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HomeMy WebLinkAboutattachment2 1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901 • 920.236.5799 • oshkoshmuseum.org MEMO TO THE MUSEUM BOARD November 11, 2021 To the Board, It is that time of year when the Museum sparkles with the magic of the holidays and splendid decorations fill the public spaces. Thanks largely to the fine coordination of Assistant Curator Katrina Achilli, Registrar/incoming Curator of Exhibitions Emily Rock, and assistance from our dedicated volunteers, the Museum will provide a beautiful experience for visitors during the holiday season. The White Christmas exhibition is Ms. Rock’s inaugural exhibition as the incoming Curator of Exhibitions and she has done a marvelous job. The exhibition looks fabulous and she, along with Exhibition Technician Greg Witthun, have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the exhibition before it opens for the preview event and official opening to the public. Ms. Achilli is preparing the popular Elf Hunt and Ms. Rock, along with Marketing Coordinator Tammy Malewski, held volunteer training this week. The exhibition has received quite a bit of media attention and the Museum has pre-sold approximately 600 tickets. Because we anticipate strong attendance and merchandise sales, the Museum will continue to employ the two LTE positions from the Titanic exhibition to assist with visitor admissions and store sales. The City’s 2022 budgets were adopted on Tuesday evening and so the Museum is set for another year. We are delighted to report that the Design Development stages for Deep Roots, Growing City were funded and that work will begin at the outset of the New Year. Two CIP projects (Masonry Overhaul and General Purpose Room) are currently under review for ARPA funding. The Common Council will be reviewing those projects in the coming weeks and making decisions on which projects to approve for the use of ARPA funds. The Sports and Recreation exhibition fit out work continues. The final order of drywall was recently delivered and had to be brought up into the Museum through a window. Because the Museum has no proper way to bring large materials into the Museum’s second floor, Maintenance Technician Matt Reinke had to temporarily remove a window and wait to re-install it until deliveries were complete. This highlights how critical it is for the Museum to move forward with the project to create freight access doors identified in the 2022 CIP. After some electrical work, the walls will be installed and the exhibition will start to take greater shape. In the miscellaneous paragraph, I wanted highlight some professional development work that I have been participating in over the past seven years. I have served on Wisconsin Federation Board of Directors (WFM) since 2015 and was the organization’s lead organizer in the state museum conference. Since 2018, I have been working with the Association of Midwest Museums to chair a 2020 joint regional museum conference in Milwaukee. The conference was postponed due to Covid-19 and we held a joint virtual conference this year. It was a great success and I was honored to moderate a panel on the subject of NAGPRA repatriation for which the Museum has been recognized for the repatriation of the Quinney powder horn last year. I am rotating off the WFM Board this year, but will continue to represent the Museum as I assist with planning the 1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh WI 54901 • 920.236.5799 • oshkoshmuseum.org joint regional conference in Milwaukee next year. Over the years, the Museum has made significant strides forward in raising the institutional profile to the public. It is also important to recognize that it greatly benefits the Museum and raises its profile in the professional field when staff participate in Boards, conferences, and additional professional development activities. While funding remains low for these activities, this is something we endeavor to continue supporting in the future. This ends a week where the days got shorter, the Museum halls became brighter, and where we anticipate a successful opening to an exhibition sure to bring joy to the community we serve. Anna Cannizzo Interim Director Assistant Director/Durow Curator of Collections Oshkosh Public Library Highlights November 2021 1. Oshkosh’s first Poet Laureate, Tom Cannon, was introduced to the community during a virtual reception on Nov. 4. Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri and State Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton spoke during the event and 21 people attended, including Tom’s parents who live outside the area and would not have been able to attend an in-person event. Other attendees included Library Board President Bill Bracken and nationally known fiction writer Abby Frucht, along with members of writing clubs from Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Cannon is enthusiastic about his new role as the leading voice for poetry in the Oshkosh community. He is already hosting Open Mic events at Planet Perk and has created a Poet Laureate Facebook group where participants can find inspiration, share poems and celebrate the impact poetry can have on individual lives and communities. Watch for more events and activities at oshkoshpubliclibrary.org and facebook.com/groups/oshkoshpoetlaureate. 2. Participation in OPL’s Two Sentence Horror Story Contest tripled from 2020 levels, with 66 entries submitted. Teen writers ventured into all manners of terrifying territory, with creepy and creative results. First Place in the high school division featured a macabre and clever twist: “My daughter wakes me up in the middle of the night to tell me how old she is turning tomorrow by holding up four fingers. I stay up the rest of the night trying to get her to tell me where or who she got the fingers from.” The middle school winner was concise but chilling: When I smiled, she did not smile back. Something is wrong with this mirror.” Enjoy the top three entries in each category at oshkoshpubliclibrary.org under Kids and Teens. 3. Community members can now connect with OPL at the Oshkosh YMCA. Community Engagement Librarian Sandy Toland visits the Y’s 20th Avenue location on the first and third Thursday of each month. In addition to sharing information about upcoming events, issuing or updating library cards, discussing book recommendations and answering questions, there is also the opportunity to listen to community concerns and get feedback about the library. 4. OPL is a collection site for Operation Waverly, a drive to collect items for homeless veterans. Operation Waverly is being conducted in conjunction with White Christmas: The Exhibition, which is now open at the Oshkosh Public Museum. Items collected will be distributed to veterans in need via the Day by Day Warming Shelter. Also participating in the effort is the DAV Auxiliary and Miss Wisconsin’s Outstanding Teen. Operation Waverly runs Nov. 13-Jan. 23. 5. The annual Creature Carnival brought in 23 entries from kids ages 2-18 in October. A flying snake, magical hula dancer and ghoulish bowling alley employee were just a few of the winning entries in the contest that inspired imagination and creativity. 6. Take-home kits continue to be popular with library patrons of all ages, offering the public the opportunity to engage with OPL at home when it fits into their lives. Programs such as Wonderlab for kids and Adult DIY offer an in-person or take-home option, while our High Flyers kits are designed specifically for families to track their early literacy activities at home over time. In October, 10 people came to the library for Adult DIY and 39 picked up take-home kits. Wonderlab saw 20 people attend in person, with 127 take-home kits distributed. For December, Adult DIY will continue to offer a hybrid option and DIY Ornament take-home kits will be available to help families get into the holiday spirit. 7. The library continues to expand its Business Center services on first and second floor. In addition to photocopy and fax services, patrons now have access to laminators on each floor and paper shredders will be added soon. Patrons may purchase envelopes, flash drives, ear buds and blank DVDs. Basic office tools including staplers, scissors, paper cutters and three-hole punches are available. Expansion of Business Center services has happened in response to patron requests for these types of convenience services.