New Eyes on Alice Austen: Redesigning the Museum's Permanent Installation
FAIN: BR-254081-17
Alice Austen House Museum (Staten Island, NY 10305-2002)
Janice Monger (Project Director: August 2016 to October 2017)
Pamela Adamo (Project Director: October 2017 to June 2018)
Victoria Munro (Project Director: June 2018 to November 2021)
Implementation of a new onsite interpretation and expanded website content for Clear Comfort, the home of early American photographer Alice Austen (1866–1952).
The Alice Austen House (AAH), the only museum dedicated to a woman photographer in the United States, requests $400,000 for a Historic Places implementation grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the project New Eyes on Alice Austen: Redesigning the Museum’s Permanent Installation to better contextualize, expand, and update the presentation of the core story of early American photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952). Guided by a team of five prominent scholars, AAH will engage a professional exhibition designer to incorporate current scholarship into re-envisioning the permanent installation at the historic house museum to more comprehensively demonstrate Austen’s contributions to photographic, immigration, women’s and LGBTQ history. The new permanent installation would be unveiled to the public in March 2019 during Women’s History Month.
Associated Products
Full Time Director of Education (Staff/Faculty/Fellow Position)Name: Full Time Director of Education
Abstract: In June 2019 the Alice Austen House hired its first full time Education Director position to meet the demands of increased education visitor-ship and the expansion of education programs.
Year: 2019
Queering Memory a public lecture on the process of redesigning the museums permanent spaces (Public Lecture or Presentation)Title: Queering Memory a public lecture on the process of redesigning the museums permanent spaces
Abstract: The Alice Austen House fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of pioneering American women photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952). The Alice Austen House is the only museum in America dedicated to the work of a single female photographer. In June of 2017 the Alice Austen House marked its national designation as a site of LGBTQ history. The museum’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places was amended to include LGBTQ history as an area of significance. This was an achievement of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, funded through a grant from the New York State Historic Preservation Office and made possible by the National Park Service. Integrating Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate’s loving relationship story into the museum’s core interpretation bridges a gap between the institutional narrative of Austen’s story and the truth that the LGBTQ community has long known about her life. While, in some ways, we are catching up, the Austen House is at the forefront of LGBTQ interpretation at historic sites. There are still few places that venture to address the LGBTQ stories of historical figures. LGBTQ history remains underrepresented in American history. This paper will explore the process of transformation funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities of this historic home to reinterpret and truthfully represent the life and work of Alice Austen to include LGBTQ+ histories in its permanent gallery spaces and public and educational programs. From scholar’s research and planning through to implementation and outside partnerships, the Alice Austen House has begun to provide safe and inclusive programs for contemporary LGBTQ storytelling and continues to identify ways to enhance our social and historical responsibilities to the LGBTQ community.
Author: Victoria Munro
Date: 06/28/2019
Location: ALMS Conference Berlin 2019 27 June –29 June 2019
Primary URL:
http://https://queeralmsberlin2019.de/wp-content/uploads/ALMS-conference-2019-program-26-08-2019.pdfPrimary URL Description: ALMS Conference Berlin 2019
27 June –29 June 2019
ALMS is a series of international conferences focused on public, private, academic, and grassroots archives collecting and preserving materials of all types from LGBTIQ+ communities. Its mission is to ensure that our history continues to be preserved and shared. The series was initiated in 2006 in Minnesota and the last two conferences took place in Amsterdam in 2012 and in London in 2016. These conferences provide an opportunity for archivists, activists and scholars from around the world to gather, share their stories and discuss the issues around documenting LGBTIQ+ lives. ALMS is an exceptional event as it offers the encouraging experience of being part of an international network overcoming borders and on track for the future.
Queering Memory: Alice Austen and the Artistic Landscape (Public Lecture or Presentation)Title: Queering Memory: Alice Austen and the Artistic Landscape
Abstract: The Alice Austen House fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of pioneering American women photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952). The Alice Austen House is the only museum in America dedicated to the work of a single female photographer. In June of 2017 the Alice Austen House marked its national designation as a site of LGBTQ history. The museum’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places was amended to include LGBTQ history as an area of significance. This was an achievement of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, funded through a grant from the New York State Historic Preservation Office and made possible by the National Park Service. Integrating Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate’s loving relationship story into the museum’s core interpretation bridges a gap between the institutional narrative of Austen’s story and the truth that the LGBTQ community has long known about her life. While, in some ways, we are catching up, the Austen House is at the forefront of LGBTQ interpretation at historic sites. There are still few places that venture to address the LGBTQ stories of historical figures. LGBTQ history remains underrepresented in American history. This paper will explore the process of transformation of this historic home and artist studio to reinterpret and truthfully represent the life and work of Alice Austen to include LGBTQ+ histories in its permanent gallery spaces and public and educational programs. From scholar’s research and planning through to implementation and outside partnerships, the Alice Austen House has begun to provide safe and inclusive programs for contemporary LGBTQ storytelling through the lens of Alice Austen, and continues to identify ways to enhance our social and historical responsibilities to the LGBTQ community.
Author: Victoria Munro
Date: 07/30/2019
Location: Paul Mellon Center, London, UK.
Primary URL:
https://www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/media/_file/events/homework-schedule-final.pdfPrimary URL Description: Schedule of presentations