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ACCESS exists to promote and facilitate opportunities for experiential learning.

ACCESS began September 1996. A luncheon meeting was initiated by AISD and joined AISD's Department of Curriculum with personnel from 20 Austin museums and cultural sites. Subsequent meetings followed at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden Museum in January 1997 and at the Texas Governor's Mansion in May. At this year-end meeting, attendees received first editions of A Directory of Austin Museums and Historic Sites and a newsletter. This first year of the collaborative ended with a half-day retreat during the summer of 1997 at which time the name ACCESS (Austin Collaborative of Cultural and Educational Sites and Schools) was created.

The 1997-1998 year signaled a time of growth for the collaborative. The organization met at the Texas State Capitol in October to approve the collaborative's name, a mission statement, and four committees: Communications, Meetings, Membership, and Programming. Meetings in January at the Wild Basin Preserve and May at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, presented members opportunities to: vote upon an organizational structure with the approval of the by-laws and receive a second edition of A Directory of Austin Museums and Sites.  

The primary activity of ACCESS for 1998-1999 school year was to co-sponsor a two-day Smithsonian Regional Workshop at Stephen F. Austin High School attended by 200 school and museum/site personnel from throughout the state in January 1999. In May of 1999, the first ACCESS Summer Institute was held at The University of Texas at Austin, supported by the Center for American History, the LBJ Library and Museum, and the Texas Memorial Museum. General meetings were held in September 1998 and in February 1999 at the Austin Nature and Science Center, and May 1999, at the Center for American History. ACCESS also offered the first graduate student internship during this year. The intern Wendy Wolf, an art museum education master's degree candidate, worked directly with the Smithsonian Regional Workshop and created A Cultural Mosaic: A Resource Directory for Austin Educators which was distributed to all ACCESS members in May.

The 1999-2000 school year format for meetings included: A Beginning of the School Year Meeting in September (Capitol Complex Visitors Center), a Mid-Year Meeting in January (Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm), and an End of School Year Meeting in May (Mendez Middle School). A special event in February was a joint meeting of the Austin Museum Partnership (AMP) and ACCESS to welcome the new AISD superintendent at the Lieutenant Governor's Reception Room in the state capitol. The second ACCESS Summer Institute was held at The University of Texas at Austin, sponsored by the College of Education. A graduate student internship was offered for the second year to an art museum education master's degree candidate.  Amie King created the ACCESS Power Point Program and a new museum and school member directory for the Austin area.

The 2000-2001 school year was a period of restructuring. A new position was created to oversee the ACCESS Steering Committee. The September meeting was held at the German-Texan Heritage Society, the February dinner meeting was held at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the End of School meeting will be held in April at O. Henry Middle School. A February Weekend Retreat at Winedale, near Round Top, Texas, provided rich opportunities for the Steering Committee to plan and set future goals for ACCESS. The third ACCESS Summer Institute, ACCESS to Learning, will be sponsored by The University of Texas, College of Education and supported by The Austin Nature and Science Center, The Blanton Museum of Art, and The Texas State History Museum. An AISD ACCESS Website was the year long project of the third ACCESS intern Amy Robertson, an informal science education doctoral student.

The 2001 to 2002 school year began with a September meeting featuring a presentation by Yvonne Kolander who worked to create the Spindletop curriculum through Region 5 for 7^th grade Texas History.  The meeting was held at O.Henry Middle School.  The midyear barbecue lunch meeting was held at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, featuring singing cowboy, Freddie Fuller.  The steering committee retreat was held in February at Winedale, Roundtop, Texas.  The spring meeting was held at Small Middle School Library with displays of the projects created by AISD teachers who were part of the AISD/Smithsonian Institution Program.  The fourth annual summer institute was held in June.    

The 2002 to 2003 school year began in September and our first meeting was held at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum with emphasis on interdisciplinary curriculum.  Two local bamboo artists presented their works.  Joe Ramirez, AISD social studies curriculum specialist, made curricular connections between the works of art and social studies curriculum.  The midyear meeting in January was held at the LBJ Library and Museum in conjunction with the USS Constitution Museum, “Old Ironsides” (Boston, Massachusetts).  The steering committee retreat was held at Bamberger Ranch, Johnson City, Texas.  The spring meeting was held at the Austin Nature and Science Center, featuring the newly created Dino Pit.  Dr. Ed Theriot, Director of the University of Texas at Austin (UT), Texas Memorial Museum, conducted a tour of this new facility.  This spring we received two UT art museum education graduate student interns, April Garner and Sharon Kaplan.  April was in charge of the fifth annual summer institute and Sharon created a public relations brochure for the Susanna Dickinson House, a renovation project of the O.Henry Museum.  An initiative begun this year was the "Talks Around Town" Speakers Series a collaboration with Austin Museum Partnership.

The 2003 to 2004 school year began with a September meeting at the Neill-Cochran House Museum featuring “An Evening with Granny Van (re-enactor Donnie Rinn),” grandmother of George Sessions Perry, a Texas author. The midyear meeting was held at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in collaboration with the Friends of the O.Henry Museum.  Student essay winners read their works and three Texas Authors: James Haley, H.W. Brands, and Stephen Harrigan participated in a panel discussion moderated by Elizabeth Crook.  A continuation of the Speakers Series included:  Life in Argentina, Bamberger Ranch, New Deal Buildings in Zilker Park, ALCOA, and Art in Public Places.  The steering committee retreat was held at Bamberger Ranch, Johnson City, Texas.  The spring meeting was held at UT’s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center featuring Steve Hardin, an historical advisor for the film “Alamo” .  The sixth annual summer institute was entitled:  East Meets West.  This year the ACCESS membership has grown to over 60 individual and institutional members.  A special event for ACCESS in January was to be invited to attend a White House ceremony to honor the USS Constitution Museum’s national award given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and presented by the First Lady, Laura Bush.

