My job is going to change.
Over the last few years, Harpers Ferry Center has undergone fairly continuous organizational restructuring. Which is no different than any institution I've worked for, except that HFC had around 30 years of stability before this.
Even during that time, the Center evolved. They did less and less in-house work, more and more contracting. They used to have their own in-house exhibit production, for instance, and exhibit elements were shipped out across the country from the loading dock that I cross every day. That stopped more than a decade ago.
Now, though, the powers-that-be (clearly under the influence of the Bush administration) want HFC to contract out as much as possible: planning, design, and production of exhibits, films and brochures. While some might argue there're costs to be saved, it doesn't seem to be frugality that's driving this. It's the desire to funnel public money back into the private sector.
Lots more could be said about this policy. More salient for me, though: I've been put on a "pilot team" that will explore how an all-contracting HFC staff might be managed. So I'm going to have to give up some of my projects. Don't know which ones or how many. Don't know who will make the final decisions.
Of course, I'm personally invested in all my projects, for all kinds of different reasons. You've heard most about the Badlands and Pine Ridge, and that's probably my favorite. But, why would I want to stop finding ways for visitors to explore human creativity in an exhibit about Edgar Allan Poe? Why give up a chance to script an object theater for the Kosciuszko Memorial, or get to know the people at a dynamic planning and design company in Brooklyn, on the WABA project?
There's lots to be figured out about the new approach, and the management seems willing to include this new team in the problem-solving, so that could be interesting. I'm trying to take these precautions: to not waste time hashing over things I can't influence and to not decide that this sucks until I have more information.
.
Over the last few years, Harpers Ferry Center has undergone fairly continuous organizational restructuring. Which is no different than any institution I've worked for, except that HFC had around 30 years of stability before this.
Even during that time, the Center evolved. They did less and less in-house work, more and more contracting. They used to have their own in-house exhibit production, for instance, and exhibit elements were shipped out across the country from the loading dock that I cross every day. That stopped more than a decade ago.
Now, though, the powers-that-be (clearly under the influence of the Bush administration) want HFC to contract out as much as possible: planning, design, and production of exhibits, films and brochures. While some might argue there're costs to be saved, it doesn't seem to be frugality that's driving this. It's the desire to funnel public money back into the private sector.
Lots more could be said about this policy. More salient for me, though: I've been put on a "pilot team" that will explore how an all-contracting HFC staff might be managed. So I'm going to have to give up some of my projects. Don't know which ones or how many. Don't know who will make the final decisions.
Of course, I'm personally invested in all my projects, for all kinds of different reasons. You've heard most about the Badlands and Pine Ridge, and that's probably my favorite. But, why would I want to stop finding ways for visitors to explore human creativity in an exhibit about Edgar Allan Poe? Why give up a chance to script an object theater for the Kosciuszko Memorial, or get to know the people at a dynamic planning and design company in Brooklyn, on the WABA project?
There's lots to be figured out about the new approach, and the management seems willing to include this new team in the problem-solving, so that could be interesting. I'm trying to take these precautions: to not waste time hashing over things I can't influence and to not decide that this sucks until I have more information.
.
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