Contact:
Dan Carpenter
(325) 673-4587
Marketing@thegracemuseum.org

Grace appoints new Director of Museum Education

Abilene, TX (February 20, 2008) - The Grace Museum announced today the promotion of Pam Harman, currently Education Programs Coordinator, to a new position.

"I'm very pleased to announce that Pam Harman has accepted the newly established position of Director of Education for The Grace Museum," said Dennis Kois, Grace Executive Director. "Pam will oversee the wide array of educational outreach and in-house programs The Grace delivers each year to approximately 20,000 children and adults in Abilene and twenty surrounding counties, as well as the Education staff, budgets, and a dedicated corps of volunteers."

Harman joined The Grace staff in 2003, and has overseen many successful programs and projects, including developing the ever-growing Grace Academy summer camp program, overseeing ArtWalk activities, and in 2007 managing the design and renovation of The Grace's new Education Center.

"Pam's done a stellar job for the Museum, and I couldn't be happier she's agreed to take on this new challenge," said Kois.

Harman has a Masters of Education degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and previously has served as Program Director for the West Texas Girl Scouts, Supervisor of Student Teachers and Curriculum Development at McMurry University, and as an Instructor and Section Chair at Texas A&M.

The Grace will also be starting a search for the newly established position of Museum Educator to help support the department's growing programs, Kois added

The Grace Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m. For more information, call 325-673-4587.

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The Grace Museum's exhibitions and educational programs are supported in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene, Taylor County, and the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District. The Grace Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1909, The Hotel Grace served as a rest stop for railway travelers. The mission-style building was renovated and re-opened in 1992 as The Grace Cultural Center. The Grace Museum , a non-profit organization, now serves as a home to a Children's Museum, History Museum , and Art Museum. At 55,000 sq. ft., The Grace Museum is the 10th largest general museum in Texas . The Grace Museum is the cornerstone of cultural arts and education in West Texas.