00:00 - This program has been paid for by the sponsor

00:02 - and does not reflect the views of PCN.

00:06 - Welcome to Inside Pennsylvania Boroughs.

00:12 - Our Pennsylvania museums stand

00:14 - at the intersection of delight, inspiration, and education.

00:18 - Museums across the Commonwealth have attracted millions of tourists

00:22 - to the Keystone State, and have significantly contributed to the economic

00:26 - vitality of our downtown centers across the Commonwealth.

00:30 - The rich heritage of Pennsylvania has provided a firm foundation

00:34 - for our museums, historic sites, science and nature centers.

00:38 - Joining today's discussion are Abby Baer, executive director

00:42 - of the De Muth Foundation and Lancaster Museum of Art.

00:46 - Angelica Doe, Cog, director of the State Museum of Pennsylvania

00:50 - and Doctor Lindsay Varner, executive director

00:53 - of the Cumberland County Historical Society.

00:56 - Now, here is your host and executive director

00:59 - of the Pennsylvania State Association of Burros, Chris Kapp.

01:03 - Welcome to Inside Pennsylvania Burrows.

01:06 - Our museums across this great commonwealth are among the best in the world.

01:10 - They inspire and educate so many.

01:12 - Lindsay, welcome to the broadcast. Thank you.

01:14 - Tell us about your background and the mission of the society.

01:16 - Yeah.

01:17 - So I'm a historian by training and I love museums.

01:21 - I love working in public history.

01:23 - So I'm now at Cumberland County Historical Society.

01:26 - And we are dedicated to preserving the history of Cumberland County

01:30 - and helping to highlight how the history there is of national significance.

01:34 - And if you learn about Cumberland County history,

01:36 - you're learning about the history of the US at Angelica,

01:39 - the state Museum of Pennsylvania, a real gem.

01:41 - It is, it is.

01:42 - Thank you for the invitation for being here.

01:44 - Yes. The State Museum of Pennsylvania is part of the Pennsylvania Historical

01:48 - and Museum Commission.

01:49 - We are one of the five bureaus.

01:51 - The museum focuses on telling the whole story

01:54 - about Pennsylvania through art, natural science, history, and archeology.

01:59 - So coming to our museum, you'll be able to tell

02:01 - and learn about the whole story of what happened in Pennsylvania

02:06 - and how it relates to the history of the United States.

02:08 - So that's what makes it so exciting to come to visit that museum.

02:12 - And Abby, of course, the foundation continues to do great work.

02:14 - Tell us about your work there. Yeah. Thank you.

02:16 - The De Muth Foundation in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,

02:19 - we promote the appreciation and awareness of the visual arts in Lancaster County.

02:24 - And we do that by preserving Charles Demuth, a modernist painter.

02:27 - His historic home and studio, supporting local and regional artists

02:31 - in our area and inspiring the next generation.

02:34 - Why are our

02:35 - museums so important to the overall tourism and economic development

02:39 - of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our local communities for that matter?

02:43 - Yeah, they're important for a number of reasons.

02:45 - They're really important for when people come to visit

02:47 - to get a better understanding of the place that they're visiting, help

02:50 - to ground to them and what they're seeing, what they're learning about.

02:54 - It helps to get them connected to the place that they're coming to,

02:58 - you know, visit

02:59 - or stay for a couple of days or maybe even potentially come to live.

03:03 - And for those living there, it helps them get connected to the place

03:06 - that they're living.

03:07 - It's they might be living in a place that has had people

03:12 - living there for generations, and they want to learn the history of it.

03:16 - And so having these types of museums, historical societies

03:19 - that are able to really capture and preserve a lot of this history,

03:24 - it's an opportunity to create that sense of place.

03:27 - And Angelico, of course, at the State Museum, a major anchor.

03:30 - Interstates capital.

03:32 - Tell us about that.

03:33 - So for us, it's very important that we see,

03:36 - we welcome everyone from tourists to local residents

03:40 - to international visitors and national visitors

03:42 - because as I mentioned

03:43 - before, coming to the museum, you could really learn about the history.

