Financial History Issue 128 (Winter 2019) | Page 11

MUSEUM NEWS   THE TICKER MoAF Announces New Membership Program By Kristin Aguilera, Deputy Director The Museum of American Finance has launched a new membership program geared towards providing free priority access to its many offsite events and pro- grams while the Museum seeks a new permanent home following the flood in its building in January 2018 (see below). MoAF Events Membership ($50 per year) includes free admission to all programs in its Evening Lecture Series, as well as its Lunch & Learn Series, plus one free Walk- ing Tour per year.* MoAF Events Plus Membership ($150) has been created for those members inter- ested in taking advantage of the above ben- efits, plus one guest ticket per event, free or reduced admission to thousands of other museums via the North American Recipro- cal Membership (NARM) program, mem- bership in the Smithsonian Institution and access to exclusive travel programs through the Museum Travel Alliance. All membership contributions support the Museum’s mission to improve under- standing of the financial industry and markets, while empowering individuals of all backgrounds to strive toward financial independence.  *Note that reservations for all programs must be made in advance, while ticket supplies last. Museum Terminates Lease at 48 Wall Street Following Flood By Kristin Aguilera, Deputy Director The Museum of American Finance announced in December that it termi- nated its lease at 48 Wall Street in New York City. It had been located in the historic bank building since 2008, and its lease was scheduled to expire in 2021. The lease termination was prompted by a major flood that occurred on January 14, 2018, when a main water pipe burst in the building. Although all three floors of the Museum sustained significant water damage, none of the objects on display or in the archives were damaged in any way. The Museum’s world-class collection of financial documents and artifacts, many dating from the 18th century, was imme- diately relocated to a climate controlled art storage facility, where it remains safe. Despite the Museum gallery being closed in 2018 due to the flood, nearly all of its programs proceeded as scheduled at off-site facilities. This included more than a dozen public programs in its Lunch & Learn and Evening Lecture Series, as well as a traveling exhibit in Washington, DC, showcasing treasures from the Museum’s collection. The Museum also continued to offer guided walking tours of the Financial District and proceeded with key compo- nents of its educational programming, including the Museum Finance Acad- emy (MFA)—its free eight-week personal finance program for high school juniors and seniors. Although the exhibit galleries will remain closed during the relocation, all of the Museum’s other programs will continue off site. In addition, new edu- cation programs will be added in 2019, bringing MoAF educators into New York City area schools. According to Museum President/CEO David Cowen, “We were looking to relo- cate the Museum in a few years given that our lease was expiring, so this was a natural time to discuss moving up the timetable.” The early termination of the lease enables the Museum to explore new venue and partnership opportunities, and to re-build all of the exhibitions from the ground up. “Our opportunities are now open- ended, as we reimagine what a state-of- the-art finance museum could be,” said Cowen. “I look forward to working with our board, staff and supporters as we script this exciting future for the nation’s only independent finance museum.”  www.MoAF.org  |  Winter 2019  |  FINANCIAL HISTORY  9