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[Institute of Museum Services Spring 92]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Tony Snow Subject Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Snow, Tony, Files
Subseries:
Subject File, 1988-1993
OA/ID Number:
13895
Folder ID Number:
13895-003
Folder Title:
[Institute of Museum Services Spring 92]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
18
29
2
3
MS
Institute of Museum Services
A Federal agency serving the nation's museums
Office of the Director
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20506
(202) 786-0536
DATE: July 23, 1991
TO:
Ede Holiday
Bobbie Kilberg
FROM: Susan Kent
Director
Institute of Museum Services
RE:
Museums 2000
Attached please find a proposal for a White House Symposium next Spring. I hope you
will endorse this idea and I look forward to discussing it with you soon.
Date: 8/2/91
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
HELEN
Associate Director
Action
FYI
Other
YOURE THE PRO AT TAESE CONFERENCES,
Jim
JAMES A. FITZHENRY
Office of Cabinet Affairs
Room 239, OEOB, x2800
Comment
X
will you TAKE THE LEAD ON TAB! 7
TO:
FROM:
MUSEUMS 2000: Museums are Educational Institutions:
A White House Symposium
Date: Sometime in 1992, the 15th anniversary of the founding
of IMS. Perhaps Museum Day, May 18th.
Cost: borne by private sector funder
Planning: IMS will convene a panel from the museum field to
select questions to be discussed and select presenters. Note:
IMS uniquely is the agency that helps all museums:
children's, science and heritage centers, historic places,
zoos, botanic gardens, aquaria, as well as history, arts,
anthropology and science museums.
Format: A serious colloqium on the subject. Symposium where
papers are presented. Papers to be subsequently printed in
book form. One day. Six papers. President and Mrs. Bush
greet. Luncheon for speakers and guests. Reception for all
invited. Invited audience: Leaders in museum, education
field, Congress, National Museum Services Board, cultural
agencies representatives, Sec. of Education.
Some possible questions:
1. What is the role of museums in the new century?
2. How can museums advance the President's goals in
America 2000?
3. How can museums take a strong role in rethinking
education by using their collections?
4. Can museums become positive forces in solving social
problems through teaching? How?
5. How does learning in museums (i.e. object based
learning) take place? How can we gather information to help us
understand this? Task force? Center? Commission a study?
What should be the approach to systematic study of how learning
takes place in museums. Would a study on this subject be a
proper contribution for IMS to engage in?
6. In 1900 museums were places that collected, preserved
and studied objects and explained and displayed some of them.
They were supported by a population that understood these to be
valuable activities. By 2000, will changed demographics have
altered the situation so that diverse cultural groups will
expect services from museums in the form of exhibits and
programs in exchange for support?
7. Would a clearing house that gathered and circulated
information about education programs be useful? How can these
good programs become institutionalized? Shared?
8. How can museums enter into relationships with other
community organizations and schools to their mutual benefit and
to the benefit of students of all ages?
9. Can museums enter into mentorship relationships to
benefit both small and large institutions?
10. How will the ageing of the population affect museums
and the services they provide the public?
11. What are the ways IMS can carry out its mandate to
strengthen and encourage museums?
Museums 2000: Museums are Educational Institutions:
A White House Symposium
WHY SHOULD THE WHITE HOUSE HOLD THIS SYMPOSIUM
GENERAL
1. IMS is an uncontroversial well run cultural agency
with a laudable mandate: to encourage and strengthen
museums as educational institutions increasingly used
by the public. It sends a signal that the President is
committed to improving all facets of education informal
as well as formal and recognizes the vast contribution
of non-school institutions, i.e. museums.
2. This symposium fits America 2000: it enriches
and enlarges the concept. See attached.
3. This event links culture and education in a positive
way.
4. Museums serve persons of all ages--preschool to the
elderly. There is a museum in almost every
Congressional district. America 2000 will create
a new school linked with a museum in every district.
Thousands of organized groups are served by museums
from the Scouts and FFA to Elder-hostel. Museums are
accessible to all our citizens--open 7 days a week at
little or no cost.
5. Museums are the repository of the objects representing
those values that bind us as a people.
6. Museum going has become one of the primary leisure
activities; museums are safe, social spaces where
families go together for learning and enjoyment.
7. Mrs. Bush has already demonstrated that she values
museums. This symposium can highlight her cultural
literacy initiative.