03:47 - But not only about the history and be inspired and educated,

03:49 - but also learn about the possibilities of your next job.

03:52 - That's one thing that's very important is really, encouraging the next generation

03:56 - to consider to go into museums or public history preservation.

04:01 - Anything that preserves our our nation's history.

04:05 - Gabby, our audience is about a 5050 split between local,

04:10 - you know, people coming into our museums as well as tourists

04:13 - from outside of the area.

04:15 - And it's important for us to create that sense of history

04:19 - and visual culture of a place that we can tell Lancaster's story

04:23 - through our exhibitions and collections

04:25 - at Lindsay, how are museums working through the generational differences?

04:29 - How are we drawing younger people,

04:31 - to see some of these fine assets that we have across the Commonwealth?

04:34 - Yeah, we're pretty lucky at Cumberland County Historical Society.

04:37 - We have a fantastic relationship

04:39 - with the school districts, and so they come to do field trips.

04:42 - They are learning about national history, and they're doing it through a regional

04:46 - and local lens.

04:47 - And that's where, you know, we play this important role.

04:49 - Kids can come and they can walk in the same places that many

04:53 - historical figures had the opportunity to walk as well.

04:57 - And they can learn about the Whiskey Rebellion,

04:59 - the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the Revolutionary War.

05:03 - And so we start to capture kids imagination by having them

05:07 - visit these spaces.

05:09 - And that's really important

05:10 - because we're hoping that they'll stay engaged with us as they grow up as well.

05:14 - And so we work with their parents.

05:15 - We have summer camp,

05:17 - and we just hope that they'll continue to engage as they get older and graduate

05:21 - to maybe come back and do an internship, which we do get a lot of kids who do that.

05:25 - So we want to stay with them, you know, for the whole of their lives.

05:27 - We want them to be involved with the institution.

05:30 - For us, we're fortunate that we have an early elementary,

05:34 - space called Curiosity Connection.

05:36 - So we're able to capture the youngest visitor very early on.

05:40 - And so we use that as almost as a foundation for them to get introduced

05:44 - to the museum and to the subjects of history, art and archeology.

05:48 - And then from there we have other exhibits.

05:50 - We're fortunate that we have a great staff of educators and, curators who are able

05:55 - to utilize our different artifacts in really telling the story

06:00 - that reaches multidisciplinary age groups and interests.

06:04 - And so that we continue to do as you said, it's a challenge to,

06:08 - to be able to provide the opportunities because

06:12 - students are so busy in school and teachers are so busy.

06:16 - So we take it upon ourselves to be able to provide those resources necessary.

06:20 - So it's a one stop.

06:21 - They come see the exhibits or attend a program, and they're able to learn

06:25 - about a particular history of a particular theme or subject matter.

06:31 - Yeah.

06:31 - And we do similar things as well.

06:33 - With school field trips.

06:34 - We have some curriculum that can go out to the schools as well,

06:37 - but we've also built, intergenerational workshops

06:40 - so that families can come and participate together, whether that's grandparent,

06:44 - grandchild, parents, maybe even a mentor mentee in a fun atmosphere.

06:48 - Introductory.

06:49 - And they can do something hands on and create a piece.

06:52 - How important are volunteers

06:55 - and those that are on your board of directors?

06:58 - Not just that with your organizations, but, statewide, your colleagues,

07:03 - how are they dealing with, attracting good volunteers to advance your mission?

07:07 - Yeah.

07:07 - Volunteers are essential to the work that we do.

07:10 - They a lot of museums and institutions,

07:13 - not just at the historical society, rely on volunteers to get their work done.

07:17 - I know it, you know, the historical society.

07:19 - We couldn't do a lot of the preservation work that we do in the collection

07:23 - without volunteers helping us, even putting exhibits together

07:26 - there, helping our curators to pull those together

07:28 - so they're really essential to our operations.

07:30 - Without them, we couldn't do the work.

07:32 - And our

07:32 - board members are not just volunteers, they're ambassadors for the organization.

07:36 - They're out talking about us

07:38 - promoting the work that we're doing, the activities that we have on.