The 2004-2005 school year began with an announcement by Amie King (who guided the entire process) that we are now, ACCESS to Learning, Inc., 501© (3) at an October meeting at the Bob Bullock State History Museum. The October meeting entitled, The Power of Objects featured Dr. Paul Bolin, Professor of Visual Arts at The University of Texas at Austin and Dan Johnson, Social Studies Teacher at Bedichek Middle School, Austin Independent School District (AISD). The two educators spoke about theoretical and practical approaches to teaching about objects. For the next two years, AISD’s SHIPS (Scholars of History Integrating Primary Sources) teachers, designated as part of a National Education Grant, were members of ACCESS at a discount of $10. each. Donna Vliet attended an invitation only Institute of Museum and Library Services Conference in Washington DC August 30th–31st. Lucy May, Cowan Elementary School Teacher (AISD), Lucile Harmon (Education Chair at the Neill-Cochran House Museum) presented this museum’s curriculum guide at the Texas Council for the Texas Social Studies Annual Conference in Dallas, TX, October 1st-3rd. AISD has distributed 74 copies to all elementary school libraries. This year’s exhibit traveling through school libraries was: Voces Americas/American Voices: Celebrations of Latino Literature. Our mid-year meeting was at the Texas State Cemetery featuring Karen Riles, an employee of the Austin History Center, speaking about African American History in Central Texas. Our Steerimg Committee Retreat was held at The Crossings, Volente, TX, in February. The 3-Day Summer Institute was entitled: Print Over Time. Our sixth intern, Christina White, a MA student in the Special Education Department of UT’s College of Education worked on a special needs project for the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum as well as assisting ACCESS with a concept paper for funding purposes. Christina will be a doctoral candidate at Harvard’s School of Education, beginning the fall of 2005.

The 2005-2006 school year began with a meeting held in October at the University of Texas (UT), Performing Arts Center for a performance of, Ben Franklin Unplugged. Our SHIPS (Scholars of History Integrating Primary Sources) teachers were the primary audience. A question and answer session/reception was held after the performance with the actor performing Ben Franklin. In November we sponsored a visit to UT’s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Ansel Adams Exhibition. for the Texas Art Education Association Conference. In January a Museum Roundtable was held at Region 13 focusing on information brought by museums to share with teachers. The February Retreat was held at the Crossings in Volente, Texas. Alan Towler, AISD Grants Specialists, spoke to us about creating concept papers as preparation to seek funding. With lap-top computers we spent the day creating concept papers. In April, at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower National Research Center, we announced our first ACCESS to Learning, Inc. Operating Board Members: Lynn Bell, Don Cook, Guadalupe Gomez, Amjad Khan, Rosemary Morrow, and Donna Vliet. Our 3-Day Summer Retreat, Austin: Wild, Weird, and Wired, was located at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center with various visits to Austin sites and presentations at the Center.

The 2006-2007 school year began with an announcement by the chair that we had been accepted as part of the 3-Year Marcus Digital Education Project for Texas Art Museums. ACCESS received a Dell Computer to create projects through training provided by The New Media Consortium. We created a project entitled: Learning in a Museum. Our annual membership program in January was held in collaboration with the Friends of the O.Henry Museum, Inc. and the Dickinson Museum at the Texas State Capitol Visitors Center. Kyle Schlafer presented information about O.Henry's Short Stories and Lucretia Donnell Coke, pastel artist, discussed The Art of Frank Reaugh. The traveling exhibits: Mexico: Splendors of 30 Centuries and Way Things Were: Texas Architecture traveled through school libraries from February to April. Prior to the traveling of the exhibits, Dr. Paul Bolin presented information about exhibits at Arthouse at the Jones Center for teachers who planned to have the exhibits at their schools. A Humanities Texas Grant was received to cover the cost of the presenter and the exhibit rental. The summer institute, Out There, was held in June at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. The two presenters were, Lynne Adelle, discussing self-taught artists, and Michael Garcia, found object sculpture. A Texas Commission for the Arts Grant provided funding for one of the presenters. This year ACCESS paid a web designer to improve and update the website. Five newsletters, beginning January 2007, were e-mailed to members and put on the website this year.

The 2007-2008 Board and Steering Committee Meetingswere held at The University of Texas (UT) Center for American History and Austin History Center. The first meeting of the year was held in November at UT's, Texas Memorial Museum. Austin Energy and The Texas Solar Energy Society did presentations, focusing on Renewable Energy Resources. Austin Independent School District provided lesson plans for teachers. The Traveling Exhibits Program, funded in part by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, began at a workshop in January with Dr. Paul Bolin, Professor of Visual Arts at UT, discussing ways to use the exhibits in the classroom. This year the exhibits traveling through school libraries were: Life on the Nile and Africa in the America. Dr. Bolin's workshop was held at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. The last event of the year was a collaborative summer institute/mini-conference with the Texas Art Education Association, held on Sunday afternoon, June 8th at UT's, Blanton Museum of Art and the Mexic-Arte Museum, in downtown Austin. Monday, June 9th there were all-day art workshops at UT’s, Art Department. Three newsletters were e-mailed to members this year. Continuous updates were made on our website.

 

                                                

 

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