FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Connecticut League of Museums (CLM) is proud to announce a new category for its 2024 Awards of Merit, which recognize excellence in museum work by individuals and organizations in Connecticut.
The Jamie Eves Award recognizes an outstanding museum practitioner who has demonstrated excellence in research and teaching, elevated history and culture at the local level, and advocated for and expanded the capacity of smaller institutions to serve their communities. Our inaugural recipient, for whom the award is named, has a long and distinguished career in history, public history, research, teaching, museum work, and service to the historical and museum professions.
Dr. Jamie H. Eves is both a consummate historian and a passionate educator. He received his B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Maine and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Connecticut. His research has focused on the environmental and industrial history of New England in the 18th and 19th centuries, and his writing has appeared in scholarly journals and popular outlets. He spent a decade as the Director of the Windham Textile and History Museum (The Mill Museum) in Willimantic, where he also has served as Town Historian. He has taught at the college level for a quarter century, including at UConn and Eastern Connecticut State University.
“Dr. Eves exemplifies what is possible when rigorous scholarship is married to engaged public outreach and energetic advocacy,” said Amrys Williams, Executive Director of CLM. Under his leadership, the Mill Museum became an important community anchor for the town of Windham, as well as a leader along museums in the eastern half of the state. Dr. Eves has also advanced the interests of the museum and history community through his involvement with the Connecticut League, the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, and other organizations. He has been an outspoken voice for the small-budget, often all-volunteer organizations that constitute the plurality of our state’s museums and historical societies, the fabric of our cultural ecosystem at the local level.
“Connecticut as a whole needs a sense of its own history, so that we know who we are, what we have in common with each other, and what makes us unique,” Dr. Eves has written. “History belongs to the people, and everybody has a right to know their history. That history has to be accessible, readable, local, and affordable.”
“Though he hails from Maine originally, Jamie has embraced his adopted state of Connecticut as home in countless ways,” said Nick Foster, CLM Board President and chair of the awards committee. “We are honored to present this inaugural award to Jamie H. Eves.”
The inaugural Jamie Eves Award will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks. The Awards of Merit Ceremony and Reception is a ticketed event that is open to the public. Registration and more information are available at https://clho.org/event-5888967.
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About the Connecticut League of Museums
The Connecticut League of Museums (www.ctleague.org) unifies and strengthens our state’s museums and cultural resources to expand their capacity and community impact. Since 1950, the League has supported its member museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions across the state through professional development, networking and community, workshops and training, and an annual conference and awards program. The League also runs Connecticut Collections (www.ctcollections.org), an open-source collections management system and online portal that makes Connecticut’s museum and archival collections accessible to researchers worldwide.
About the Windham Textile and History Museum
The Windham Textile and History Museum (the Mill Museum), located in the historic former headquarters of the American Thread Company of Willimantic, Connecticut, houses a museum, a library, and an archive. Through its exhibits, programs, and collections, the Museum preserves and interprets the history of textiles, the textile arts, and the textile industry, with special emphasis on the experiences of craftspeople, industrial workers, manufacturers, inventors, designers, and consumers. The Museum also promotes a greater understanding of the major trends and changes in technology, the economy, immigration, society, the environment, and culture that shaped the history of textiles, the textile arts, and the textile industry in Connecticut, New England, and the United States from the colonial period to the present.
About the New England Air Museum
The New England Air Museum (www.neam.org) is the largest aviation museum in New England with three large hangars, outdoor exhibits, and more than 100 aircraft ranging from early airships and flying machines to supersonic jets and helicopters. Located adjacent to Bradley International Airport, the New England Air Museum is committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible, and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live.
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“The projects honored in 2024 tell familiar stories in new ways, examine common artifacts through the lens contemporary issues, and shine a light on stories and communities that are less well-known,” said Nick Foster, CLM Board President and chair of the awards committee. “They showcase the power of museum scholarship and research, the innovative use of play to enlighten and inspire, and the crucial educational and civic role of museums and libraries in our democracy. Together, the projects represent some of the best exhibitions, community partnerships, and educational initiatives to be seen in our state’s museums today.”
The 2024 project award recipients are:
“For a decade, the League’s Awards of Merit have honored the best interpretive and historical work at Connecticut’s museums, historical societies, and libraries,” said Amrys Williams, Executive Director of CLM. “Our awards have often paved the way to recognition at the regional and national levels. We are thrilled to celebrate the organizations and individuals responsible for these excellent projects.”