07:41 - So they are essential in really helping to get the word out

07:44 - that museums are important to statewide to,

07:49 - you know, the people who live here and come and visit here as well.

07:53 - Similar volunteers are the foundation for museum work,

07:56 - I think, across the board, particular here at the State Museum,

07:59 - because our volunteers provide of all ages.

08:01 - So that's wonderful.

08:02 - We get young ones and we get the older ones,

08:04 - and we still get people who continue to work full time

08:07 - and then the volunteer for us during the weekend or on the day off.

08:11 - And so they do a number of things.

08:14 - They do research for us, help us do the programs, help us work on exhibits.

08:18 - And really, they are the face of the museum.

08:21 - That's what's so critical, because they're the ones who go out in the community

08:24 - and really talk about their experience of working at the museum.

08:28 - So that's a tremendous, opportunity for them and for us to get our word out,

08:33 - and also for them to learn about what happens behind the scenes.

08:37 - That is a big plus for us is because many of our volunteers work

08:40 - behind the scenes with us.

08:43 - We have a great team of volunteers and our board as well.

08:46 - And they, you know, I think the important thing is that no matter what

08:49 - your skill set or your interests are, we have something for you.

08:53 - So our volunteers do have a wide variety of things.

08:56 - We're starting up a docent program,

08:57 - so they're going to actually be giving tours to groups.

09:00 - A lot of times when you come in to our museum

09:02 - to volunteer, that first greets you at our desk and helps

09:05 - you orient to the space and gives you some information to get you started.

09:09 - But we also have a store garden

09:11 - on our property, and we have a great team of volunteers that comes in, helps us

09:15 - clean up leaves and pull out weeds, mulch, plant new flowers, etc.

09:20 - what do museums need over the next ten years

09:23 - for them to continue to be successful?

09:26 - What sorts of conditions

09:28 - are they especially keying in on from a financial standpoint?

09:32 - And also attracting new blood?

09:36 - What are some of the challenges that you see over the next decade?

09:38 - Oh gosh.

09:38 - Operational funds, I think is going to be at the top of everybody's list, I'm sure.

09:43 - We're always saying we need operational funds,

09:46 - you know, money that helps us keep the light on and pay our staff.

09:48 - That is always kind of the top thing that we're talking about.

09:51 - The museums going back to volunteers.

09:54 - We're always looking for volunteers who can help us, whether it's serving on

09:57 - a committee, helping us make connections in the community,

10:00 - helping with fundraising or fundraising events.

10:03 - You know, that is so essential in order

10:05 - to keep the lights on and keep work going at these institutions.

10:09 - At Cumberland County Historical Society,

10:11 - we're talking about, you know, space and how do we utilize our space?

10:15 - We are in historic buildings that need a lot of maintenance.

10:19 - And so that was always kind of top of the conversations that we're having.

10:25 - How do we ensure that as a historical organization,

10:27 - we're caring for our historic properties that are part of our institution?

10:32 - And so we're always looking for you know, general funds as well as volunteers

10:37 - who have a specialization

10:38 - that can help us figure out the things that we might not know.

10:42 - Amongst the staff

10:44 - similar this is for financial sustainability.

10:47 - I think that's as she mentioned, is the number one concern.

10:50 - But other things is relevancy.

10:52 - Making sure that we are addressing the topics

10:58 - that people want to hear and learn about.

11:01 - And then also the challenge of technology of the internet,

11:04 - because so many people are relying so heavily on the internet.

11:08 - Because you could ask them anything about history or whatever, whatever,

11:12 - discipline. And they could get the information.

11:14 - So as museums, that's almost like a competition.

11:18 - But we need to our job is to take it further and show that,

11:22 - in addition to the internet, they need to come to museums to learn

11:25 - to get the authentic, experience, the authentic information

11:29 - so that I've seen it increase over the past several years is the is,

11:34 - how do we create that balance of the internet online resources?

11:37 - Fantastic.

11:38 - But museums are give you that experiential learning opportunity.

11:44 - I echo those two things as well.

