The NYSCA/GHHN Creativity Incubator Grant Program provides NYS museums with financial support (up to $5,000 each) to experiment with and/or implement ideas inspired by the spirit of the Creativity Incubator workshops, held from 2017-2019. 

Congratulations to the 2020 Awardees:

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
What are the most effective and engaging ways to involve diverse audiences in a dialogue about the history of enslaved people in their community? Working with artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Dyckman Farmhouse Museum staff will curate a site-specific installation which will immerse visitors in a visual representation of current research on the people who were enslaved by the Dyckman family. "Liberated Words" will weave together stories, imagery and color, using dynamic projection mapping in the historic farmhouse.

Fenton History Center
The Fenton History Center experienced a 'moment of truth' when a local LGBTQIA+ group asked for materials for a Pride celebration. The museum realized it did not have much in its collections. Working with under-represented communities, the Fenton History Center will dedicate a previous exhibition space which community members will actively participate in designing and populating. Seeking to encourage community conversations and to establish a shared authority, this less-structured space will be dynamic and experimental - and may look vastly different depending on the day.

Hanford Mills Museum
How can one site find a cross-disciplinary confluence between art, natural resources and history? By working with musicians, visual artists, landscape architects, and historians, the staff and board of Hanford Mills Museum will explore new avenues of interpretation connecting the museum's historic site and collections to issues around resource justice/equity, environmentalism, and climate change.

Putnam History Museum
Engaging more people with the stories of its community is the ultimate goal of the Putnam History Museum. To achieve this the museum will create a family-friendly, inter-generational race with pop-up exhibitions along its route. Interacting with collections, considering historical questions and discussing about local history will keep participants moving along the course. Who will win?! By collaborating with local business owners and Chamber of Commerce, exciting new audiences about the community and its stories, this project will have more than one winner.

Rochester Museum & Science Center
As a component of the Rochester Museum & Science Center's exhibition "The Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World" visitors will be able to interact with a historical figure through holographic experiences. Combining collected oral histories, and collections objects the museum will share first-person stories like that of Alice Mathis, an African-American woman and seasonal agricultural worker who taught farmers and encouraged young people to gain an education. 

Stony Brook Foundation (Pollock-Krasner House)
Interpreting Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner's studio space without owning any of their paintings has been a challenge for the Pollock Krasner House. A potential solution: virtual reality! Using Oculus Quest headsets, visitors will be able to experience the building as it was when the artists were alive. Visitors will be able to hear the artists' voices and "see" the paintings as if Pollock had just left the room. The site has worked with experimental artists in many genres, making it an ideal site for this project.

Victor D'Amico Institute of Art
Starting from the premise that all individuals are uniquely creative and that art should be accessible to all, the Victor D'Amico Institute of Art aims to better connect its participatory art barge and its historic site, the studio of art educator Victor D'Amico and artist Mabel D'Amico. "Motivations" will draw from the philosophies of the D'Amicos by bringing them to life through actors who will engage with audiences via a collections object. The object becomes a springboard for an exploration of creativity - an experience which will be unique in every performance. 

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