The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks.
“We are honored to host the Connecticut League of Museums’ Awards of Merit Ceremony,” said Stephanie Abrams, President and CEO of the New England Air Museum. “Institutions like ours play a vital role in preserving history and inspiring future generations, and we are proud to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of Connecticut’s cultural organizations. This event reflects our commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation within the broader museum community.”
The Awards of Merit Ceremony and Reception is a ticketed event that is open to the public. Registration and more information are available at https://clho.org/event-5888967.
The New England Air Museum(www.neam.org) is the largest aviation museum in New England with three large hangars, outdoor exhibits, and more than 100 aircraft ranging from early airships and flying machines to supersonic jets and helicopters. Located adjacent to Bradley International Airport, the New England Air Museum is committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible, and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live.
CLHO is pleased to announce the organizations and individuals who have received 2023 Awards of Merit, which intend to honor and uplift outstanding achievements in Connecticut history and museums. The League will honor the following recipients at the CLHO Annual Business Meeting and Awards of Merit Presentation on Tuesday, April 18 from 5 - 8pm at Central Connecticut State University. This event is free with RSVP at www.clho.org.
Project Recipients: This category includes exhibitions (in-person and online), exhibition catalogs, books, videos, school programs, educational programs for adults or other groups, lecture series, demonstrations, digital programs, presentations, restoration or preservation efforts, special research, and web-based projects.
Connecticut Explored Magazine for Grating the Nutmeg Podcast
Connecticut Historical Society for the Bicycle Game
Culture 4 A Cause for the John Brown Project
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford for Community Voices: Digitizing 50 Years of Oral Histories
Mystic River Historical Society for Mystic River Bascule Bridge Centennial
Stanley-Whitman House for Memento Mori - Remember Death
Weston History and Culture Center for Reinterpretation of the Coley House
Wilton Historical Society for Finding the Forgotten: The Enslaved of Wilton
Stanley-Whitman House for The Last Night
Individual Achievement: This category recognizes an individual’s long-term efforts towards promoting and furthering a knowledge and appreciation of Connecticut history.
Catherine K. Fields
Elizabeth Normen
Richard C. Malley
A reception will follow the business meeting and presentation of awards at Founders Hall, also located in Davidson Hall. Join us for an evening of light refreshments and the opportunity to network with your colleagues, including our sponsors and community partners. There will be a cash bar with beer and wine options. This event is free with your RSVP.
The Connecticut League of History Organizations recognizes excellence in Connecticut history through its annual Awards of Merit. The awards recognize institutions and individuals who demonstrate the highest professional standards and who enhance and further the understanding of history in Connecticut. The purpose of the awards is to recognize the care, thought, and effort invested in these contributions and to inspire and encourage others by acknowledging exceptional contributions to state and local history.
The Awards of Merit program is also a stepping stone to national recognition through the American Association for State and Local History’s Leadership in History Awards. We encourage organizations with eligible projects to consider submitting to both award programs. For more information about the AASLH awards, visit https://aaslh.org/programs/leadership-in-history-awards/ and contact state representative Nick Foster at nfoster@wiltonhistorical.org.
The Connecticut Heritage Foundation and CT Humanities are pleased to announce that they have partnered with Conservation ConneCTion to provide the Collections Assessment Grant Program. This initiative provides museums, historical societies, and other collecting institutions with information to improve care and access to their collections.
The Collections Assessment Grant Program (CAG) provides small and mid-sized museums with a free assessment of their museum or archive collections. Successful applicants will receive a free half-day site visit from a museum curator or archivist who will examine collections on exhibit and in storage, and review policies and procedures related to collection care and management. Recipients will receive a collection assessment report with a prioritized list of recommendations for improving the care and management of collections. These recommendations are intended to help institutions improve the care of their collections, alert board members to collections care concerns, provide documentation that can support development of a long-range collection/preservation plan, and be used to fundraise for collection projects.
While priority will be given to institutions with budgets under $50,000, institutions with a budget not exceeding $250,000 are eligible. Applicants are encouraged to review the grant guidelines before completing an application.