11:47 - But also, you know, audience development and how do we make sure

11:51 - that our exhibition and collections continue

11:53 - to reflect the community that we serve so that as our community shifts

11:57 - and changes, that what we are offering in terms of our programs

12:01 - and our shows are relevant to them as well.

12:05 - How are some of your colleagues in the industry, how are they adapting,

12:08 - to the social media trends,

12:11 - across the, across the country and the Commonwealth, for that matter?

12:14 - Yeah, I think relevance is such a good word to use.

12:17 - And it's come up a couple of times.

12:19 - Social media is a way for us to engage with a wide audience with,

12:23 - multigenerational groups.

12:26 - And to, to show how,

12:28 - the items that we have in museums, the work that we're doing

12:30 - with the museums, how it is relevant to what is happening in the world today.

12:35 - We use social media quite a bit at the organization.

12:37 - You see a lot of other museums using social media.

12:40 - And, I think you've seen over the past few years more museums

12:44 - turning to social media as a way to highlight

12:47 - the work that they are doing that and doing a little bit of myth busting.

12:50 - I think there's a little bit of mythology

12:52 - out there as to what museums do, what archives do.

12:55 - And this is an opportunity to show that these are really fun places to work

12:59 - with, a lot of value to them, and social media helps to reach

13:03 - just a lot of audiences that might never step foot

13:05 - inside the door, and it encourages them to do so.

13:09 - It's I think it continues to be very important

13:11 - to all, to museums in particular, of reaching a diverse audiences.

13:15 - I think sometimes we tend to think it's the younger generations

13:18 - that are on social media, which is true

13:20 - and keeping up with the different platforms.

13:22 - But then you see the older generations, I mean, the older, older generations,

13:26 - you know, the grandparents, the great grandparents are using social media.

13:29 - And I think that's sometimes what we forget.

13:31 - And so I think it's important for us as museums is to make our museum

13:36 - accessible to everyone, using the different platforms.

13:39 - But I think the challenges is keeping up with the different platforms,

13:42 - because every year we see a new one,

13:44 - and so we need to make sure that we are relevant,

13:47 - because also to in turn, it shows that the museum is modern.

13:52 - You know, we're not old, we're not outdated.

13:55 - So again, that's challenging for the museums

13:57 - because it is it's a financial it's a financial cost.

14:00 - And do we have the staff to do that?

14:02 - But I think for many museums we realize it is a priority.

14:05 - So we are making every effort to have a presence on social media.

14:09 - Abby.

14:10 - Yeah.

14:10 - And with, you know, a historic site of Charles Smith.

14:13 - You know, he has national and even international significance

14:17 - and recognition.

14:18 - And so it's a way for us to easily share what we're doing

14:22 - beyond our borders and help attract people

14:24 - to Pennsylvania to see what we're, you know, doing in our museum.

14:29 - And, you know, echoing too, it's gives us an opportunity

14:32 - to do behind the scenes look and kind of share what it's like to be at a museum

14:36 - and what it takes to see that finished product of everything hanging up.

14:40 - How are museums strategically collaborating with other elected

14:44 - officials, other nonprofits to kind of advance your footprint?

14:49 - How are you

14:50 - cooperating

14:51 - actively with some of these other strategic partners?

14:54 - Yeah.

14:55 - So there are statewide organizations like PA

14:57 - museums that are working to bring museums together to collaborate,

15:01 - whether it's, through talking with legislators to,

15:06 - connecting with other institutions and museums.

15:08 - It's a great way to, reach people that, you know, and all

15:12 - corners of the state that you might not have the opportunity to speak with.

15:16 - And then you have museums within different regions that are working together.

15:19 - I know within Cumberland County

15:21 - we are the county historical society, but we have a lot of other

15:24 - small museums in the county that are completely volunteer run.

15:28 - And we work to try and connect and collaborate with them

15:31 - as much as we can and to connect with our state legislators

15:35 - and to work with them and to talk with them,

15:38 - about the significance of, the histories that we share.

