Food For Thought/Bookmarks

Last Wednesday I met with the worker/owners of Food For Thought, in Amherst, who seemed quite high on the proposal that their store be the pick-up/drop-off focal point of outgoing and incoming bookstore-tours to the Pioneer Valler.

Since Suzy Staubach, who runs the trade bookstore at University of Connecticut, told me a month ago that she'd be happy to act as a departure point, this means that right now I have a network composed of 1) Strand Books in New York; 2) Northshire Bookstore in Southwest Vermont; 3) Food For Thought in Amherst; 4) UConn Co-op in Storrs; 5) Politics & Prose in D.C.

Next week I hope to talk with the folks at Harvard Bookstore, in Cambridge. And -- Joe Drabyak of Chester County Book Company, outside of Philadelphia (he's current Prez of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Assoc) says he's very interested, too, and we'll be meeting in the next week or two.

This then clears the way for me to design some tours for April, and ideally start selling tickets later in March.

Later this year, the Amherst/Northampton area will be the center of an elaborate book-related cluster of programs. Since this promotion -- called Bookmarks -- is specifically designed to boost cultural tourism to the area, it's a natural for a BiblioExpeditions functional tie-in. I'm posting the recent press release. Perhaps it can serve as inspiration for the development of analagous programs around the country!



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Museums10 to Present BookMarks: A Celebration of the Art of the Book
Barry Moser’s Artwork Official Logo of Fall/Winter Festival


March 2, 2007
Contact: Tony Maroulis
Project Coordinator
Museums10
413-687-2757
amaroulis@fivecolleges.edu


AMHERST, Mass. – Museums10*, a partnership of ten museums in the upper Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, which is facilitated by Five Colleges, Inc., has announced plans for their second cross-cultural initiative: BookMarks: A Celebration of the Art of the Book. Artwork created by Barry Moser, nationally renowned artist and illustrator of over 250 books, will serve as the official logo of the upcoming series of exhibitions, readings, and programming that officially kicks off in September 2007 and runs through January 2008.

The mission of the three-year-old partnership is to promote the region using the museums as a magnet for cultural tourism, in turn spurring a measurable economic impact for cultural partners and businesses throughout the Valley. Based on the success of last year’s GoDutch! there is evidence that the Museums10 collaborative model works. GoDutch! exhibitions and programming corresponded with a 15% increase in aggregate attendance at the museums, bucking a downward trend in national museum attendance overall.

With a robust slate of events, and by using the Valley’s literary pedigree as inspiration, Museums10 is confident that the BookMarks initiative will bring a great deal of regional and national interest to Western Massachusetts. That confidence is shared by local Chambers of Commerce and The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, who have pledged their support to Museums10 for this project.

The BookMarks logo by Barry Moser, an engraving created by the artist exclusively for this year’s initiative, will be the centerpiece of a comprehensive marketing plan that includes radio, print, television, and web advertising. Museums10 hopes to increase their visibility beyond the borders of Western Massachusetts and into the New York City and Boston areas to reach the market for cultural tourists. The local advertising by Museums10 will be geared to informing its local audience of the world-class museum collections in their backyards.

The collaboration is not limited to Museums10, and is intended to create ties among cultural organizations and businesses throughout the Valley. Programmatic partners such as the Amherst Cinema Arts Center and Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association – whose contributions to the collaboration will include programming related to the BookMarks theme – as well as economic partners such as restaurants, booksellers, hotels and inns will benefit from Museums10’s promotion of the project outside the region.

“The collective energy around BookMarks programming and exhibitions highlights the creative activity and economy of Western Massachusetts,” says Marianne Doezema, director of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. “The stunning logo by Barry Moser is a perfect example of the area’s rich pool of talent. The world class collections, history museums, performing arts venues, and art galleries along with the great numbers of notable artists, writers, bookmakers, and people in the literary fields throughout Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties are just part of the rich tapestry that makes the Pioneer Valley a great place to live, work, or visit.”

Plans for BookMarks will highlight the rich literary history and culture of the region, as well as the work of contemporary local artists. A full listing of Museums10/BookMarks exhibitions can be found at www.museums10.org. Below is a sampling of what’s ahead:

Two by Two: Lines, Rhymes, and Riddles at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum featuring the poetry and artwork of the Leithauser brothers – local prize-winning poet and Mount Holyoke professor Brad and his brother and artist Mark.

Poetic Science: Bookworks by Daniel E. Kelm at the Smith College Museum of Art. This is the first solo exhibition in New England of the Easthampton-based artist and bookbinder featuring thirty works by the artist.

Spiderwick from Page to Screen at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. The transformation of the words and pictures of Amherst residents Holly Black and Tony diTerlizzi’s Spiderwick Chronicles to the silver screen will be the focus of the Carle’s BookMarks offering.


In addition to the exhibition schedule, Museums10 is also sponsoring three themed programming weekends: The Art of the Book will be the focus of lectures, events, and programming from September 20-23; October 12-14 will feature Books Out Loud with readings at museums and independent bookstores throughout the Valley; and from November 15-18, The Book: Past and Future will look at where the book is headed in the digital age and beyond.

“The process of planning BookMarks has been an eye-opening experience. We have invited a number of key constituencies to the table – among them book sellers, librarians, and business leaders - to help us plan events around our exhibitions. The ideas have proved plentiful and exciting. We think there will be something in BookMarks for everyone,” said Doezema. “There is still plenty of time and opportunity for businesses and programmatic partners to get involved.”

There is no cost for businesses and cultural institutions to participate in this unique cross-promotional project. For more details, please contact Tony Maroulis, Museums10 project coordinator at amaroulis@fivecolleges.edu.

Museums10 is a partnership of ten outstanding museums - Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Hampshire College Art Gallery, Historic Deerfield, Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, National Yiddish Book Center, Smith College Museum of Art, and University Gallery at UMass Amherst – in one gorgeous place: the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. For more information about Museums10, please visit www.museums10.org.