Additionally, before applying, organizations must contact Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Director of Conservation ConneCTion, at CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov to discuss your project. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are available to review draft applications received at least two weeks before the grant deadline.
Fill out your application today!
Collections Assessment Grant Application
Application deadline is October 11, 2022.
CLHO will be hosting an information session on the Collections Assessment Grant program. Join us for the Colleague Circle at 1 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2022, to learn more. The info session will be recorded and made available on the CLHO YouTube channel.
Register for the info session here.
The Collections Assessment Grant is a program of Conservation ConneCTion in partnership with the Connecticut Heritage Foundation and is funded by a grant from the CT Cultural Fund. The CT Cultural Fund is administered by CT Humanities, with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature.
Contact: Kathy Craughwell-Varda, CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov
New Britain, CT (July 22, 2022) — The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives has awarded the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO) a $99,980 Archives Collaboratives Implementation Grant to make archival collections at local history institutions across the state searchable online through its Connecticut Collections database and public portal.
Connecticut Collections (CTCo) is an open-source, web-based collections management system and public research portal run by the Connecticut League of History Organizations. It is used by 33 museums, historical societies, libraries, schools, and other cultural heritage organizations across the state. This grant will enable more institutions to participate in the Connecticut Collections project and provide them with direct support and assistance to share their archival collections online.
The two-year grant project, which commenced April 1, 2022, will provide free training for collecting institutions’ staff and volunteers through a “Basics of Archives” webinar series in the fall of 2022. These trainings will be carried out in collaboration with Conservation ConneCTion and the Traveling Archivist Program of the Connecticut State Library, and recordings will be made available for free. After completing the training, participating organizations will receive assistance from the Traveling Archivists to organize and describe several of their archival collections by preparing finding aids.
The grant will also fund improvements to the Connecticut Collections system, including enhancements to its public-facing website (www.ctcollections.org) and updates to the software that supports it. As a part of this process, the Connecticut Collections database will be automatically linked to Connecticut Archives Online (https://archives-library.wcsu.edu/cao/), a statewide aggregator of archival collections at Western Connecticut State University, increasing the discoverability of archival materials in Connecticut Collections.
“This grant will improve the archival capabilities of the Connecticut Collections system, and provide important training and direct support to museums, historical societies, libraries, and other collecting institutions to make their archival and manuscript materials more discoverable and accessible to the public,” said Amrys Williams, CLHO’s Executive Director. “Not only will this project forge important connections among Connecticut's digital history resources, it will increase the capacity of small history institutions to create new, publicly available finding aids for our state’s unique and irreplaceable collections, forging stronger connections with their communities and bringing heretofore hidden histories to light.”
This grant was one of the 36 awarded by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, totaling $2,975,339 for historical records projects in 27 states and the District of Columbia. The National Archives grants program is carried out through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
For more information about Connecticut Collections, please visit www.clho.org/ctcollections. To browse and search the public portal, please visit www.ctcollections.org.
About the Connecticut League of History Organizations
The Connecticut League of History Organizations builds connections among those who preserve and share the stories and objects of our state’s past. For over 50 years, we have strengthened and sustained our members by sharing knowledge and experience, and promoting best practices among museums, historical societies and all who steward Connecticut’s heritage collections.
About Conservation ConneCTion
Conservation ConneCTion is a program of the Connecticut State Library. Founded in 2008. Conservation ConneCTion provides training and resources on collections care, conservation, and emergency preparedness to cultural heritage organizations in Connecticut and seeks to identify collection care needs and develop a statewide plan to meet them.
About the Traveling Archivist Program
The Traveling Archivist Program was launched in 2013 by Conservation ConneCTion and the Connecticut State Historical Records Advisory Board to provide support to cultural heritage organizations. A team of professional archivists work throughout Connecticut, providing hands-on training, archival assessments, and support in the care and management of archival collections.
About Connecticut Archives Online
Connecticut Archives Online (CAO) simplifies searching for original historical records in Connecticut by making them available through one easy-to-use website. Users can browse and search the rich archival collections held in the libraries, universities, colleges, museums, historical societies and archives in the State.
About NHPRC
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States. The NHPRC supports projects that promote access to America's historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture.
Connecticut League of MuseumsCentral Connecticut State University, Department of History1615 Stanley StreetNew Britain, CT 06050(860) 832-2674info@clho.org
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