NEMA Annual Conference 99th Annual NEMA Conference | Page 13

signed by 20 enslaved men
of Portsmouth in 1779. Learn
how to adapt this to your
museum’s interpretation
of enslaved and other
marginalized people.
Facilitator: Barbara M. Ward,
Ph.D., Director/Curator,
Moffatt-Ladd House &
Garden, NH
Speakers: Jayne Gordon,
Independent Museum
Education Consultant, MA;
Keith Mascoll, Actor and
Educator, MA; Jennifer Belmont-Earl, Education
Coordinator, Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, NH
DEMONSTRATION STATION
10:00 – 10:30 am
Visitor Engagement Through Theater
David Marino, Instructor and Executive Coach, Improv
Boston, MA
COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT HALL
10:30 – 11:00 am
DEMONSTRATION STATION
11:00 – 11:30 am
Conservation Maintenance Overview for Outdoor
Sculpture, Monuments, and Grave Markers
Francis Miller, Directing Conservator, Conserve ART, CT
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Decolonizing Museums: Big Ideas and Practical
Solutions for Interpreting Native American
History and Culture at New England Museums
and Historic Sites
Native American history and culture are integral to
the past and present of New England. Most museums
hold Native collections or address Native content in
their exhibits and programs. In this talk-show style
presentation, panelists will share their perspectives
and experiences with decolonizing museum practice –
collaboration, privileging Native voice, and the truth-
telling required to honestly interpret our shared history
– and practical suggestions so your museum can begin
the decolonizing process.
Facilitators: Julia Gray, Director of Collections &
Research, Abbe Museum, ME
Speakers: Jennifer Himmelreich (Diné), Native
American Fellowship Program Specialist, Peabody
Essex Museum, MA; Dr. Jason R. Mancini, Director,
Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research
Center, CT; Jennifer Neptune (Penobscot), Museum
Coordinator, Penobscot Nation Museum, Cultural
and Historic Preservation
Department, Penobscot
Nation, ME; Lorén Spears
(Narragansett), Executive
Director, Tomaquag
Museum, RI
Exhibition Lighting Design
101: Conquering Darkness
with Truth and Beauty
Although most exhibition
people agree that a well-
conceived lighting design
can contribute to the success
of an exhibit presentation, it is often left to the last
minute. In this session you’ll gain knowledge of lighting
design practices and a hands-on demonstration of how
light can be successfully manipulated.
Facilitator: Steven Rosen, FIALD, IES, President &
Creative Director, Available Light, MA
Speaker: Leo Kerr, LC, IES, Lighting Designer/Exhibit
Production, National Museum of American History,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Finding New Relevance in Legacy
Collections
As museums strive for relevance, it often
seems like our valued collections are inadequate. We
lack artwork by women or artists of color, materials
from the recent past or from more recent additions
to our communities, or specimens that are familiar
to contemporary audiences. How can we effectively
utilize what has been collected over the decades in
exhibitions and programs? Our roundtable discussion
will look at finding new life and relevance in these
iconic legacy collections.
Facilitator: Laura B. Roberts, Principal, Roberts
Consulting, MA
Speakers: Emily Dunnack, Director of Education, Old
Sturbridge Village, MA; Corinne Zimmermann, Director
of Visitor Learning, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum,
MA; Jenny Brown, Collection Manager, Ware Collection
of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, Harvard University
Herbaria, MA
Tackling a Tough Topic…With Verve!
Science can be polarizing: some people
love it and others wouldn’t intentionally
touch it with a 10-foot pole. In this session, you will
hear how one museum tackled a difficult topic –
quantum physics – to create multiple opportunities
for different audiences to delve into the content.
You’ll have the opportunity to explore ways that your
organization might foray into creative methods for
presenting an institutionally-relevant, but challenging
idea, for your audiences.
Facilitators: Brindha Muniappan, Director of Education
& Public Programs; Ann Neumann, Director of Galleries
and Exhibitions, MIT Museum, MA; Patrick Gabridge,
Playwright, Novelist and Screenwriter, MA
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Falmouth 2017
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