The Arden Craft Shop Museum Seeks a Curator and Archivist

​The mission of the Arden Craft Shop Museum is to collect and exhibit materials and artifacts related to the Ardens, which include the villages of Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft. The Arden Craft Shop Museum seeks to educate the community on the Ardens’ history as single-tax communities in addition to how the roles of theater, craftsmanship, art, and other aspects of life have affected the development of the Ardens as a close-knit community. The Ardens occupy a unique position in the social and cultural history of the state of Delaware.
 
As the Curator/Archivist of the Arden Craft Shop Museum, the successful candidate will serve an important role in this unique, arts-minded, community-based small museum. As the regular staff member, the Curator/Archivist will make a significant difference in preserving and gaining intellectual control over the existing collections. The Curator/Archivist is the main manager of both the archival and object collections. He or she is the point of contact for questions about the collection and works closely with the Museum and Archives Committee to answer research questions, implement occasional education programs, and process collections. The Committee is made up of residents elected by the three villages who manage the daily operations of the museum and volunteer in many areas.
 
The position includes the following duties:
 
Curator/Exhibition Designer

• Help develop, design, and install exhibitions (1 major, 2-3 smaller yearly)
• Attend monthly committee meetings
• Manage the museum’s social media presence
• Act as main point of contact for researchers
• Monitor museum email account and respond on behalf of the ACSM
• Identify and coordinate collections-based projects with the Committee

 
Collections Manager/Registrar

• Process incoming object and archival collections
• Create finding aids for archival collections
• Manage PastPerfect collections database
• Oversee photograph and oral history digitization projects
• Monitor storage and exhibition environments
• Maintain donation and loan files
• Monitor pest control program

 
The position is approximately 8 hours per week. On-site hours must include 7-9 pm on Wednesdays, remaining hours flexible. $20/hour. Independent contractor position.
 
Qualifications: MA in history, museum studies, or related discipline—or equivalent experience. Must have collections management skills; archival experience strongly preferred.
 
Please email ardencraftshopmuseum@gmail.com with resume and cover letter by Friday, July 26, 2019.
 
Arden Craft Shop Museum
1807 Millers Road
Arden, DE 19810
302-475-3060
ardencraftshopmuseum.com 

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will be closed on Sunday, April 21, 2019 to observe the Easter Holiday. We will reopen on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 7:30 pm.

Arden Craft Shop Museum invites you to an Afternoon with the Artists on Sunday, April 28 in the Bernie Schwab Community Room at the ACSM.

The event will feature a presentation and video on creating the ACRA mural at the Buzz Ware Village Center with Linda Celestian, Jeanne Orr and David Gerbec.
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This event is coordinated with the museum’s current exhibition: “They gave us good leave to wander: Celebrating 70 Years of ACRA”
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Have you been wondering about the huge bird mural on the back of the Buzz Ware Village Center? Who designed it? How was it made? Please join us to learn about the history and the making of this community mural.

Linda Celestian, David Gerbec and Jeanne Orr will talk about their training in the Creative District of Wilmington with a visiting muralist from the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia. The training enabled Linda Celestian to take the lead in the design and creation of the new mural for the Buzz.

Starting with community meetings and many hours learning Photoshop she came up with a design that could incorporate the children’s drawings (done during the ACRA summer program) into a cohesive image that encapsulated Arden. 

The overall theme of the mural is the “Arden Child” and the kid’s drawings are about growing up in the Ardens.

The museum will be open 1 to 3pm with the talk scheduled to begin at 2pm. Drawings and other mural related art will be on display.
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Refreshments will be served.

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Once again the Arden Craft Shop Museum was well represented at the Small Museum Association (SMA) conference! Our previous curator, Kelsey Ransick, worked on the conference committee along with Robin MacDonald, former curator and current board member of the ACSM. Our current curator, Liz Jones-Minsinger, was there with Museum and Archives Committee members Sadie Somerville and Barbara Macklem. While there, we met other small museum staff members and volunteers and learned about their collections, programming, and events.

This year's conference was held February 17-19 in College Park, Maryland, where the theme was Catch Me if You Can: Museum Leadership Flying into the 21st Century. Representatives of small museums from across the country came together to examine leadership in small museums and what it means for leadership to be rooted in and reflect values such as advocacy, inclusivity, and equity.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Suse Anderson, professor in the Museum Studies Program at the George Washington University and host of the podcast, Museopunks. She recorded her address as a podcast episode, engaging in conversation with Dr. Kasey Grier, Director of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Delaware, and Danielle Gabriel, doctoral student in Human and Organizational Learning at George Washington University.

The Monday night banquet attendees were encouraged to don aviation-themed costumes inspired by Amelia Earhart and other early aviators with the promise of a prize for the best costume. Barbara and Sadie went dressed at vintage-style flight attendants!

--Sadie Somerville
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Naaman's Creek in the snow, mid-20th century. ACSM02417.

We have just begun researching our records for more information about these signs, particularly who made them and how often and when they were replaced.  We are hoping, however, that the collective memory of the villages will be help guide us in our search for information. Please stop by the Museum to update us with more details or send an email to ardencraftshopmuseum@gmail.com.  We hope to display all three signs later this spring when we have more information.

The Museum is open Sunday afternoons from 1-3 & Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9.

​--Barbara Macklem

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will be closed on Wednesday, December 26th. We will reopen at our normal hours on Sunday, December 30.

​Since its beginning in 1948, ACRA has offered a mix of artistic, intellectual, and physical activities for residents, especially through its summer program. It also puts on many events throughout the year, including holiday parties, Fourth of July Games on the Green, and pancake breakfasts in the woods. ACRA continues to draw on the talents of community residents to provide inspiring programs and enriching experiences.

The exhibition continues through October 2019.

Post by Sadie Somerville and Liz Jones-Minsinger. Photographs by Sadie Somerville.

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will be closed on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. We will reopen at 1pm on Sunday, November 25th. 

The Arden Craft Shop Museum will close on Sunday, October 7, so we can install our new exhibition, "They Gave Us Good Leave to Wander: Celebrating 70 Years of ACRA." The museum will re-open on Sunday, October 21, at 1pm for the opening of the new exhibition. We hope you will join us then!