POLITICAL
1. Support for museums as educational institutions allows
WH to support culture in a non-PC "non tax dollars for
obscenity" environment.
2. Almost all Congressional districts have a museum.
These institutions are everywhere and reach almost
everyone including thousands of organized groups
of all ages.
3. Many museum board members are active supporters
of the administration. Recognition of these
institutions is a positive message.
4. IMS is unique in that it is a Federal agency
giving unrestricted general operating support to
educational institutions.
WHY A SYMPOSIUM HELPS IMS
1. The good work museums do should be recognized. We
hope it will translate into more support from the
administration and OMB.
2. There is an opportunity to harness museum energy to
pursue the President's goals in America 2000. See
attached.
3. If the President and Mrs. Bush demonstrate that they
value museums, it will help the institutions to
leverage funds from the private sector which they
need because: 1) city and state funding has
been drastically cut. 2) corporations are
shifting support in the direction of social and
health needs.
Museums 2000
MUSEUMS ARE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Museums are powerful educational and cultural institutions
holding the rich and remarkable collections of objects that
symbolize the historic, artistic and scientific achievements of
mankind. Museums are not always recognized as educational
institutions because they do not fit the profile of the formal
learning model provided by schools and universities. No
academic prerequisites are required. Tuitionless education is
provided 7 days a week to every segment of the diverse American
public as well as to our visitors. There is no compulsory
attendance--people choose to go into museums. Testimony
before the Congress reveals a commitment throughout the museum
community to developing educational potential and to providing
the broadest possible public access.
MUSEUMS OFFER OBJECT-BASED LEARNING
The objects museums hold are teaching tools as books are in
schools. We know that many with difficulties with the written
word can grasp very complex ideas and clusters of ideas from
the presentation of objects in a museum. It is an active
associative process--hands-on in some exhibits. James
Billington has said that "mute witnesses from the past are
better than talking heads in the present in eliciting from us
deep individual human reactions. The excitement of individual
discovery and resonance seem to be one of the keys to learning
in a museum. Museums seem also to be uniquely able to
communicate the values of our shared past as well as to
illuminate the diversity of the cultures that make up our
shared present by showing not only how we differ, but also how
we humans are the same.
WHERE MUSEUMS FIT INTO AMERICA 2000
1. NEW AMERICAN SCHOOLS
Museums must be built into the planning for new kinds of
schools from the beginning. School teachers, school boards and
museums must join in forming curricula that enrich a child both
at school and at the museum site. Three of the core subjects
that the President has targeted--science, history and
geography--are well suited to be taught by using objects. Some
studies document that subject retention increases when both
formal pedagogy and object-based learning are complied.
Museums are combined open when schools are not: before and
after school hours, weekends, all summer: They increase hours
available for learning for school children.
2. ALL CHILDREN START SCHOOL READY TO LEARN
Museums engage in many forms of pre-school activity at
present. Such programs can be expanded in concert with school
programs and other community groups. Museums are seen as safe
places for at-risk children in inner cities.
3.
GREATER PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S LEARNING
Museum going is a family activity which encourages time spent
in a space where members are together but learning individually.
4. TRANSFORMING AMERICA INTO A NATION OF STUDENTS
Learning is a lifelong challenge. The place of choice for most
Americans to continue learning is presently in our museums.
The President has said that improving schools is not sufficient
to ensure a competitive America in 2000. We know that museums
are delivering education to adults who are now in the
workplace. Senior citizens use museums to increase knowledge
and for the pleasure museums give.
Museum-going is already the prime leisure time activity in many
of our cities. The increasing numbers of visitors at historic
houses, battlefields, zoos, aquaria, nature centers,
exploratoria, science and technology centers and youth museums
located outside the cities indicate that the practice is not
confined to urban areas.
5. MAKING COMMUNITIES PLACES WHERE LEARNING CAN HAPPEN
Museums will make essential contributions to the work of
America 2000 Research and Development teams because they are
experienced delivers of community education and because they
have developed innovative ways to reach into the community and
mobilizing its energy. Communities that succeed in America
2000 must identify and enlist the support of all institutions
that contribute to the community's unique sense of itself. All
of these institutions will develop new ways to work together
and focus their efforts on common goals. In many American
towns the chief organization that delivers learning outside the
formal school system is the museum. Museums have a solid
record of success in finding creative and successful methods to
rally support from community members who recognize the
tremendous value a local museum has in helping define the
community's cultural identity. Museums have developed
effective fundraising and development campaigns that encourage
people to become members of the museum by contributing
financially and to become involved in the work of the museum
through volunteering. This valuable expertise has made museums
integral parts of their communities.
