As many may have noticed we did a change-out on the circular bed in front of the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion. This was a bit earlier than usual as we have not had that first frost which is the usual event that requires removal of the tropicals and annuals. There was a very good reason for the early action all the same.

On October 6 it will become a dedicated space known as Nonie’s Garden in honor of Nonie (Eleanor) Krauss, the late wife of John Krauss, Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors for the IMA. Nonie was a life member of the Nature Conservancy, an advisory board member of the Central Indiana Land Trust, and Secretary of the Indianapolis Garden Club. Those of us who have been with IMA a few years also remember her work on The Heartland Garden, a gardening show broadcast on public television in Indiana.  It frequently showcased the horticulture and Horticulturists of the IMA. Nonie’s Garden will be a fitting tribute to a woman who loved nature and gardens.

The generous gift from John along with his and Nonie’s friends and family will allow us to keep a space that used to be mulch half the year fully planted year round.

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Filed under: Horticulture

It wasn’t Security Camp, but I recently got to travel to Boston with Protection Services director Pam Godfrey for a museum security conference.  The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection and the Fogg Art Museum hosted participants from the US and Europe for four days of lectures, certification sessions, networking, and technology demos.  Lecturers included Noah Charney from the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, Ellie Bruggeman from the Museum Security Network, founding director of IFCPP Steve Layne, as well as representatives from museum and library facilities on the Harvard campus.  We heard a lot about emergency response planning, workplace violence, and art theft, along with taking side trips to Harvard and the Museum of Fine Arts.

The great thing about this conference, and the National Conference hosted annually by the Smithsonian, is that they are oriented around museums and other cultural institutions, such as libraries and historical properties.  Other conferences, such as the ASIS annual shindig, are huge and cover the whole spectrum of security issues, including securing nuclear facilities.  Not much fissionable material here at the IMA, except Mindy when contractors want to bend safety rules.

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Filed under: Art, Protection Services

The IMA Blog team welcomes new author, Linda Duke, Director of Education.

When I was very young, I had a special sense about written numbers. It’s hard for me to access that now, through all the years of education devoted to making sure I understood numbers in a standard way. But I still have a feeling about that early relationship, and sometimes I wonder how it might have developed if I hadn’t learned to be ashamed of it and to ignore it.

Here’s what I can recall: I knew the shapes of the numerals as indicators of the distinct characters of each. Though my sense for some of them has slipped out of reach, in the way dreams do, I can still feel the stronger personalities. The numeral five was intimidating in appearance, but in actuality quite sweet. Seven was both stern and judgmental. Eight had complexity and depth – and eight led to a painful collision with my first grade teacher, Miss Logan. She taught us to write eight with one continuous figure-eight line. Soon after, she exhorted us never to write it as one circle on top of the other – an idea that had, frankly, not occurred to me.

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Filed under: Education

AQUALUNG BAKELITES BENADRYL BIRO BRAGGERS BRILLOS BUDDHA CATHOLICS CELOTEX CENOZOIC COLICKIER COLICKIEST CROCKPOT CYCLOPES DACRON DEVONIAN DOBRO DUMPSTER DUMPSTERS EMMY EMMYS ENUF ENURESISES EOCENE EXAHERTZES FORMICAS FORZANDI FRISBEE FRISBEES GRUMMETED GRUMMETING HAFTOROS HERTZES HOLOCENE INIONS JACUZZI JELLO JETWAYS JURASSIC KEWPIE KEWPIES KLEENEX KLEENEXES KURTOSISES LAPIDES LATINA LEFTMOSTS LEVIS LILOS LUCITES LUREXES LYCRA MAILGRAMS MASONITE MERCES MESOZOIC MIOCENE MIPS MYLAR POPSICLES POSTCAVAS PYREX REALTOR SECONALS SILURIAN SORTA SPANSULE SPANSULES SPUTTERY STELLITE STETSON SURPLUSSES TALEYSIM TALLAISIM TALLITHIM TALLITOTH TANNOY TEFLON THERMITS TOFUTTI TORTA TRES TREVALLYS TRIASSIC TROPICALS UPTALKED UPTALKING VASELINE VELCROS VENUS VENUSES WIMMIN WORKABLY ZUZIM ZLOTE ZLOTYCH Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art, Local

Ever wondered how web designers make those little icons up in the address bar? Can’t figure out how to make a glossy button, complete with faded out reflective web 2.0 goodness? Or how about how to create those little badges and buttons you see gracing the sidebars and footers of your favorite blogs? I’m here to help.

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Filed under: Design, Technology