For more information, contact Eric Taylor, 206 296.8688.

image: © Courtesy of the Center for Wooden Boats (2008 Heritage Collections Care recipient)