15:41 - And with America 250 coming next year,

15:43 - that has been a big topic of conversation is how can we collaborate better

15:47 - to make sure that we are telling the story in a relevant why it is so?

15:51 - We're very fortunate that the governor,

15:53 - supports museums and also to our commission,

15:57 - represents a number of different counties throughout the state.

16:00 - So which is a big benefit to us because it's our connection

16:04 - to those particular, counties that probably people won't

16:08 - have the opportunity to visit the museum, because of the distance.

16:12 - But then we, we're able to connect to different elected officials

16:16 - and to the different audiences, through one of our most popular exhibit,

16:20 - Art of the state, we have, artists from around the state of Pennsylvania

16:24 - that participate.

16:25 - And so when an artist from a particular county,

16:29 - is highlighted, then we're able to contact that elected official and,

16:33 - and show that you do have a constituent that is part of the museum.

16:36 - So that's helping.

16:37 - But going back, as she was saying, was really working with other museums.

16:41 - I think, you know, the more we work together, the stronger we become.

16:44 - And especially at the two 50th, I think that's another way for people

16:49 - to really get a better understanding about how important museums are.

16:53 - And so that's why I think the two 50th is very, very exciting.

16:57 - Collaboration is key to everything we do.

17:00 - We're a staff of less than ten people,

17:02 - and so we need to identify partners that we can team up with.

17:06 - And help execute our missions.

17:09 - Good example is we have a student artwork exhibit that we do

17:12 - every spring, and its submissions have grown, which is great.

17:16 - And the quality of the work is improving.

17:18 - So we're accepting more pieces. We don't have enough space to hang it.

17:21 - So we're working with another organization in Lancaster, and it's kind of splitting

17:25 - the show between our two sites.

17:28 - On a human resources, level.

17:30 - A lot of organizations right now are really struggling to replenish

17:33 - some of their professionals, in this industry.

17:36 - Overall, how is the industry performing in terms of attracting,

17:40 - new practitioners to the profession to advance your missions?

17:44 - Yeah, it can be difficult.

17:46 - There are a lot of museums out there.

17:48 - There are a lot of, people who are deciding not to go into

17:52 - museum work, whether it's public history, broadly curation.

17:56 - So it can be difficult sometimes to hire.

17:59 - And that's if you have the money to be able to hire somebody at your institution.

18:03 - But yeah, I think there's there's a little bit of a misnomer

18:06 - of what you need to do to get into public history as well.

18:09 - And I'm sure if you ask anyone,

18:11 - they've come about getting into the field in very different ways.

18:15 - And I think there's a little bit of myth busting

18:17 - that needs to be done as to how people get into museum work or,

18:21 - archival work or just doing admin at some of these institutions.

18:25 - But sometimes it can be difficult to find someone.

18:27 - We notoriously don't pay.

18:28 - Well, and it's often because we're nonprofits.

18:31 - And so it is hard to, to find people who want to come

18:34 - and work with us, sometimes at a very small organization.

18:38 - But overall, I've always worked with people who are passionate

18:42 - and incredible at the work that they do.

18:44 - They, they have such a dedication to wanting

18:47 - to work in history, work in museums, work in archives, and it's great to see,

18:53 - yes, that's one thing.

18:53 - I think museum people,

18:55 - we're the most passionate and the most dedicated individuals around.

18:59 - And I think, and that I think makes art our field very appealing.

19:03 - But as, as she mentioned, it is difficult to get into we

19:07 - I have students coming to me all the time, you know, I, you know,

19:10 - I really want to work in the museum field, you know, what do I need to do?

19:13 - And so what, what I always suggest is starting off as a volunteer.

19:18 - And so that is one of the opportunities that a lot of students have,

19:22 - because that way they get their

19:23 - foot into the door and then really learn about what we do.

19:27 - And then, really attend different webinars.

19:30 - For me, it's all about education, meeting people,

19:33 - working at different museums, attending the different events.

19:36 - And so,

19:38 - really educating yourself

19:39 - about the different types of museums, because there's not only history museums,

19:43 - there's historic sites, there's art museums.

19:44 - So really, really giving people who are interested

19:47 - a broad perspective on what museums are and then what you can do.

