Tuesday 23 October 2012

Museum Movies: HME Evening Meeting Oct 22, 2012

Last night we met for out Movie Night: Share your favourite intriguing films/documentaries/youtube videos.
We had many suggestions from this meeting. Linked are just a few below.

I thought I'd start with the fun one that I hope you've all seen!



The Art of the Steal
"The Art of the Steal is a 2009 documentary film about the decades-long efforts to resolve financial problems of the Barnes Foundation, an esoteric collection of mostly Modernist and post-Impressionist artworks, resulting in the officers' decision to break Albert C. Barnes's will and relocate the collection from Lower Merion to Philadelphia.The emphasis of the film is on the breaking of Barnes' will." (from wikipedia)

Very watchable, and applicable to any sort of public institution who accepts donations. A great documentary.
Available at the Hamilton Public Library or from Amazon.ca.  Check your local library or video store for a copy.

Museum of Life
"Jimmy Doherty goes behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum to join the people who are uncovering secrets, solving mysteries and making discoveries among the historic collections." (from BBC)
Watch on youtube here (episode 1 of 6).

The History of the World in 100 Objects
This is a fantastic podcast produced by the BBC/British Museum in 2010-11. "....[c]omprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor. In 15-minute presentations broadcast on weekdays on Radio 4, MacGregor used objects of ancient art, industry, technology and arms, all of which are in the British Museum's collections, as an introduction to parts of human history." (from wikipedia).
Download all the episodes for FREE here.

Of course, these are just a few of the many different movies, documentaries, podcasts or even youtube videos of note.

ETA:
Herb and Dorothy (watch here)
"Herb and Dorothy" tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means.

Rivers and Stones (watch here)
Portrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature.

The Mystery of Mazo (watch here and here)
This feature documentary tells the mysterious story of Canadian author Mazo de la Roche, author of the Jalna novels. Using both dramatic and documentary techniques to untie the tangled life of this compelling woman, the film explores her uncommon family life and reveals the secrets behind the extraordinary partnership that allowed the Jalna saga to grow into the phenomenon it is today. Mazo was friends with the Harris family who resides at Benares, now part of the Museums of Mississauga. The Whiteoaks family in her books share many similarities to the Harrises!

Also of note: have you googled/checked youtube for videos of your site? You might be surprised what you can find!

Saturday 6 October 2012

Survey Results

Below are the results of the survey to HME members which was sent out at the beginning of September. There were 27 total respondents - thanks everyone!

With this feedback, we will be moving forward with the following changes:

Evening sessions will now begin at 6:30 pm. This will be noted on all invitations, and has been updated on our Schedule Page.

We will be moving the meetings around to different cities. Check the upcoming meeting schedule for our locations.

Thanks again for your feedback!

RESULTS
Travel How far are you willing to travel to attend an HME meeting?
    
20 minutes or less   
    11.5%    3
20-40 minutes   
    50.0%    13
40-60 minutes   
    30.8%    8
60 minutes or more   
    7.7%    2
Other/Comment
    5


Time What time works best for you?
    
Daytime meeting: 10:00-3:00   
    42.3%    11
Evening meeting: 6:00-8:00   
    34.6%    9
Evening meeting: 6:30-8:00   
    46.2%    12
Other/Comment
Hide Responses    2

Social Media and Online Presence Which of these platforms do you find most useful for HME? 
    A New User-Friendly Blog   
    81.5%    22
Twitter   
    11.1%    3
Facebook   
    40.7%    11
Podcast   
    14.8%    4
Other/Comment
Show Responses   
    29.6%    8

What influences your decision to attend HME meetings?
     
     The topic   
    88.5%    23
The presenter   
    30.8%    8
The location (city)   
    65.4%    17
The location (restaurant)   
    15.4%    4
The cost   
    19.2%    5

When you do attend HME meetings, what reasons influence your decision?
     
      Networking with colleagues   
    76.0%    19
Sharing knowledge and experiences with the group   
    88.0%    22
Learning skills to apply to your workplace   
    96.0%    24