Tewksbury Library Receives $3K Grant For Virtual Museum Visits

TEWKSBURY, MA -- The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) recently awarded the Tewksbury Public Library a $3,000 grant to host a series of virtual programs with area museums, zoos and aquariums for adults, teens and kids this fall.

The Tewksbury Public Library is collaborating with the following institutions to hold FREE virtual programs via Zoom on Thursday evenings this fall, from September 10 to November 19: Museum of Bad Art, Museum of Russian Icons, New England Aquarium, Zoo New England, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Seacoast Science Center, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Public Health Museum, Museum of Science, Peabody Essex Museum, and Museum of Fine Art.

On Thursday, September 10 at 7pm, join Louise Sacco – Executive Director of the Museum of Bad Art – for the worst art you've ever seen! The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) has collected, exhibited and celebrated the worst of art for more than 20 years. Sacco will describe the thinking behind the museum, their selection criteria and its relationship to the artists. She will also share many of MOBA's "masterpieces" that belong in the world's leading (and only) museum dedicated to bad art. Appropriate for adults and teens. Register HERE.

On Thursday, September 17 at 7pm, join Amy Consalvi – Director of Education & Visitor Services at Museum of Russian Icons – to discover the world of these sacred paintings. Icons serve many purposes and are one of the most important aspects of Russian culture, but who made them and how? Explore the process of making an icon, from its humble beginnings as a blank board to a magnificent work of art. Learn about the ancient iconographers and what it means to be an iconographer today. Consalvi will also demonstrate how to make egg emulsions and mix pigments. Appropriate for adults and teens. Register HERE.

On Thursday, September 24 at 7pm, join Lindsay Jordan, climate change expert from the New England Aquarium, to learn reliable, evidence-based ways of talking about climate change to skeptics and non-believers. Raising the topic of climate change with friends and family can be daunting, yet these conversations can’t afford to wait. By using a psychological approach to communicating about climate change, we can focus on connecting with people's values to create a pathway towards solutions. Appropriate for adults and teens. Register HERE.

Registration is now open for these September events. To learn more and to register, visit the library’s online calendar of events at www.tewksburypl.org or contact librarian Robert Hayes at 978-640-4490 x 205 or rhayes@tewksburypl.org.

The grant is one of 27 competitive grants awarded to public and school libraries across from the Commonwealth through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and distributed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Grants were designed to help the recipients with remote and virtual programming during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“As libraries continue to determine how to reopen safely, remote programming remains vital to continue serving communities,” said MBLC Director James Lonergan. “These grants will help Massachusetts libraries get the resources they require in order to meet their resident’s needs.”

The CARES Act was passed on March 27, 2020 in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The $2 trillion dollar spending bill passed by Congress included $50 million for museums and libraries through IMLS. In addition to these grants, the MBLC also awarded grants for libraries to purchase the reading tracking software Beanstack to be used for summer reading and plans to offer additional grant opportunities with CARES Act funding in the fall.