19:51 - You don't have to be a historian.

19:53 - You could be an accountant.

19:54 - You could be, someone who's interested in H.R.

19:57 - because we're business, even though we're nonprofit,

19:59 - we are still we have a business infrastructure.

20:01 - You know, if you'd like retail, you could you could help with the retail stores.

20:05 - If you're interested in finance, you could help our CEO or,

20:08 - you know, that sort of thing.

20:09 - So I think, as she said, is breaking that myth.

20:12 - You can work in a museum, but you don't necessarily.

20:14 - We'd love to have you as a art historian, historian, archeologist.

20:18 - But there are other elements that you can do.

20:22 - Yeah.

20:22 - And, you know, as an arts organization, we oftentimes get artists that come to us

20:27 - looking for positions and roles, and that's wonderful.

20:31 - But, you know, a lot of times they're looking for something in curation

20:34 - and there's only so many curator positions.

20:37 - So kind of echoing some of that

20:38 - is that the more you can diversify your skillset, the better.

20:43 - You know, learn about marketing, learn about fundraising

20:46 - and development or accounting or even just facilities management.

20:50 - You know, with historic site, there's lots of things

20:52 - that can be applied and used in different ways.

20:56 - We will turn back the clock for just a minute.

20:59 - If you could, just for our viewers at home,

21:01 - tell us a little bit about your backgrounds.

21:03 - How did you first get involved, your educational backgrounds,

21:06 - and how did you develop this passion, for your work?

21:10 - Yeah, I started out as a historian, so when I was working on my PhD,

21:14 - I needed to do something outside of the archive where I interact with people.

21:17 - I was starting to feel very isolated in our archive.

21:20 - So I started working at a historic site at a World Heritage site in the UK,

21:24 - and I realized how much I really enjoyed

21:27 - talking to the public about history.

21:30 - And so I was giving a lot of talks about my research, and I loved

21:33 - seeing people interested in their local history.

21:37 - And when I moved back to the United States, I ended up

21:40 - getting a job with the community, heart and soul.

21:43 - Running.

21:44 - One of the first towns at the Pennsylvania Humanities Council was working with,

21:47 - and we were gathering stories all throughout Cumberland County,

21:50 - and I was based in the county historical society,

21:53 - and it was just amazing to see how much history played

21:57 - a role in the reason why people loved the place they lived.

22:01 - If you would go out and ask people, you know,

22:03 - what do you love about the place that you live?

22:06 - What would you hate to lose?

22:07 - History always came up and that was really telling,

22:11 - that people were that connected to the place that they were living

22:15 - through the history of that place.

22:16 - And that was really kind of my deciding moment

22:19 - that I wasn't going to go into academia.

22:20 - I wanted to do public history, and I stuck with it.

22:23 - And so it's been incredible knowing that you have that connection with

22:27 - the community is really

22:28 - what kind of launched my desire to stay within public history.

22:33 - So for me,

22:34 - my interest in museums began actually almost when I was born.

22:37 - My father is Filipino, my mother is Mexican.

22:39 - So early on, we were introduced to the history of both countries,

22:43 - in the cultural history and so forth, and my father was in the Navy.

22:46 - So every four years we would move.

22:48 - And so whenever we moved to a new place, whether it's throughout the United States

22:52 - or anywhere in the world, my parents always took my brother

22:56 - and sister and I to historic sites, to archeological sites, to art museums.

22:59 - So that way we would be able to learn about our new home

23:03 - for that period of time.

23:04 - And it was one of those things where I just developed this passion.

23:07 - And it was not

23:07 - until I went to college where I found out that you can actually work in the museum.

23:11 - I saw people working there, but I didn't realize you'd get paid.

23:14 - And so my parents are actually, where I went to school.

23:17 - One of the nuns said, you know, since you like museums,

23:19 - why don't you have that as a career?

23:21 - And I'm like, oh, wow, I didn't realize you could actually have it as a career.

23:24 - So there it developed.

