Good afternoon, ASDMers - Brian Gevik from South Dakota Public Broadcasting is retiring in June. Attached is an invitation to a couple of farewell parties - one being held in Sioux Falls and one in Vermillion. Brian has worked closely with historical organizations in the state over the years so if you would like to send him off in style please RSVP to the party. 

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=0Kc2nHu_kUmbeL6RpS8CJnN81hQqF11MlRWU_FxQofxUODQxM1NXTlJENE5KNFU5SERCQU0zMTFGOS4u&web=1&wdLOR=cA607C72F-AA59-48E9-8B15-B219BBE2D600

Thank you!

Ronette Rumpca

President, Association of SD Museums

ASDM grant applications (up to $500) for institutional members will be accepted until July 31, 2022. Please use the application form below to apply. ASDM is also accepting award applications until July 31, 2022. The application form is below. 

Look for more information about ASDM's upcoming conference which will be held in Watertown September 27-28, 2022! 

ASDM Award Application 2022.pdf

ASDM Grant Application for 2022.pdf

DACOTAH PRAIRIE MUSEUM WINS ASDM AWARD

Recognition for Excellence in Community Programming

[ABERDEEN, SD December 2020] — The Dacotah Prairie Museum’s Summer Program for Museum Families has won the Excellence in Community Programming or Collaboration 2020 Award from the Association of South Dakota Museums (ASDM).

The museum staff found themselves physically disconnected from their patrons during four months of being closed to the public due to the global pandemic in early 2020. Although staff were working during that time, it became clear there was a need for outreach and enrichment for the many museum families that participate in summer camps, workshops and exhibit tours.
In response, the staff created history packets and art kits to distribute to interested families for 9 weeks, every Monday in June and July. Each history packet had a theme, stories about real people in Brown County history, road trip suggestions, Brown County ghost town stories, and a scavenger hunt based on one of the historic buildings at the Brown County Fairground’s Centennial Village. Each art kit had an instruction sheet, examples and supplies. The art projects were modified for young children or more elaborate for older children. Families were encouraged to send pictures of the projects and scavenger hunts to be posted on social media. Museum staff handed out over 1,000 history packets and about 700 art kits; servicing about 60-80 families each week.

“We were thrilled to learn that ASDM bestowed this honor on our summer program,” said Patricia Kendall, Museum Director. “The entire staff worked on this project and while it was well-received by our patrons, it was especially uplifting to our staff to be interacting with our museum families during this very different year.” Winning this award “makes the connection with our community seem even more special,” noted Kendall.

The Dacotah Prairie Museum reopened to the public in July with limited hours but is now open regular hours. Exhibits and gift shop are open with new and regular displays. Patrons are encouraged to wear masks, social distance and use hand sanitizer stations throughout the museum.
History packets and art kits are available for download any time at https://brown.sd.us/dacotah-prairie-museum/kids-and-families/kids-activities

ASDM is pleased to announce two awards given for outstanding work in the museum field in South Dakota by ASDM institutional members.

The Excellence in Exhibitions Award went to Fort Sisseton Historic State Park for the exhibition "The Fort Sisseton Kid" created by Basil Knebel. 

The Excellence in Community Programming or Collaboration Award went to the Dacotah Prairie Museum for its Summer Program for Museum Families Art Kits and Museum Packets.

Congratulations Fort Sisseton and Dacotah Prairie Museum!

ASDM 2020 Grants Awarded

               The Association of South Dakota Museums is pleased to announce the recipients for its 2020 grant program. ASDM institutional members are eligible to apply for grants up to $500 to support their operations in a variety of ways. $1118 was awarded in 2020. There were ten grant applicants and four grants were awarded.

               The Heritage Hall Museum in Freeman received $300 to purchase textile storage materials. The Hermosa Arts & History Association gets $300 to create signage for a “walk through history” in downtown Hermosa. The Booth Society/DC Booth Historic Fish Hatchery received $300 to help create a volunteer/staff training video and related materials. The Cramer-Kenyan Heritage Home in Yankton gets $218 to purchase archival storage materials.

               “There was a strong field of grant applicants this year,” said ASDM President Ronette Rumpca. “The grant review committee worked hard to make difficult choices between excellent projects. I encourage applicants to apply again in the future – they are all doing great work to support and preserve South Dakota history.”

               The ASDM grant program started in 2017. Since then the organization has given grants totaling $6053 to seventeen ASDM institutional members.

The Association of South Dakota Museums supports and acknowledges outstanding contributions to the museum field. Members of ASDM are invited to nominate individuals or museums for the Excellence in Exhibits, Excellence in Leadership, or Excellence in Community Programming or Collaboration awards.

• The Excellence in Exhibits Award is awarded to museums for work in exhibitions during the past year. Nominations should include general exhibit information for the nominated exhibit and an explanation of the significance, success and/or innovation of the exhibit.
• The Excellence in Leadership Award is given to individuals for work that exemplifies dedication and leadership in the South Dakota museum field during the past year. Nominations should outline the achievements and contributions of the nominee in relation to the South Dakota museum community.
• The Excellence in Community Programming or Collaboration Award is given to museums for work in the past year that reflects the spirit of community engagement. Nominations should highlight efforts that engage your community, create new audiences for the South Dakota community, or collaborate with community partners in an innovative and successful way. These projects could include but are not limited to interpretive exhibitions, lecture series, programming, or community collaboration.

Awards are only available to ASDM members museums, their staff, board members, and volunteers. [Learn more about memberships here: https://southdakotamuseums.wildapricot.org/membership ] Award winners will be acknowledged at ASDM’s annual meeting, on social media and on the ASDM website and newsletter. Only one award per year is given in each category and not all categories may be awarded every year. Please submit the nomination form along with:

• A 500-word essay explaining the nomination.
  Exhibition materials, if applicable.
  Photos illustrating or supporting the nomination.
  Two support letters for the nomination.
  

Nominations Forms: ASDM Award Application 2020.docx

Submit nomination materials in electronic form to:
Tawa Ducheneaux, ASDM Awards Chair
tducheneaux@olc.edu
PDF and JPEG formats are preferred

Questions? Call (605) 455-6065

APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 1, 2020. Late or incomplete nominations will not be considered.

Registration for the Mountain-Plains Museum Association's online conference "Charting the Unknown" is now open. The conference will be held online September 29 - October 2, 2020. To register, go online to the MPMA website at www.mpma.net. 

Hello, ASDMers - I hope all are safe and keeping well out there. Due to the ongoing Corvid-19 virus emergency, the ASDM annual conference scheduled for April 30-May 2 in Rapid City has been cancelled. We will hold the conference next year (2021) in Rapid City. 

Also, the deadlines for applications on ASDM grants and awards has been pushed back to October 1, 2020. Please consider applying for a grant or nominating someone or some project for an award. 

Continue to practice safe social distancing and take care.

Best,

Ronette Rumpca, President

ASDM