MEMBER NEWS of NOTE

The University of Michigan Museum of Art welcomes Jenna McClure as Development Assistant and Elizabeth Harris as Audience Development Coordinator. Kathee Kiesselbach has been named Director of Development and Marketing for the Krasl Art Center. Kathee was the Communications Specialist for the Nanovic Institute on Notre Dame’s campus. She will be working to build the Krasl Art Center Foundation and establishing a consistent Krasl brand. ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) welcomed new leadership this past November and December. Mr. Fawwaz Ulaby, a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, was elected President of the ACCESS Board of Directors. Ms. Andrea Awada, principal of Geer Park Elementary School in Dearborn, was elected as Vice President. At their first meeting in December, the board officially appointed Mr. Hassan Jaber, who was formerly chief operating officer, Executive Director of ACCESS. ACCESS has also accepted a $150,000 grant from the McGregor Fund, a Detroit-based philanthropic organization. The money is designated for implementation of a comprehensive community relations and marketing campaign for the Arab American National Museum, a project of ACCESS. The Arab American National Museum has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program, administered by the American Association of Museums through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Through guided self-study and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will enable the AANM to evaluate its current practices, establish priorities to achieve professional museum standards, and plan how to best and most effectively serve the community. On November 9, volunteers, members and staff of the Gilmore Car Museum planted several thousand dollars worth of trees and shrubs on the museum’s grounds. Earlier last fall, volunteers planted a butterfly garden and an ornamental grass garden. They also improved the garden next to the Shell gas station and planted over 500 flowering spring bulbs throughout the site. As a result, the museum has announced the formation of the “Friends of the Gilmore Gardens,” a new volunteer group dedicated to the beautification and maintenance of the museum campus grounds. The Zeeland Historical Society received a gift of $1000 from the Herman Miller Foundation to help fund two historical markers planned by the society. One marker will honor the poultry industry in Zeeland and the other will honor the Zeeland (Vaneklasen) Brick Company. Both industries provided employment for thousands during the first 100 years of Zeeland’s history. The Franklin Historical Society announced it raised $15,000 during its 2006-2007 capital fund campaign. The money generated went to the installation of a new gas-boiler and removal of the old fuel oil storage tank, and to the replacement of the museum roof. The Port Huron Museum is still awaiting federal approval of the paperwork necessary to transfer title to the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse and former Coast Guard buildings that surround it to the City of Port Huron. The process was expected to be completed over a year ago. Once transferred, the 179 year old lighthouse will be operated by the Port Huron Museum, which has received a $400,000 grant to help preserve and restore it. That grant cannot be spent, however, until the transfer process is complete. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum has received a $3,000 grant from Leelanau Township Community Foundation. The grant was applied towards the $6,950 cost of installing a new furnace boiler at the museum, which is also now working with the community foundation on raising $225,000 for capital improvements to the historic lighthouse. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum has also received over $20,000 in grants to cover the cost of installing and operating web cams at both the Grand Traverse and the South Fox Island Lighthouses. The Traverse City Rotary Charities are providing $10,000 of the funding, and $10,275 is coming from the Ted & Jane VonVoigtlander Foundation.