MS
Institute of Museum Services
A Federal agency serving the nation's museums
Office of the Director
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20506
(202) 786-0536
DATE: July 23, 1991
TO:
Ede Holiday
Bobbie Kilberg
FROM: Susan Kent SSSUR
Director
Institute of Museum Services
RE:
Museums 2000
Attached please find a proposal for a White House Symposium next Spring. I hope you
will endorse this idea and I look forward to discussing it with you soon.
Museums 2000: Museums are Educational Institutions:
A White House Symposium
WHY SHOULD THE WHITE HOUSE HOLD THIS SYMPOSIUM
GENERAL
1. IMS is an uncontroversial well run cultural agency
with a laudable mandate: to encourage and strengthen
museums as educational institutions increasingly used
by the public. It sends a signal that the President is
committed to improving all facets of education informal
as well as formal and recognizes the vast contribution
of non-school institutions, i.e. museums.
2. This symposium fits America 2000: it enriches
and enlarges the concept. See attached.
3. This event links culture and education in a positive
way.
4. Museums serve persons of all ages--preschool to the
elderly. There is a museum in almost every
Congressional district. America 2000 will create
a new school linked with a museum in every district.
Thousands of organized groups are served by museums
from the Scouts and FFA to Elder-hostel. Museums are
accessible to all our citizens--open 7 days a week at
little or no cost.
5. Museums are the repository of the objects representing
those values that bind us as a people.
6. Museum going has become one of the primary leisure
activities; museums are safe, social spaces where
families go together for learning and enjoyment.
7. Mrs. Bush has already demonstrated that she values
museums. This symposium can highlight her cultural
literacy initiative.
POLITICAL
1. Support for museums as educational institutions allows
WH to support culture in a non-PC "non tax dollars for
obscenity" environment.
2. Almost all Congressional districts have a museum.
These institutions are everywhere and reach almost
everyone including thousands of organized groups
of all ages.
3. Many museum board members are active supporters
of the administration. Recognition of these
institutions is a positive message.
4. IMS is unique in that it is a Federal agency
giving unrestricted general operating support to
educational institutions.
WHY A SYMPOSIUM HELPS IMS
1. The good work museums do should be recognized. We
hope it will translate into more support from the
administration and OMB.
2. There is an opportunity to harness museum energy to
pursue the President's goals in America 2000. See
attached.
3. If the President and Mrs. Bush demonstrate that they
value museums, it will help the institutions to
leverage funds from the private sector which they
need because: 1) city and state funding has
been drastically cut. 2) corporations are
shifting support in the direction of social and
health needs.
MUSEUMS 2000: Museums are Educational Institutions:
A White House Symposium
Date: Sometime in 1992, the 15th anniversary of the founding
of IMS. Perhaps Museum Day, May 18th.
Cost: borne by private sector funder
Planning: IMS will convene a panel from the museum field to
select questions to be discussed and select presenters. Note:
IMS uniquely is the agency that helps all museums:
children's, science and heritage centers, historic places,
zoos, botanic gardens, aquaria, as well as history, arts,
anthropology and science museums.
Format: A serious colloqium on the subject. Symposium where
papers are presented. Papers to be subsequently printed in
book form. One day. Six papers. President and Mrs. Bush
greet. Luncheon for speakers and guests. Reception for all
invited. Invited audience: Leaders in museum, education
field, Congress, National Museum Services Board, cultural
agencies representatives, Sec. of Education.
Some possible questions:
1. What is the role of museums in the new century?
2. How can museums advance the President's goals in
America 2000?
3. How can museums take a strong role in rethinking
education by using their collections?
4. Can museums become positive forces in solving social
problems through teaching? How?
5. How does learning in museums (i.e. object based
learning) take place? How can we gather information to help us
understand this? Task force? Center? Commission a study?
What should be the approach to systematic study of how learning
takes place in museums. Would a study on this subject be a
proper contribution for IMS to engage in?
6. In 1900 museums were places that collected, preserved
and studied objects and explained and displayed some of them.
