“We
have lived with these things and enjoyed them; they are a part of our
lives. We don’t realize how many they are and how much a part of
us they are until we begin to catalogue them in our minds.”
John Glessner, The Story of a House
Email
Alerts
If you would
like to receive email updates about upcoming events, please send your
name and email address to glessnerhouse@sbcglobal.net
and we will be glad to add you to our list.
Support
At Glessner House
Museum, our work is three-fold: to preserve and protect our National Historic
Landmark; to care for our remarkable decorative arts collection; and to
interpret the building and its contents, as well as the history of the
Glessner family and Chicago, through tours, exhibits, educational outreach,
and public programming.
Gifts from generous
friends of Glessner House Museum account for 86% of our annual operating
expenses. As is true with many museums, fees from tours, programs and
seasonal events generate only a small fraction of what is needed to cover
expenses. Our annual fund covers the gap between earned income and expenses
for tours, educational programs, communications, staffing and basic month-to-month
maintenance of our historic landmark building.
Your support
for the annual fund through memberships and contributions will help us
continue and improve the tours and educational programs that we offer.
Your support will also help us expand our audience, so that more people
can experience wonder at the architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson,
enjoy the Museum's collections, and feel immersed in the history of Chicago
as it was during the heyday of Prairie Avenue.
To make a contribution
to Glessner House Museum, download a form by clicking here.
Memberships
As
a member of Glessner House Museum, you will enjoy free admission for guided
tours of the museum's period rooms, and you'll help secure the future
of this national architectural treasure.
APRIL IS MEMBERSHIP
MONTH
ALL NEW MEMBERS SIGNING UP IN
THE MONTH OF APRIL WILL RECEIVE $5.00 OFF THE REGULAR FEE! PLUS,
THEIR NAME WILL BE PLACED IN A SPECIAL DRAWING HELD AT THE END OF THE
MONTH TO WIN VARIOUS GLESSNER HOUSE MUSEUM GOODIES!
To
become a member of Glessner House Museum, download a form by clicking
here.
Junior
Memberships
Kids
are invited to become members of the Glessner House Museum for just $5.00
per year! With a junior membership you will receive:
-a
quarterly Junior newsletter;
-special
discounts on children's programming;
-invitations
for "Junior Members Only" events
-age
appropriate activities for all.
Recommended
for children ages 3 through 13. Click here
to download a Junior Membership application.
Volunteer
Glessner
House depends on volunteers to give tours, conduct research, help care
for the collection, and a host of other activities. Please email glessnerhouse@sbcglobal.net
and include your mailing address for a volunteer packet or call 312-326-1480
and request more information.
Download
a volunteer application by clicking here.
Docents
Glessner
House relies on volunteers to give tours of the
Clarke and Glessner Houses to thousands of visitors from all over the
world. As a volunteer docent, your job is to lead an exploration of the
rich topics each house had to offer. Whether your group is a classroom
of school children or people from the neighborhood, there is always the
possibility of insightful dialogue and new discoveries – for the
visitors and for you!
To
prepare volunteers to give tours, GHM offers an individualized docent
training program that covers architecture, decorative arts and social
history as they relate to each house. Docents must commit to 48 hours
of volunteering during their first year, which usually works out to 4
hours a month. Docents lead tours on afternoons Wednesdays through Sundays,
although some mornings are available.
The Benefits
*
Bi-monthly continuing education programs
*
Invitations and discounts to lectures, programs and special events
*
25% off on merchandise in the museum gift shop
*
Annual recognition party
*
The chance to make connections with people who are interested in the same
things that you are!
Other Volunteer Opportunities
We
also have volunteer opportunities for those with an interest in the museum
and our work who may be too busy (or just a bit too shy) to make the docent
commitment. We'd love to hear from you, too!
Internships
Tours, exhibits,
and public programs are the most visible ways in which the organization
interprets the resources of Glessner House. Another important method for
sharing the cultural riches of the house is the museum's internship program.
Through internships, we provide educational outreach to university students
who come to Glessner House to learn about the architecture, art, and social
history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well
as the many aspects of museum administration. Staff works closely with
the students to determine internship objectives and to set project priorities.
Many Glessner Houseinterns are fulfilling a degree requirement and will
receive course credit; several of our interns have come to Glessner House
to experience working in the museum field before making an academic or
professional commitment.
Glessner House has so many resources that we are able to take students
from a wide variety of fields: historic preservation, decorative arts,
museum studies, women's studies, history, marketing, communications, and
institutional development. We provide interns with knowledge and training
they can take with them into their careers, placing each student into
a working environment where each becomes part of the Glessner House team.
Here we are able to take that one step further and combine the theory
with hands-on professional training and real work experience.
Download an internship
application by clicking here.
Research
opportunities
Glessner
House Museum offers research opportunities for those interested in the
Glessner Family, Henry Hobson Richardson, Isaac Scott, architecture, historic
preservation, decorative arts, social history, and Chicago history during
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as it pertains to the Glessner
family and the Prairie Avenue District.
Limited resources include historic photographs, family papers, restoration
files, drawings, and various published articles. The archives may be accessed
by appointment only, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
