This year’s sessions will be pre-recorded and made available 3-4 weeks in advance of the live conference and up to 3 months after for learning at your own pace. Our curated tracks will help you identify sessions most relevant to you. Tracks for this year include:
- Community Engagement & Partnerships
- Collections Stewardship
- Fundraising & Finance
- Leadership, Management, & Equity
- In-Gallery & Virtual Exhibitions
- Education & Programs
- Marketing & Digital Media
More sessions will be added following the 2021 Call for Session Proposals.
Community Engagement & Partnerships
Reflecting a Heritage, Building a Legacy
“Reflecting a Heritage, Building a Legacy” will explore strategies for activities and programs that reflect Chinese American heritage while building a legacy that future generations can be proud to call their own.
Session Chair: Edward Jung, Chinese American Museum of Chicago
Session Presenter: Mabel Menard, Chinese American Museum of Chicago
Museum and School Partnerships: No Longer a One-Size-Fits-All Model
Each school is a unique community. To support schools in creating authentic student learning experiences, museums must move from designing one-size-fits-all programs for schools to co-designing flexible programs with them. Come discuss how museums can partner with schools as true collaborators in planning and implementing impactful programming.
Session Chair: Jenny Flowers, Field Museum
Session Presenters: Kyla Cook, Field Museum
The Arab American National Museum: Elevating Community Voices Through Responsive Programming
Explore, converse, and dialogue with the Arab American National Museum as its staff share their experiences and stories about the communities they serve/represent, all while navigating through community tensions and politics in a post-September 11th America.
Session Chair: David Serio, Arab American National Museum
Session Presenters: Danya Zituni, Arab American National Museum; Lejla Bajgoric, Arab American National Museum
From Community Anchor to Community Catalyst: How Asset-Based Community Development Reshapes the Role that Museums Play In Their Communities
By looking through an Asset-Based Community Development lens, Milwaukee’s Haggerty Museum of Art and its local partners shifted their views of each other, and of the Museum’s role in the community. Hear their experiences in transitioning from project to relationship-based collaboration through truly community-driven work.
Session Chair: Christine Fleming, Haggerty Museum of Art
Session Presenters: Stephanie Mercado, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers; Kate Morgan, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District; Mollie Oblinger, Ripon College; Deb Wisniewski, ABCD Institute
Museums on the Move: Building an Outreach Program at the Milwaukee Public Museum
In 2017, the Milwaukee Public Museum launched a new outreach initiative, bringing museum programming to schools and other locations throughout the state of Wisconsin. In 2019, the program served over 16,000 individuals. This session will discuss lessons learned surrounding resource allocation, infrastructure, and programming content.
Session Presenters: Maisie Buntin, Milwaukee Public Museum; Meghan Schopp, Milwaukee Public Museum; Erica Kelly, Milwaukee Public Museum; Shanna Hillard, Milwaukee Public Museum
Thinking Beyond Demographics at the Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, WI: A Case-Study in Revitalized Community Outreach
Want to revamp your community outreach initiatives and not certain where to start? Want to expand your museum’s stakeholders? Concerned about cost or staff time? Join Merrilee Lee and Dana Bertelsen as they share what worked for the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson, WI.
Session Presenters: Merrilee Lee, Hoard Museum & Dana Bertelsen, Hoard Museum
Collections Stewardship
Ask the Registrar, An Open Forum to Discuss the Evolving Expectations in Working with Your Collection
Ask the Registrar will be an open forum to address the evolving demands for creative solutions to today’s collections conundrums. From couriering to moving monumental objects and “using” collections items in programming – nothing is off the table! Bring questions or scenarios to discuss with the panel and fellow attendees.
Session Chair: Linda Endersby, Museum of Art & Archaeology, University of Missouri
Session Presenters: Leigh Albritton, Harley-Davidson Museum; Anna Cannizzo, Oshkosh Public Museum; Andrea Selbig, Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison
LED Exposure & Technology Update
LEDs are all the rave for energy efficiency, color, and control, but is it still the wild west when looking at products? Do I still need to worry about exposure time with LEDs? How do I control exposure time? This lecture will answer all these questions and more.
Session Chair: Avraham Mor, Morlights
Session Presenters: Thatcher Waller, Morlights; Alvaro Amat, The Field Museum
Implementing NAGPRA in an Evolving Museum Field
Is the museum field fulfilling its obligations to Tribal Nations and meeting its responsibilities under NAGPRA? Join us for an introduction to the requirements of NAGPRA and learn about the resources available to help you get started or overcome obstacles to implementing NAGPRA.
