Company Profile
Illinois State Museum
Company Overview
The Illinois State Museum is a system of museums and galleries serving the people of Illinois. The Museums foster an appreciation of the living world, introduce the art of Illinois, open windows to education, and protect irreplaceable state treasures. The ISM mission is fulfilled through collecting, research, exhibits, publications, and interpretive programs that enhance educational experiences, aesthetic values, and in general, the quality of life. Visit illinoisstatemuseum.org to learn more.
Illinois is a diverse state, both in its geography and its people, stretching 400 miles from north to south and 200 miles east to west. To be effective, the Illinois State Museum must reach into all corners of Illinois, seeking stories, starting conversations, and providing opportunities for learning and growth. Only by adapting to current needs and by listening to the voices of patrons, visitors, and friends can the Museum continue to serve Illinoisans and everyone else curious about Illinois’ history.
No other institution is so uniquely qualified to share the Story of Illinois.
MISSION
The Illinois State Museum inspires exploration of Illinois’ past and present to inform and enrich everyday life and to promote stewardship of cultural and natural resources for the future.
PLATFORM
The Museum’s dynamic exhibitions and programs stem from unique collections, innovative research, and collaborative interpretation.
MANDATE
The Museum has a statutory obligation to maintain a State Museum, to investigate and study, to collect and preserve, and to educate the public (20 ILCS 801/1-25).
VISION
The Illinois State Museum will connect the world to the Story of Illinois and encourage and inspire all to explore, discover, learn and share their experience.
As a principal steward of objects that embody the story of Illinois’ natural and human history, the Museum will seek to be a unique marketplace of information and educational experiences for current and future generations. Visitors and researchers alike will have the opportunity to see authentic objects and engaging exhibits at all Museum facilities as well as online through a rich, new generation of digital assets and experiences including images, interactives, and educational content.
VALUES
The Illinois State Museum, Museum Board of Directors, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Museum Society Board of Directors all share fundamental values:
• Accountability: The Museum will fulfill the responsibilities to collect and preserve, to educate the public, and to investigate and study as expressed in Illinois state statutes and applicable federal and international laws.
• Trustworthiness: The Museum will operate transparently and ethically according to best practices and will be exceptional stewards of resources held in the public trust.
• Curiosity: The Museum believes in the value of research and encourages exploration and discovery, the acquisition of knowledge, and using that knowledge to resolve issues and improve quality of life.
• Responsibility: The Museum embraces the mandate to educate by sharing knowledge with all people to promote informed and open discourse.
• Inclusivity: The Museum represents all Illinoisans and reflects Illinois’ diversity in everything it does.
• Collaboration: The Museum encourages partnerships to foster achievement by sharing resources and responsibilities.
• Excellence: The Museum strives to be outstanding in all it does by routinely evaluating all aspects of its performance.
AUDIENCE
With a physical presence in Springfield, Lewistown, and Lockport, a revitalizing network of support in Chicago, unlimited access via digital platforms including the website and social media, and beneficial partnerships with agencies and institutions, the Museum impacts
• Illinois residents, including teachers and students from pre-K through graduate school, families, lifelong learners, and members of the Illinois State Museum Society;
• tourists and other visitors to the state;
• online visitors and information seekers from throughout the world who use the Museum’s extensive electronic resources and publications;
• local, state, and federal government agencies, and tribal organizations; and
• professional organizations, academic institutions, the museum community, and scholars from around the world who utilize the Museum’s extensive collection repository.
PRINCIPLES
• An educated community is better informed to address contemporary issues that are subject to public discourse and decisions.
• Museums have a responsibility to engage their communities through educational programming, collections, and conversation based on accuracy, objectivity, and respect.
• Non-traditional, informal education offered by museums must appeal to diverse learning styles.
• Museums employ both material and virtual means to educate and reach distant audiences.
• Museums provide lifelong learning opportunities to all without exception.
• Museums provide a safe public forum for conversations about contemporary issues.
Company History
The Illinois State Museum was established in 1877 with a statutory mandate to study, collect, and interpret the land, life, and people of Illinois. Accredited since 1972 by the American Association of Museums, now the American Alliance of Museums, the Museum is responsible for the well-being of an estimated 13.5 million objects in the Illinois Legacy Collection as well as the stewardship of a number of ancillary state, federal, and tribal collections. The Museum’s traditions include interdisciplinary research programs that provide holistic perspectives of natural and cultural heritage and the relationships between the two; engaging exhibitions that feature the Museum’s research and collections and contribute to unique perspectives on land, life, people, and art; and thought-provoking, informal learning opportunities in friendly settings for broad audiences. In short, the Museum is the gateway to the Story of Illinois and keeper of its treasured past.
In 2015, the Illinois State Museum consisted of six facilities including the Museum’s headquarters in the State capitol complex, the Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center in Springfield, and four branch facilities around the state: the Chicago Gallery and Illinois Artisans Shop in the James R. Thompson Center, Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown, the Lockport Gallery, and the Southern Illinois Art and Artisans Center at Rend Lake.
On June 2, 2015, the State of Illinois announced that it would begin the process of suspending operations of the Illinois State Museum due to the lack of a balanced budget agreement. With the State budget unresolved, the Illinois State Museum and its branches closed to the public on October 1, 2015. An agreement between the State and AFSCME allowed union-represented Museum employees to return to work while a court case regarding the legality of the temporary layoffs proceeded. While closed to the public, Museum staff completed an impressive variety of projects, including reallocating work space for collection management and storage, designing and publishing a new Museum website, and working with IDNR communications staff to produce a series of web videos highlighting Museum curators, research, and collections.
On July 2, 2016, the Illinois State Museum, the Research and Collections Center, and Dickson Mounds reopened to the public. In September 2016, the Lockport Gallery reopened. In 2019, the museum approved a new strategic plan, maintained its accredited status with the American Alliance of Museums, and hired a new director, Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, who was previously the President/CEO of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine and the director of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The next five years will focus on hiring professional staff, adding to the collections and rolling out a changing exhibit strategy, developing a new core exhibit plan and timeline, outreach across the state of Illinois, and developing inclusive museum practices. A copy of the current strategic plan is available upon request.
The ISM is supported in part by the Illinois State Museum Society, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, governed by a board of directors. The Museum Director is an ex officio member of the Museum Society Board and serves as the Administrator of the Society. The Society hires staff to support the needs of the museum and raises funds for projects and operational costs not covered in the State of Illinois budget.
You can read more about the ISM's history here - http://www.illinoisstatemuseum.org/content/illinois-state-museum-history.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
Benefits
State employees are provided with standard benefits for state employees; Society employees are offered similar benefits.