2020 in Review
In a year that has been full of change and challenges, I’d like to share with you some of the successes that the museum has had, despite having been closed for nine months.
We received a generous grant from the Griffinhart Foundation to develop a curriculum to accompany SHOUT! The curriculum was developed by professors from San Francisco State University and Truman College, Chicago, and will “go live” in 2021. (SHOUT! is a play, an anthology—and soon to be a full-length film.)- We published two anthologies: Brat Time Stories: A Book for Nocturnal Brats and On Freedom’s Frontier: Life on the Fulda Gap.
- We created personalized video tours of Operation Footlocker-one for a public school district in Illinois; the other for the Defense Department Schools. We also developed some virtual curriculum for DoDEA 4thgraders, using stories submitted by generations of military “brats.”
- We created a virtual exhibit about the University of Maryland Munich Campus which opened in late September.
- We started audio and video podcasting on our MAMF Media podcast, and offer a wide variety of programs. We presented several virtual poetry workshops with Tacoma Poet Laureate Abby Murray.
- Our East Mountain Collaborative partnered with many entities to provide relevant programming on suicide prevention, addiction resources, stress management and home-schooling tips. We also explored news sources and discussed how to recognize “fake” and trusted sources. All of these are viewable at militaryfamilymuseum.podbean.com
We received an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History. It is our second such award in as many years. In 2018, we also received the AASLH prestigious Albert B. Corey prize for our innovativeness.- We were careful stewards of our resources, and through the generosity of our community and some CARES Act funding, we have made it through this year and are optimistic that next year will be better. We will restart our capital campaign towards a building purchase.
- Through the year, our collections have continued to grow with new artifacts acquisition, so we have purchased museum cataloging software. Once we get the “go-ahead” to reopen, we will begin to inventory and catalog our collection.
So, while 2020 has pushed all of to our limits, it has made us, as an organization, learn to be more flexible, run leaner, and think way out of the box.
So, What’s the plan for 2021?
- Our collaborative is planning several video programs—in January we will present “So You Want to Write a Book—Now What?”
- We are collecting stories for a special anthology celebrating 75 years of DoDEA—if you have a memory or two about attending DoD schools, we’d like to include it in the book.
- We will be reworking a 30-year-old original children’s book manuscript, “My Momma Wears Army Boots”
SHOUT is slated to be performed in Los Angeles and Providence and will be made into a full-length film.- We will begin a very comprehensive project looking at gender, race, identity, religion and culture in military/families.
- Our podcast will continue to grow and evolve as we add more interviews, stories and programs.
- We may even unveil a new exhibit!
We hope that these programs are of interest to you, and you participate as applicable.
Also: Our museum is looking for several volunteer board members/liaisons to join our team. If you’d like to help grow our award-winning museum, further its mission of preserving and curating military family history, please email us at militaryfamilymuseum@comcast.net. Please tell us why you’d like to serve on the board, your skill sets and what you envision your role as a team member could be. Even though we are in New Mexico, several of our board members live elsewhere.
When we are permitted to reopen, please know that our board/docents have taken the New Mexico Covid Certification training so that our visitors and volunteers are as safe as possible.
We look forward to hosting you-virtually and in person!
Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, Founder & Director MAMF
Through the federal CARES Act, the New Mexico Humanities Council helped support 68 organizations throughout the state. NMHC received 85 requests, totaling over $600,000 to help NM organizations offset a staggering $6.6 million dollars in losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen.