Endowing the Imperial Valley Desert Museum: Broadening Humanities Perspectives in Archeology and in Non-museum Going Demograp

FAIN: CH-51230-15

IVC Desert Museum SE Information Center (El Centro, CA 92244-2455)
Neal V. Hitch (Project Director: May 2014 to February 2018)
David Breeckner (Project Director: February 2018 to present)

Endowment for two humanities staff positions.

This NEH Challenge Grant project capitalizes on new interest in the archeology field, new economic growth in Imperial County, and five years of strategic capacity development. Endowment funding will secure the salaries and key activities of two core staff positions that will 1) have long-term impact on the preservation of an internationally significant collection undergoing fresh research, 2) build capacity to research, disseminate information, and interpret the collections, and 3) bridge the diverse cultures that our collections represent through outstanding humanities programming and exhibits. The IVDM has developed successful humanities programs in an 81.2% Hispanic-origin, low-income, non-museum going community. This is accomplished with the support of our curator positions that provide critical support for programming development. This NEH Challenge grant will build the IVDM capacity by providing long-term funding to secure indispensable staff.

Associated Products

Achieving the Impossible: Strategies for Completing Projects That Seem Unlikely (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Achieving the Impossible: Strategies for Completing Projects That Seem Unlikely
Author: Neal Hitch, Executive Director, Imperial Valley Desert Museum, Ocotillo, CA
Author: Jacqui Ainlay-Conley, Museum Administrator, City and County of Broomfield, Broomfield, CO
Author: Leo J. Goodsell, Executive Director, Historic Westerville, Inc., Lumpkin, GA
Abstract: This session discusses three projects at local museums that seemed insurmountable, including moving a historic village to a new location and developing, opening, and accrediting a new museum in under three years. The presentation will provide detailed information on strategies for completing and funding the impossible.
Date: 9/17/2015
Primary URL: http://download.aaslh.org/annual+meeting+material/Onsite+Program+Louisville+FINAL.pdf
Conference Name: 2015 AASLH Annual Meeting

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