While the new venture brings entrepreneurial opportunities for HACC students, the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission, The State Museum's parent organization, maintains their focus on Pennsylvania artisans and Commonwealth-related merchandise.
The Commission had been entertaining proposals for an outside group to operate the gift shop at the State Museum for some time. HACC had been seeking an outlet for the high-end crafts produced by students of its contemporary crafts marketing program.
Now, the two have entered into a partnership that satisfies both organizations' goals and provides a retail opportunity for museum visitors. HACC will operate the gift shop, located in The State Museum's ground floor former Museum Shop location. It will serve as a sales outlet for merchandise produced by HACC contemporary crafts marketing students as well as select items from the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.
This is in keeping with the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission's mission to represent Pennsylvania state interests, artists and crafts. Many of HACC's students are members of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. Commissioned work also may be available.
Manufactured souvenir items reflecting the Museum's collections and the Commonwealth also will be available for the gift shop, such as the ever-popular rubber snakes, river rocks, space ice cream and other items typically bought by children on field trips, as well as books on Pennsylvania.
Contemporary crafts marketing is an associate's degree program at HACC. In an apprenticeship environment, students learn to design, produce and market contemporary crafts in wholesale and retail markets.
"The products produced by HACC artisans for the Museum's gift shop will be quality but affordable jewelry, ceramics and glass items," said Linda Lefevre, HACC associate dean, Business Engineering & Technologies and Workforce & Economic Development Divisions, who helped develop the proposal and will oversee the partnership with the Museum.
The partnership will provide HACC Crafts Marketing and Entrepreneurial students an opportunity to experience and participate in the actual operation of a museum store and gallery including the business plan annual process development, market identification and analysis, production identification and planning, exhibit steering, committee dynamics, operational profit and loss analysis, and retail sales. In addition to becoming self-supporting, the operation intends to generate a HACC Foundation award/scholarship where a percentage of the proceeds are committed to an endowment fund for scholarships, while additional percentages are awarded as scholarships and/or awards.
"Our visitors as well as our staff have been missing the museum shop for sometime now. The public has come to expect a quality museum shop from us and they will have one once again. We couldn't be happier about the partnership with HACC. It's not just a win-win situation for HACC and The State Museum it's a triple win situation - HACC, State Museum and the museum visitor," said Anita Blackaby, State Museum Director.
Radius, HACC Gallery and Museum Shop hours of operation are 9-5 Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5pm Sunday. The shop and museum are closed on Mondays.