. Hi.  I've been involved in a number of collaborations and I'll go through
and try to answer your questions.
 1.  Have you set up committees or designated individuals in
> leadership roles (i.e. president, vice, secretary, etc.)?  We are not that
formal.  Different collaborations (projects/partners) work differently.   2.
Who else
> should we include?  We have some other arts organizations and also social
> services agencies, schools, etc. nearby.  Watch for opportunities and
include who ever is appropriate for the particular opportunity.  3.  What
kinds of goals did you
> set early, and did you accomplish them?   My collaborations involved
different partners.  Some of these were instigated by the museum (my museum
aka me) others were instigated by other partners.  4.  Did you get media
support?  Any time we do a project we do a lot of press releases.  Our local
media is always interested in the product.  The more entities involved, the
more attractive the project seems to the press.  5.
> Did you get funding, or establish yourselves as a separate entity?   Most
projects got funding for publicity through our local lodging tax
organization.  Sometimes the application would have several of us appearing
at the funding hearing, other times just one person.  Someone took the lead
in writing the grant and seeing that it was submitted in time.  6.  Is
> there any advice you want to offer to us.  You're looking at a more formal
organization than I.  Our local museums met informally for about seven
years.  We watched for opportunities that we could use and various members
collaborated apart from the group as a whole.   We never sat "goals" for the
group, our project goals seemed to center on "Do the project.  Do the
project well.  Educate people on the exhibit or project topic.  Reach as
many people as possible."  Successful collaborations in our instances came
from sowing the seed.  I see nothing wrong with a group that's lead by two
committed people.  If there are two committed organizations, those two
organizations may end up doing most collaborating with one another.  If you
are there and open to others, they may come up with something they'd like
you involved in in a year or two.  They might pass collaborative
opportunities on to you.


----- Original Message -----
From: "elizabeth Nora" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2000 9:03 AM
Subject: Museum Collaborations


> Hello and Happy Holidays!  I have a few questions regarding museum
> collaborations and I am wondering if anyone can provide me with some
> information.  Recently, my museum began to participate in monthly meetings
> for a collaboration that just began.  This group includes mostly
educators,
> some directors and curators.  The institutions participating are four
> history museums, a metropolitan park well on its way to being a botanical
> garden, two art museums, and a planetarium. We have met about 5 times now.
> Most of our meetings have concerned what we hope to do, but we have had no
> agendas.  We have just pinpointed three goals for the year 2001 but have
no
> committees.  Two of us are fighting for the survival of the group and are
> willing to work hard.  The others are followers.  I am afraid that we are
> going to fail as a group even though the community we live in needs us
> badly.  We are centrally located, being within 3 miles of a rapidly
> dwindling downtown, but neighbors to a growing university, Youngstown
State.
>   Here are some questions for those of you who participate in successful
> collaborations.  1.  Have you set up committees or designated individuals
in
> leadership roles (i.e. president, vice, secretary, etc.)?  2.  Who else
> should we include?  We have some other arts organizations and also social
> services agencies, schools, etc. nearby.  3.  What kinds of goals did you
> set early, and did you accomplish them?  4.  Did you get media support?
5.
> Did you get funding, or establish yourselves as a separate entity?  6.  Is
> there any advice you want to offer to us.  Whew!  I know that is a lot but
I
> hope someone will help.  This is so important to me and it is necessary
for
> the community.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Elizabeth J. Nohra
> Assistant Director
> Mahoning Valley Historical Society
> Arms Family Museum of Local History
> 648 Wick Avenue
> Youngstown, Ohio 44502
> 330-743-2589
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