HELP (Hands-on Experiential Learning Project) is coming to Texas! ExhibitsUSA and the Texas Association of Museums are joining together to bring HELP to the small museums of Texas.

This project is specifically designed to address the training needs of small and midsize museums in Texas and is not limited to those with experience in hosting traveling exhibitions. First-time traveling exhibition hosts are encouraged to apply as well as all small museums that are eager to improve and grow.

This four-year project invites up to twenty-four (24) museums across three regions of Texas (Panhandle, East Texas, and Southeast Texas) to receive up to four traveling exhibitions from ExhibitsUSA, each fully supported with technical assistance and staff and volunteer learning opportunities. Through supporting workshops and on-site professional consultations, participating museums will further their museum skills in areas critical to successful museums today.

In order to participate, museums must return the application form by March 20, 2001, which will indicate their preliminary interest in the first stage of the project, a two-year commitment. Museums will be notified by April 20, 2002, and their participation will begin May 2002. At the end of the two-year project, participating museums may elect to continue or discontinue their involvement with HELP.

If your museum is interested in hosting a traveling exhibition and you are eager for hands-on learning opportunities for your staff or volunteers, this project is meant especially for you.

Project Objectives

HELP is rooted in the premise that experiential or "on-the-job" learning offers the most effective means to receive and retain professional training. We believe that technical assistance, offered in conjunction with a traveling exhibition experience, can address the particular needs of individual museums through immediate and practical application. The project seeks to:

With each exhibition an outside consultant will assist participating museums with setting goals, implementing new concepts, and evaluating the results. The consultant will work in partnership with your staff, volunteers, and boards of directors to ensure that the project's lessons are effectively incorporated into the museum's ongoing operations.

HELP, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance in partnership with the Texas Association of Museums, is made possible through the combined vision and generosity of The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston; The Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation; Houston Endowment, Inc.; The Meadows Foundation; the Texas Commission on the Arts; and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership, and a lifetime of learning.