Session Chair: Anne Amati, University of Denver Museum of Anthropology
Session Presenters: Jayne-Leigh Thomas, Indiana University Bloomington; Krystiana Krupa, Indiana University Bloomington
Yet Another Digital Project? What Community Needs Can Bring to a Tired Topic
As digital projects have become increasingly common, how can we sustainably evolve our online collection experiences? This panel will consider how responding to user needs can create digital collection projects that maximize limited resources. Each case study will have a different perspective: collection content, knowledge infrastructure, and GLAM collaboration.
Session Chair: Abigail E. Shelton, Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame
Session Presenters: Hanna Bertoldi, Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame; Amanda H. Brown, Milwaukee Art Museum; Madeleine Wieand, New Orleans Museum of Art
Fundraising & Finance
Changing visitor expectations and connectivity to Internet of Things (IoT): Identifying exposures and mitigating risk in 2020 and beyond
Are you prepared for a cyber attack? Join us for a panel discussion on cyber exposures and how to protect yourself against cyber threats. Our panel of experts in IT, Legal, and Insurance will answer questions and provide best practices for protecting your museum assets from digital threats.
Session Chair: Eric Dougal, HUB International
Session Presenters: Emily Selck, HUB International
75 Ideas in 75 Minutes: Museum Development & Membership in a Time of Change
In a lively game-show format, a panel of national experts will “compete” to provide the best ideas in development and membership for museums of any size or focus. Audience participation will determine the outcome, but everyone wins when great ideas are shared to sustain and transform museums!
Session Chair: Charles Katzenmeyer, Field Museum
Session Presenters: Christopher Jabin, Dragonfly Advisors; James Boudreau, Chicago Botanic Garden; Jennifer Clearwater, Discovery World
Giving Tuesday (or Wednesday, Thursday or any other day!)
Are you capitalizing on the incredible power of activating and energizing your supporters on a communal day of giving…whether Tuesday, Wednesday or any other day? Learn how to harness the power of #GivingTuesday or create your own Giving Day that amplifies your mission and philanthropy.
Session Chair: Usha Subramanian, Field Museum
Session Presenters: Lindsay Gramlich, Indianapolis Children’s Museum; Colin A.D. Brock, Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo; Michelle Clairmont, Access Direct Nonprofit Marketing; Vicky Sanchez, Field Museum
Leadership, Management, & Equity
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in the Museum Workforce: A Discussion
Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are workplace buzz words. Join the discussion about making the pipeline of the museum workforce reflect these values. From higher education classes, to internships, to workplace culture, the four panelists will share their stories and the audience will discuss how we improve as a whole.
Session Chair: Jennifer Van Haaften, Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Session Presenters: Raquel Aguiñaga-Martinez, National Museum of Mexican American Art; Christian Øverland, Wisconsin Historical Society; Heather Ann Moody, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Cheryl Jimenez-Frei, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
It Starts at the Door: How the Chazen Became the Most Open Museum in America
The Chazen Museum of Art recently instituted sweeping changes which increased public accessibility and access to the museum. While the initiative generated national publicity, it was not without challenges. Come and participate in a discussion about how to use creativity and collaboration to achieve institutional goals with limited resources.
Session Chair: Amy Gilman, Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Session Presenters: Kristine Zickuhr, Chazen Museum of Art; Kate Wanberg, Chazen Museum of Art; Casey Coolidge, Chazen Museum of Art
Museum Studies Programs Evolving: Responding to the Changing Needs of Museums
As museums evolve, so too must museum studies programs to prepare future museum professionals for the changing nature of museum work. This roundtable discussion brings together museum studies faculty to share how their programs are changing and encourages participants to share the emerging needs of the museum sector.
Session Chair: William Warner Wood, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Session Presenters: Nicolette Meister, Logan Museum of Anthropology, Beloit College; Susan R. Frankenberg, University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana); Christy DeLair, Pick Museum of Anthropology Northern Illinois University; Therese Quinn, Museum and Exhibition Studies University of Illinois at Chicago; K.F. Latham, Arts & Cultural Management & Museum Studies Michigan State University
Take this job and…love it!
In an unhealthy work culture, people feel unmotivated, disengaged, and inauthentic. Environment is key. If we create a healthy environment, people will feel valued. In this thought-provoking presentation, you will walk away with actionable ideas to make your organization a place where people feel they belong and want to stay.
