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Concurrent Sessions
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Student Presentations Session (Red Cedar A)
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The Future of Data-Driven Storytelling in Museums (Red Cedar B)
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The [Digital] Experts are Back: More Files, More Problems (Michigamme)
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Local Advocacy: Getting Your Community Leaders to Support Your Museum (Big Ten B)
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Right Person Right Place: Using Outside Voices in Your Programming (Big Ten C)
Student Presentation Session
Rethinking Michigan Historical Markers: New Approaches to Commemoration and Remembrance
Steven Hilberg, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan History Center
When traveling throughout Michigan, you may notice a green plaque with golden text at a historic site or outside of a historic building. On these plaques, you will find a story about an important person, place, or event that has significantly contributed to the history of the state of Michigan. These are Michigan Historical Markers, and their texts have been commemorating our state’s history since 1955. The staff of the Michigan History Center, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Michigan Historical Commission craft and administer roughly 1,800 markers across the state. As a member of the marker program’s staff, my presentation will provide a behind the scenes look into the application and review process and the challenges of writing historical marker texts. I will also discuss how our staff and commissioners have reimagined the marker program to include the stories of previously excluded groups through their own voices.
Examining Tribal Food Sovereignty Through 19th Century Landscape Painting
Pitched to the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art from a final project on the legacies of American art, I curated a new wall grouping for their Unsettling Histories exhibit. Using Salmon, a major cultural, culinary, economic, and religious emblem for Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, I connect the destruction of the natural environment with the violation of tribal fishing rights in the Columbia River Gorge using the John Mix Stanley landscape painting, Mount Hood from the Dalles (1871). I hope this unique curation will help teach museum visitors about the interconnectedness of indigenous sovereignty, sustainability, and colonialism through the visual motifs of fishing.
Moving Museums: How to Plan for Moving a Museum's Collections and How to Accommodate for Reduced Space
Sarah Taylor, Northern Michigan University
The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is planning to move this upcoming December into Northern Michigan’s newly renovated library. Along with the normal obstacles of moving a museum’s collection, our new location will have reduced space. My research focuses on what goes into moving a museum’s collections and how museums can plan out space in the most efficient way. To have a smooth transition to the new location, we have utilized different strategies to plan for the move, as well as accommodating for the decreased amount of space we will have for the artifacts. This research will detail how I developed a comprehensive inventory of our collection using Google Sheets, and how that information has assisted in our moving plans.
Location: Red Cedar A
The Future of Data-Driven Storytelling in Museums
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Caroline White, MSU Museum
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Dr. Denice Blair, MSU Museum
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Stephanie Palagyi, MSU Museum
How do we ensure that wider audiences understand the value of museum experiences for visitors and the personal and professional impact behind them? Using case studies of key student experiences at the MSU Museum as examples, this session explores the future of impact storytelling in museums. Participants will hear from MSU Museum education and communications staff on how they design, evaluate, and share the impact of their learning experiences with core audiences, including administrators, prospective and current donors, and the wider community. Attendees will learn approaches to (1) designing high-impact learning experiences, (2) implementing robust, practical evaluation methods, and (3) leveraging storytelling to amplify impact.
Location: Red Cedar B
The [Digital] Experts Are Back: More Files, More Problems
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Biz Gallo, Library of Michigan
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Chelsea Denault, Ph.D., Midwest Collaborative for Library Services
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Richard Adler, University of Michigan Library
Have a question about digital collections that’s STILL stumping you? We all need an opportunity to connect with and learn from each other. Three statewide digital collections experts are BACK in this session to answer more of your questions, as well as facilitate sharing of the knowledge and experience that others bring to the table. This session will have a component of open questions and facilitated discussion on roadblocks and successful strategies to create and care for digital collections.
Location: Michigamme
Local Advocacy: Getting Your Community Leaders to Support Your Museum
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Patrick McKay, Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm
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Christina Arseneau, Niles History Center
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Carol Morlan, City of Rochester Hills
Whether you receive public funding or are organized as a volunteer organization, how do you keep the leaders in your community aware of your museum’s impact in your community? What are elected leaders looking for from you and how do you engage with them so they support what you do? From advocacy on the local level to public meetings, press releases, working with local and regional newspapers, tv stations, and more, these speakers will let you know their tricks of the trade and an elected official will let you know what they are looking for from you!
Location: Big Ten B
Right Person Right Place: Using Outside Voices in Your Programming
- Alexander Konieczny, Troy Historic Village/Troy Historical Society
Sometimes an outside voice is just what your program needs. Outside presenters can be a tremendous resource for your site, but they sometimes come with unique challenges. This session will examine the pros and cons of building programs around reenactors, speakers, artisans, musicians and culture bearers, as well as best practices, sourcing talent, compensation, and the impact of interpretation from authentic voices.
Location: Big Ten C
2025 Conference Partners
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The Michigan Museums Association is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
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