Geneva, N.Y.: The Geneva Historical Society is in the running for the New York State Council of the Arts/Greater Hudson Heritage Network Creativity Incubator and we need the community's help to win! What is the NYSCA/GHHN Creativity Incubator? In these days of changing demographics, shrinking attendance, tightened budgets, increased competition, and exponential growth of technology & social media, institutions need to keep their exhibitions fresh, their work relevant, and take bold steps to keep up with the times.
To address this statewide need, NYSCA and GHHN have created the Creativity Incubator, a 2-year pilot partnership program. The NYSCA/GHHN Creativity Incubator workshop series invites staff in museums to test out experimental interpretive approaches. As part of this hands-on experience, the host site will have its collections or permanent installations re-imagined by creative thinkers in the field and session participants. The Creativity Incubator workshop series is led by some of the most creative thinkers in the field today. The end goal of the program is to open our eyes to the possibilities and encourage museums to think more imaginatively about the interpretation of their collections and the visitor experience.
The Incubator started in 2017 with programs in the Hudson Valley, Long Island and the Mohawk Valley. Nine sites participated in a social media contest to determine these three host sites. This competition led to an impressive 6,828 individual votes— mobilizing thousands of community members to vie for the workshops to land in their favorite museum. One workshop was held in each of the regions to a sold-out crowd of museum professionals from around the state.
Now the Incubator is heading to Western NY! The next NYSCA/GHHN Creativity Incubator workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 and it could be here in Geneva! The Geneva Historical Society is one of seven finalists for the next workshop location. If Geneva wins, the workshop will be held at the Geneva History Museum and the Geneva Historical Society collections will be the focus of the workshop. For second or third place, the Society can send a staff member to the workshop for free. We need your help to win the contest. Voting begins on March 19 at: https://www.wedgies.com/question/tell-us-which-site-should-host-our-creativity-incubator-workshop-choose-from-the-western-ny-sites-below-thank-you-pklzkjhva. Supporters can also access the polling site through the homepage of the Geneva Historical Society website and our Facebook pages. You can vote once from each of your devices through April 1.
The Creativity Incubator, a NYSCA/GHHN Partnership Program, is made possible with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
The Geneva History Museum is located at 543 South Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Parking is available on the street or in the lot at Trinity Episcopal Church. For more information call 315-789-5151 or visit www.genevahistoricalsociety.com.