23:25 - I did my undergraduate, continue to do my undergraduate work,

23:28 - my graduate work, and now I'm finishing my PhD in the field.

23:31 - Yeah. Abby. Yeah, I stumbled into it.

23:34 - My undergrad degree was in public relations, so, you know, communicator,

23:39 - to fulfill my arts electives, I decided to take some art history classes

23:44 - because when I was in high school, my French teacher

23:47 - incorporated some lessons on Impressionism and some of the French artists.

23:50 - And I like, oh, I really enjoyed that.

23:52 - So I took a class and then that developed into a minor.

23:56 - And in my senior year, one of my professors said, well, you know,

23:59 - maybe you want to think about working at a museum.

24:02 - Never knew that that was an impossibility.

24:04 - So, after graduation, I went back and got a degree in arts

24:08 - administration, which is kind of like an MBA for nonprofit arts

24:11 - organizations and have loved it since.

24:14 - And tell us about the significance of America.

24:16 - 250 obviously, a great celebration.

24:19 - Yeah, planning is already underway all across the state for America.

24:22 - 250 I at the Historical Society were already thinking about

24:26 - what our exhibits are going to look like, how we're going to reach new audiences,

24:30 - the curriculums that we're developing in order to talk about it.

24:34 - This is really an opportunity for us to show the relevancy

24:37 - of the history of the region that we serve.

24:41 - So we are looking at how do we tell diverse stories,

24:44 - how do we reach new audiences, how do we use this national marketing

24:50 - to really be able to highlight

24:51 - the significance of the history in Cumberland County?

24:54 - So it's an exciting time for us.

24:55 - And, we're looking forward to all of the events that not just

24:59 - the historical society, but the county as a whole, the towns

25:02 - and all the smaller historical society is what they're planning to do next year.

25:07 - Yes, the two 50th

25:08 - is going to be a very exciting time for, I think, everyone again,

25:12 - just because we are celebrating the history of the United States and how

25:16 - each of our states, each individual, each family, has participated in making,

25:22 - making America a Wonderful place and art museum.

25:25 - We're planning similar, exhibits programing not only here in Harrisburg,

25:29 - but across the state with our different sites.

25:32 - And so but I think the other thing that's very important, about 250

25:35 - is that we're reintroducing of what history is.

25:39 - And so it's a bit different than it was, say, at the bicentennial or whenever.

25:43 - Now I think people find, more of a connection to what history is

25:47 - and what it means to them.

25:49 - That's very critical, I think, to all of us

25:51 - is it's very different than it was a couple years ago.

25:53 - People want the connection.

25:55 - And I think that gives the two 50th gives people

25:58 - that opportunity to find a new interest, in their particular,

26:03 - city or town or state

26:05 - and why they're important and how they're responsible for making history as well.

26:10 - So it's not just an isolated, subject we're studying.

26:13 - We want to show that they are part of history as well.

26:17 - Yeah.

26:17 - We're excited for the opportunity to really celebrate

26:20 - Lancaster and our community's role in America's story.

26:23 - You know, we were the capital for one day, famously.

26:26 - And, you know, our site at the museum actually dates to about circa 1770.

26:32 - And so it gives us a really great chance to talk about the history of this site

26:36 - and the people that really lived there, worked there.

26:40 - And, you know, brought everything to where it is today.

26:43 - We do a lot of work that talks about where we are now, and it gives us

26:46 - an opportunity to think about where we're going as well and future thinking.

26:51 - Of course, that's all the time we have for this fascinating subject.

26:54 - Lindsay, how can we get more information on the society?

26:56 - Yeah.

26:56 - So you can visit Historical society.com and we hope people will come

27:00 - and visit the museum, of course, the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

27:03 - Yes. Please visit our website.

27:05 - State Museum of PA org and Abby, the the Muse Foundation.

27:08 - Yeah, we're at Thomas Storage

27:10 - and we have some great student artwork exhibits coming this spring.

27:14 - I'd like to thank our guests for the insights on Pennsylvania museums.

27:17 - Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great day.

27:43 - This

27:47 - program has been paid for by the sponsor and does not reflect the views of PCN.