NORWALK, CONN. — Sharon C. Blume, executive director of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center, died on January 6, at her home in Norwalk, at the age of 51 from breast cancer.

Blume became the Stamford Museum’s executive director in August 2000, after leading the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., for four years. Since her arrival in Stamford, she has been credited with bringing enormous energy, creativity and vitality to the museum and the community.

“Sharon was one of the most dynamic and witty individuals I ever worked with,” said Arnold Karp, Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s board president. “In her all too short tenure with us, her insight and drive changed this quiet institution in North Stamford into a major presence in the region. She leaves us with the challenge of continuing the legacy that she so successfully began.”

Blume quickly established her curatorial skills and insights as she organized and produced imaginative, unique exhibitions, many of which focused on popular culture and appealed to a multi-generational audience. Among the most popular and well-attended exhibitions were “Springs, Sprockets and Pulleys: The Mechanical Sculptures of Steve Gerberich” (which attracted more than 28,000 visitors in its six-week run), “50 Years of Beetle Bailey: The Cartoon World of Mort Walker,” “Ukulele Fever” and “Pedal to the Metal,” all of which also attracted huge audiences and received national media coverage in the press and on television.

“One of Sharon’s greatest accomplishments was her vision to see how the museum could make a difference in and a contribution to this community,” Karp added. “She defined our niche, and in doing so established us as a vibrant family institution.” Her often-stated mission was to “create a personality where visitors and members will think of us as a venue that is fun, engaging, educational, recreational…and a little quirky.”

Blume launched major education programs in collaboration with the public schools, provided free access to the museum through library passes and issued free museum passes to all public school children in Stamford. Under her directorship, the museum obtained a series of grants that were used to increase the number and variety of interactive educational programs and activities. Family events at the museum increased in scope and continually drew larger and larger crowds.

Her ability to transform institutions was evident at the Berkshire Museum, as well, where film critic Gene Shalit, in a letter to the Berkshire Eagle said, “She has blown away the dust and the crust, and invigorated the museum.” Her legacy in Pittsfield includes “Kids Stuff,” an exhibition she conceived that is still touring museums and science centers throughout the country, and the beloved dinosaur, Wally, who now graces the Berkshire Museum’s front lawn.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Blume received her bachelor of science in art education from State University College in Buffalo. She began her museum career as an educator at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo and then at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana. In 1987, she joined the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City, developing its first education and interpretive programs. Her job quickly expanded to encompass exhibition development and management, and she was ultimately appointed to the position of deputy director. After leaving Moving Image, she developed an independent museum consultancy, working with such varied institutions as The Jewish Museum, Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art and The Newark Museum.

Blume was a frequent panelist, speaker and moderator at national museum conferences and state and local arts councils. Professional arts organizations to which Blume belonged included the American Association of Museums, New England Museum Association and Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. She was active in many civic organizations, and served as a board member of the Coastal Fairfield County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She is survived by a brother who lives in California. Her funeral was conducted in Rochester on January 9, and a memorial service is planned for January 23, at 3 pm, at the Stamford Museum. The museum has established a fund in Blume’s name and contributions can be sent to the attention of the Development Office, Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford CT 06903.

FOR 1-28

SCALE COLLECTORS CONVENTION

ewm/lsb set 1/11 #615273

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Founded in 1976, the International Society of Antique Scale Collectors (ISASC) will host its 27th annual convention May 19–22 at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza at 14th and K streets in downtown Washington.

Program highlights include presentations by scale collectors and outside experts, a silent auction offering 400 to 500 weighing instruments, a “show and tell” featuring rare and unusual scales, a workshop to compare several computer programs used to catalog and organize the information for collections, visits to local collections and a gala Saturday night reception and banquet.

For information, 703-739-0508  or www.isasc.org.