Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)

Just because you don’t have a law degree doesn’t mean you can’t successfully navigate abandoned property law! Join us Thursday, May 16, at 2:00 PM ET, as Sarah Kapellusch, Registrar at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and an instructor on legal topics for the Northern States Conservation Center, breaks it down for you. Register: bit.ly/3Wzb779

Late last month, CCAHA piloted a new community outreach project to bring our expert services directly to neighborhoods and community groups across Philadelphia. Our Stuff, Our Stories is a series inspired by the planning efforts of Philadelphia250, a collective of local cultural institutions that aims to “create a people-driven movement” around the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. As a provider of conservation and preservation services, CCAHA sees its main role in this effort as empowering people to be stewards of their own personal, family, community, and cultural histories. We will do this by offering free preservation consultations, scanning services, rehousing services, and more at host sites throughout the city. The first of our pop-up events was held April 27 in partnership with the African-American Genealogy Group at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships at Drexel University. Thanks to everyone who dropped by!

This #MayDay, CCAHA and Lyrasis are eager to share insights from the Cultural Stewardship Succession Planning Initiative, a two-year project to actively address the need for knowledge transfer and staff transitions in the cultural heritage workforce. With support from IMLS, we have already begun analyzing data that points to concerning trends at cultural organizations of all shapes and sizes. While we all take this month to consider #MayDayPrep like disaster plans and emergency response, we encourage you also to examine the risk that a lack of organizational planning can pose to the health of collections. Visit ccaha.org/succession to read study findings, access a variety of resources, and learn about upcoming opportunities to join the conversation. #SuccessionPlanning

Thanks to everyone who joined us last week for CCAHA’s Spring Open House! We had a wonderful time, as always, sharing some of our latest work and demonstrating the tools and techniques we to use to save cultural artifacts. We were excited to see a number of new faces in the crowd, and we look forward to inviting you all back again for our Fall Open House this October.

It's Preservation Week, April 29-May 3, and this year's theme is "Preserving Identities." CCAHA is always happy to take part in this week of free educational programs and resource sharing. Visit preservationweek.org to read a statement from Honorary Chair Traci Sorell and check out the week's free webinars and other preservation resources.

Applications are now open for CCAHA's 2024 National Assessment Program! Thanks to grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, we are able to offer a limited number of subsidized assessments, valued at over $5,000 each, for a significantly discounted cost to qualifying institutions. The due date for applications is May 31st, 2024. Learn more and apply: bit.ly/3Uxlcjs

We're in Harrisburg this week for the 2024 PA Museums Annual Conference! This year's theme is Chance for Change: Opportunities in a Community. CCAHA Director of Preservation Services Dyani Feige led an educational session on our Collections Management Policy Toolkit, and Director of Business Development Daphne Mayer chatted with guests at our table in the exhibit hall.

CCAHA's Spring Open House is just days away! Join us Wednesday, April 24, from 5:00-7:30 PM for a guided tour of our conservation lab and a chance to speak one-on-one with our expert conservation and preservation staff. Guests can take part in hands-on demonstrations, and light refreshments will be served in our new first-floor community space. Learn more and register: ccaha.org/openhouse Special thanks to this year’s generous sponsors: LEAD SPONSOR Atelier FAS PATRONS Creative Benefits, Inc. FotoBridge Grunkey Industries M&T Bank

CCAHA Director of Business Development Daphne Mayer is a great resource for you as you seek out funding for preservation and collections care projects. Join us Friday, April 19, as Daphne discusses various NEH grant programs, as well as who is eligible, what kinds of projects are best suited to each program, and tips on developing compelling applications. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/eNKidabi

Join us in welcoming Digital Imaging Specialist and Conservation Technician Adrian Cubillas to the CCAHA team! Adrian says, "Coming into CCAHA with a growing staff, I’m eager to work alongside so many talented colleagues. I’m excited to see the wide variety of objects and to be part of many projects at the Center." #TeamMemberTuesday