Report of Regents Cultural Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Committee on Cultural Education had its scheduled meeting on September 13, 2021. Regent Roger Tilles and Regent Frances Wills, Co-Chairs of the Cultural Education Committee, submitted the following written report. In attendance were committee members: Regent Tilles, Co-Chair, Regent Wills, Co-Chair, Regent Cea, Regent Cottrell, Regent Mead, Regent Reyes and Regent Turner. Regent Collins was absent.

Regents, in addition to Cultural Education Committee members, in attendance were:  Chancellor Young, Vice Chancellor Finn, Regent Norwood, Regent Cashin, Regent Ouderkirk, Regent Reyes, Regent Mittler, Regent Turner, and Regent Ferrer. Also in attendance were: Commissioner Rosa, Executive Deputy Commissioner Cates-Williams, and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs Morton-Bentley.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

Co-Chairs Regent Tilles and Regent Wills welcomed everyone.

Deputy Commissioner’s Report (Discussion)

Deputy Commissioner Mark Schaming provided an update on the Office of Cultural Education’s programs and services including:

• A 7-panel exhibition designed by New York State Museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Attica Prison Uprising from September 9-13, 1971 is at several sites across the state. The panel exhibit is available for free to any historical society, library, or civic organization to print and mount locally.
• State Archives has a dedicated web page to facilitate access to its holdings related to the 1971 Attica uprising. The Archives began receiving records directly related to the uprising from state agencies in 1990, a process that continues to this day. 
• Over 200 New York State students participated in the New York State Summer School of the Arts virtual program this summer. Each of the seven programs consisted of daily virtual classes culminating in a final celebration open to friends and family.

Why We Collect – New York State Museum Acquisitions (Discussion) [CE (D) 1]

Mark Schaming, Deputy Commissioner; Jonathan Lothrop, Curator of Archaeology; Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology; Gwendolyn Saul, Curator of Ethnology; and Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History discussed the importance of the State Museum’s collections and showcased artifacts that represent the human history of the state.