2010 MAAM Conference Kick-off!

The first session of the conference today was about Reducing Energy Use at the Rosenbach Museum and Library.  This informational session was lead by two staff members from EwingCole and one from the Rosenbach Museum.  For museums currently going through renovations or lighting redesign, this session was full of hints and strategies for creating greener spaces with consideration for sustainability.  We, the participants, learned about the different types of lighting available as well as the best applications for them in different types of institutions.

The Opening Reception took place Sunday evening at the Union League Club, founded in 1862 as a political social society which was intended to support Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution. This elegant location set the mood for what promises to be an enthusiastic and enriching conference.

“The classic French Renaissance-styled League building, with its brick and brownstone façade and dramatic twin circular staircases leading to the main entrance on Broad Street, dates to 1865. Additions to the building in the Beaux Arts style, designed by Philadelphia architects Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele and completed in 1910 and 1911, expanded the building to occupy an entire city block. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.” -from the Union League Club History Website.

Conference attendees enjoyed time mingling and were also able to take a tour of the building with Jim Mundy.  I believe I can speak for several students who attended when I say that even though only one day of the conference is finished we’ve already had an AMAZING experience.  The tour included an incredible amount of beautiful art, sculpture and architecture.  Mr. Mundy also mentioned that the Union League Club has a prestigious collection of artifacts including a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, a strip of the undershirt Lincoln was wearing the night he was assassinated as well as the Tanner manuscripts (the original hand-written accounts of the events the evening of Lincoln’s death).

I asked Mr. Mundy if there was any possibility I and my fellow students might be able to get a glimpse of the artifacts.  Even better, he let us hold them! They were in protective frames, of course, but this was an extraordinary thing for us to get to do.  I’d like to say this has been my highlight of the conference but there are still so many exciting events planned!  Hope to see you all at some of the great sessions MAAM has planned for the next couple of days.