They were supported by a population that understood these to be
valuable activities. By 2000, will changed demographics have
altered the situation so that diverse cultural groups will
expect services from museums in the form of exhibits and
programs in exchange for support?
7. Would a clearing house that gathered and circulated
information about education programs be useful? How can these
good programs become institutionalized? Shared?
8. How can museums enter into relationships with other
community organizations and schools to their mutual benefit and
to the benefit of students of all ages?
9. Can museums enter into mentorship relationships to
benefit both small and large institutions?
10. How will the ageing of the population affect museums
and the services they provide the public?
11. What are the ways IMS can carry out its mandate to
strengthen and encourage museums?
Museums 2000
MUSEUMS ARE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Museums are powerful educational and cultural institutions
holding the rich and remarkable collections of objects that
symbolize the historic, artistic and scientific achievements of
mankind. Museums are not always recognized as educational
institutions because they do not fit the profile of the formal
learning model provided by schools and universities. No
academic prerequisites are required. Tuitionless education is
provided 7 days a week to every segment of the diverse American
public as well as to our visitors. There is no compulsory
attendance--people choose to go into museums. Testimony
before the Congress reveals a commitment throughout the museum
community to developing educational potential and to providing
the broadest possible public access.
MUSEUMS OFFER OBJECT-BASED LEARNING
The objects museums hold are teaching tools as books are in
schools. We know that many with difficulties with the written
word can grasp very complex ideas and clusters of ideas from
the presentation of objects in a museum. It is an active
associative process--hands-on in some exhibits. James
Billington has said that "mute witnesses from the past are
better than talking heads in the present in eliciting from us
deep individual human reactions." The excitement of individual
discovery and resonance seem to be one of the keys to learning
in a museum. Museums seem also to be uniquely able to
communicate the values of our shared past as well as to
illuminate the diversity of the cultures that make up our
shared present by showing not only how we differ, but also how
we humans are the same.
WHERE MUSEUMS FIT INTO AMERICA 2000
1. NEW AMERICAN SCHOOLS
Museums must be built into the planning for new kinds of
schools from the beginning. School teachers, school boards and
museums must join in forming curricula that enrich a child both
at school and at the museum site. Three of the core subjects
that the President has targeted--science, history and
geography--are well suited to be taught by using objects. Some
studies document that subject retention increases when both
formal pedagogy and object-based learning are complied.
Museums are combined open when schools are not: before and
after school hours, weekends, all summer: They increase hours
available for learning for school children.
2. ALL CHILDREN START SCHOOL READY TO LEARN
Museums engage in many forms of pre-school activity at
present. Such programs can be expanded in concert with school
programs and other community groups. Museums are seen as safe
places for at-risk children in inner cities.
3.
GREATER PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S LEARNING
Museum going is a family activity which encourages time spent
in a space where members are together but learning individually.
4. TRANSFORMING AMERICA INTO A NATION OF STUDENTS
Learning is a lifelong challenge. The place of choice for most
Americans to continue learning is presently in our museums.
The President has said that improving schools is not sufficient
to ensure a competitive America in 2000. We know that museums
are delivering education to adults who are now in the
workplace. Senior citizens use museums to increase knowledge
and for the pleasure museums give.
Museum-going is already the prime leisure time activity in many
of our cities. The increasing numbers of visitors at historic
houses, battlefields, zoos, aquaria, nature centers,
exploratoria, science and technology centers and youth museums
located outside the cities indicate that the practice is not
confined to urban areas.
5. MAKING COMMUNITIES PLACES WHERE LEARNING CAN HAPPEN
Museums will make essential contributions to the work of
America 2000 Research and Development teams because they are
experienced delivers of community education and because they
have developed innovative ways to reach into the community and
mobilizing its energy. Communities that succeed in America
2000 must identify and enlist the support of all institutions
that contribute to the community's unique sense of itself. All
of these institutions will develop new ways to work together
and focus their efforts on common goals. In many American
towns the chief organization that delivers learning outside the
formal school system is the museum. Museums have a solid
record of success in finding creative and successful methods to
rally support from community members who recognize the
tremendous value a local museum has in helping define the
community's cultural identity. Museums have developed
effective fundraising and development campaigns that encourage
people to become members of the museum by contributing
financially and to become involved in the work of the museum
through volunteering. This valuable expertise has made museums
integral parts of their communities.