Leadership in Presenting Pennsylvania's Heritage

The State Museum of Pennsylvania is poised to emerge as a leader among museums of the state and nation. To realize this vision, a vigorous re-examination of how the museum does its work is underway. Being a leader requires that the State Museum positions itself toward its visitors and the public, both programmatically and architecturally. Key elements identified in the plan include "putting people first" to involve visitors and stakeholders in the museum's program development; serving as a "hub and spoke" in working with statewide and regional partners and having a presence in all parts of the commonwealth; incorporating design guidelines of "New Urbanism"; and looking at new techniques of "Innovative Learning."

• Approximately 125,267 visitors enjoyed exhibitions, special events and programs at the State Museum. These included organized school groups, tourists and families who visited Curiosity Connection and related programs such as "Night of the Great Pumpkin" and "Noon Year's Eve."

William C. Kashatus, as Pennsylvania's founder William Penn, provides an interactive educational experience for children and adults alike at the State Museum during PHMC's "Charter Week."

Exhibits and Events

• Trailblazers, an initiative to document the contributions of African Americans, was expanded to include five noteworthy individuals in the museum's permanent galleries, including Guion S. Bluford Jr., the first African-American astronaut to fly in space; Ralph E. Brock, the nation's first African-American forester; C. Edgar Patience, sculptor in anthracite; Martin Delaney, commissioned officer in the Union Army during the Civil War; and William McDonald-Felton, a Harrisburg entrepreneur.  The research and development of these exhibits were completed with an intern funded through the PHMC Minority Internship Program.
  
• More than 140 Pennsylvania artists were featured in the 40th annual "Art of the State," an exhibit presented each year at the museum in association with the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council.
  
• Select craftspeople from across Pennsylvania exhibited their work in "Pennsylvania Craft," an exhibit held in cooperation with the Harrisburg Area Community College and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.
  
• Working with the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, Mid-Atlantic American Studies Association, Pennsylvania Archaeological Council, Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations, Pennsylvania Historical Association, Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology Inc. and the PHMC's Bureau for Historic Preservation, the museum held a day-long program devoted to "Exploring Pennsylvania's Native American Heritage."
  
• "Steel: Made in Pennsylvania," a photography exhibit documenting the commonwealth's steel heritage including the Bethlehem Steel Works in Bethlehem, the Mittal plant in Steelton and the Koppel Steel Works in Pittsburgh, was developed in cooperation with the National Museum of Industrial History and the Rivers of Steel Heritage Area. This exhibition of stunning images by museum staff member Donald J. Giles was displayed first at the State Museum and is traveling to the Payne Gallery of Moravian College in Bethlehem and other venues in the commonwealth.
  

• Exhibits such as the museum's 40th annual "Art of the State," have received praise for more than 100 years.

  The Friends of the State Museum, an organization that links the museum programs to the Harrisburg region, organized a holiday tea and Elaine Broomka's theatrical presentation, Tea for Three, to accompany the museum's exhibition "Inaugural Chic: Gowns of Pennsylvania's First Ladies." "The Sights and Sounds of the Century," a gala celebrating the 100th birthday of the State Museum of Pennsylvania was held in April 2007.

Leaders in Education

• The State Museum, the State Archives and the Pennsylvania Heritage Society play a key role in the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit's Teaching American History Grant, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education. The project trains teachers to use historical resources such as museum, artifacts, archives and documents to enhance the education of their students.
  
• Participating in a statewide consortium of museums and libraries, the State Museum hosted "One Book PA" again this year. The goal of the program encourages reading among preschool children, ages 3 through 6 years. The author, Suzanne Bloom, again this year read to children and distributed copies of the book, A Spendid Friend, Indeed.
  
• Upgrades to the museum's planetarium included the addition of surround sound and a host of new 3-D programs that educate students, families and visitors about the universe. This program meets key curriculum standards in the sciences.

Linda Powell leads visitors on stellar trips to the stars in the museum's planetarium.

Continuing and Future Progress

• The State Museum is participating in the American Association for State and Local History's Performance Management Program, which will provide a solid foundation on which to continue the development of the museum and better meet the needs of guests. Visitors were surveyed over an 18-week period using a professionally developed and statistically valid questionnaire. The museum's results will be compared to other institutions of comparable size and nature.
  
• The Pennsylvania Department of General Services worked with architects to conduct a study of the critical areas and life safety systems that need immediate attention in the museum building. These items are part of the overall renovations identified in the commonwealth's Capital Budget Appropriation and conceptualized in the museum's master plan.