Session Chair: Debra Ripp, Wisconsin Historical Society
In-Gallery & Virtual Exhibitions
The Evolving Museum of Conscience: Exhibitions for Social Justice
As we move into 2020, more museums are evolving into sites of social justice. Elena Gonzales shares highlights from her new book “Exhibitions for Social Justice” of innovative curatorial work and best practices for catalyzing social change. She will be joined by representatives from museums featured in the publication.
Session Chair: Jennifer Scott Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Session Presenters: Elena Gonzales, Independent Scholar/Author; Cesáreo Moreno, National Museum of Mexican Art; Kelley Szany, The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Accessible by Design
With thoughtful planning, one can create engaging exhibits designed for multi-generational, multisensory-attuned, and culturally and linguistically diverse audiences.
Session Chair: Chris Evans, 106 Group
Session Presenters: Jesse Heinzen, Minnesota Historical Society
Small Museum, Big Impact: How investing in a core exhibit can transform your local history museum
Looking for ideas to make your museum more interactive and appealing to visitors of all ages? Monroe County Local History Room & Museum staff will discuss the development and design of their AASLH award-winning exhibit that has dramatically changed public perception of what a small county history museum can offer.
Session Chair: Jarrod Roll, Monroe County Local History Room & Museum
Session Presenters: Hannah Scholze, Monroe County Local History Room & Museum
Learning to Hear Native Voices: 3 Native Art Exhibit Case Studies from a Native Perspective
Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida) discusses the challenges, obstacles, and opportunities involved in exhibiting contemporary Native American Art in mainstream institutions. Illustrated with photographs of three recent exhibitions, supported with artists’ statements, and told from an insider’s viewpoint, Karen Ann will discuss details of three contemporary Native American art exhibits.
Session Chair: Karen Ann Hoffman
Toolkit of Common Materials; Visual Strategies for Exhibiting Textiles
Whether curating an entire fiber art exhibition or including just one textile work, this presentation will impart practical advice for displaying fiber art in museums. Utilizing examples from the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts’s exhibitions, we will share accessible, and budget-friendly, display techniques for showing fiber.
Session Chair: Devyn McIlraith, Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts
Session Presenters: Emily Schlemowitz, Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts; Jamie Henry, Missouri State Museum
Education & Programs
Evolution of Youth Programming: Fostering Meaningful Connections and Expanding Audiences
This session will demonstrate how getting out of our subject matter comfort zone and using lots of creativity we rethought our youth programming, using our week-long summer camps as a case study. Through failures and successes, learn how we utilized a small staff to increase youth engagement and revenue.
Session Presenters: Nick Ostrem, Wisconsin Historical Museum; Mallory Zink, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; Ellie Antoniewicz, Wisconsin Historical Museum
Indigenize Your Museum Education Programs
Indigenize! Create more diverse programming in your museum and learn how to build lasting relationships in the Native communities that surround you.
Session Presenters: Heather Bruegl, Stockbridge Munsee Community; Jennifer Edginton, Kenosha Public Museums; David O’Connor, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Supporting Learning in Museum Makerspaces
This workshop will engage participants in using two professional learning tools for museum professionals working in makerspaces. The tools support collegial conversations to clarify the purpose of the makerspace, reflect on the components of a planned or current makerspace and ultimately develop a common language for learning for their makerspace.
Session Chair: Peter Wardrip, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Session Presenters: Bill Pariso, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum; Mike Cook, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Seeing Ourselves in the Galleries: Broadening Perspectives on Museum Objects
Join educators from the Milwaukee Art Museum in a lively round table discussion to rethink and expand the perspectives and narratives around traditionally Euro- and Anglo-centric museum objects to foster more personal connections with increasingly diverse audiences.
Session Chair: Brett Henzig, Milwaukee Art Museum
Session Presenters: Sarah Ozurumba, Milwaukee Art Museum
Marketing & Digital Media
Building a Better Website: Increase Audience Engagement by Transforming Your Digital Platform
Create an inviting digital space that gives your visitors a sense of what they’ll experience at your museum. Engage your audience where they are through digital storytelling and a content-driven, mission-focused approach while ensuring that your website is evolving to meet the needs of your visitors.
Session Presenters: Brittany Krewson, Missouri Historical Society & Leigh Walters, Missouri Historical Society