PA Museums’ 2017 Annual Statewide Conference, Challenges and Change, will be held March 26-28, 2017 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s museums, historical societies, zoos, science centers, and historic sites step up to challenges amidst continuous change happening inside and outside of our organizations. PA Museums invites you to the city of Erie for our 2017 annual conference to explore our past, present, and future challenges. Throughout our conference, we will focus on changes in our field and in our communities.
It was not that very long ago that many of us applied for grants sitting in front of an IBM Selectric if our organization was fortunate enough to have one. Now our visitors, even the children, carry more computing power in their pockets than astronauts could bring to bear on the Apollo missions. Our audiences and communities are changing, and our assumptions about visitors’ expectations may need to be revisited. Finding funding for museums and cultural organizations continues to challenge us. Although we may sometimes resist change, the challenges of satisfying the needs of those we serve will push us ahead.
Our conference in Erie will bring us together for educational sessions and case studies, presentations from inspiring keynote speakers, tours of Erie’s cultural assets, opportunities to connect with our colleagues, and a celebration of outstanding work at our annual awards presentation. We hope to see you there.
Preliminary Schedule:
2017 Conference: Challenges and Change
Conference Hotel
We have secured a group rate of $99 per room for our conference attendees at the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel. This rate includes free onsite covered parking. Breakfast is not included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is available at the hotel's Bayfront Grille, Sunday-Thursday 6:30 AM to 10 PM and Friday-Saturday 6:30AM to 11PM and at their Bayfront Grille Lounge, Sunday–Thursday 11 AM to 11 PM and Friday-Saturday 11 AM to 1 AM. Please note that you may be able to secure a better rate on your own depending on what additional discounts may be available through AAA, etc. Please call 814-454-2005 to make your reservation. Visit sheratoneriebayfront.com for more information.
The Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel is a four minute drive or a ten minute walk to the Erie Maritime Museum, a four minute drive or a 14 minute walk to the Erie Art Museum. It is also a 23 minute drive to the Penn Shore Winery and a 27 minute drive to the South Shore Winery.
GPS address:
Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel
55 West Bay Drive
Erie, PA 16507
Sunday, March 26, 2017
2-3 PM
Penn Shore Winery Tour and Tasting
GPS address:
Penn Shore Winery and Vineyards
10225 East Lake Road
North East, PA 16428
814-725-8688
free onsite parking
Penn Shore Vineyards obtained one of the first two limited winery licenses issued by the state of Pennsylvania in 1968 and began crushing grapes in September 1969. They first opened the doors to the winery in April of 1970. Penn Shore has many firsts to its credits including offering the very first Pennsylvania Champagne in 1970.
This tour through the current cooperage area brings you face to face with tall, mammoth stainless steel storage tanks, a barrel room, champagne cellar, a modern bottling area, and large warehousing facilities. There is a retail and museum area as well as a spacious tasting bar. In addition there is a lovely outdoor patio in the midst of vast vineyards.
For more information, visit http://pennshore.com/
Travel time from Penn Shore Winery to South shore Winery is 4 minutes.
3:30-4:30 PM
South Shore Wine Company Tour and Tasting
GPS address:
South Shore Wine Company
1120 Freeport Rd. (Rt. 89)
North East, PA 16428
814-725-1585
Free onsite parking
The South Shore Wine Company, originally established by William Griffith and Smith S. Hammond in 1864, was the first commercial winery in Erie County. The original stone wine cavern, built in the 1860s and fashioned after French wine caverns, is one of very few of its kind in the United States. After Griffith’s untimely death, the winery continued operation under various owners and winemakers for many years until the Prohibition halted production in the 1920s. The South Shore Wine Company was one of the longest running wineries in Pennsylvania.
It was purchased in 2007 by Robert Mazza of Mazza Vineyards in hopes of preserving the unique history of the location. The stone wine cavern was restored and opened to the public as a tasting room and wine cellar, and the South Shore Wine Company name was re-established.
In the wine cellar, you will be able to taste a new and unique selection of wines while taking in the grandeur and silent history hidden within the original stone walls. You can almost hear the echoes of past winemakers as they prepared their samples for the 1867 Paris World’s Fair.
For more information, please visit http://enjoymazza.com/south-shore-wine-company
Travel time from the South Shore Wine Company to The Erie Maritime Museum is 25 minutes.
5:30-6:30 PM
Welcome Reception at The Erie Maritime Museum
GPS address:
Erie Maritime Museum/Home Port U.S. Brig Niagara
150 East Front Street
Erie, PA 16507
814.452.2744
Free onsite parking
Enter the world of Lake Erie. Learn its history. Find out about fishing. From the War of 1812 through present day, the Erie Maritime Museum will take you through the people and the events surrounding Lake Erie. When in homeport, the ship herself is the premier “exhibit”. Berthed within yards of the museum, the U.S. Brig Niagara is visible from the museum’s bayside picture window.
Inside, the centerpiece exhibits of the museum range from a former steam-powered electricity generating station and a reconstruction of the mid-ship section of the Lawrence to a separate section of the Lawrence replica that has been blasted with live ammunition from the current Niagara’s own carronades.
Refreshments will be available.
For more information, please visit http://www.flagshipniagara.org/
6:30 PM
Dinner on Your Own
Monday, March 27, 2017
Monday and Tuesday's conference sessions and Monday's achievement awards will be held at the Erie Art Museum. We also invite you to visit with our sponsors in the Museum Marketplace. We thank our host for their hospitality. The Erie Art Museum has a collection of over 8,000 objects, including American ceramics, Tibetan paintings, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and many other mediums. The museum hosts 18 to 20 visiting exhibitions annually and shares parts of its collection with national and international partners through traveling exhibits.
Erie Art Museum
GPS address
10 East 5th Street
Erie, PA 16501
814-459-6477
Parking:
Meter parking is available on all blocks around the museum, on Perry Square and at the lot at 3rd & State Street. There is also a parking ramp on 3rd Street between State & French.
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
Museum Marketplace
8:30-9:30 AM
Registration and Light Refreshments
9:30-10:15 AM
Welcome and Keynote
Franklin Vagnone (Principal – TWISTED PRESERVATION: Cultural Consulting. New York City, and President/CEO of Old Salem Inc. Winston-Salem, NC) with a strong background in the creative arts (Architecture, Design, Sculpture), is a Public Historian who has been labeled a "domestic-archeo-anthropologist", has over 25 years of transformational leadership in non-profit management, financial oversight, fundraising, strategic planning, board relationships, award-winning cultural program & creative place-making development.
Seen as an international thought leader in innovative and entrepreneurial non-profit management. He has a thoughtful combination of philosophical and practical experience that have allowed him to consult, lecture, and teach internationally for an extensive list of national, state, local agencies, as well as universities, cultural sites, museums, and community-based membership organizations..
Franklin leads the highly respected cultural consulting firm: Twisted Preservation, and facilitates the series “One Night Stand” overnights in historic house museums, and “Water Cooler Chats”, which to date, has readers in over 85 countries - (twistedpreservation.wordpress.com), and also moderates an international discussion group – The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums
Frank is author of numerous articles as well as co-authored The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums (with Ms. Deborah Ryan) – a book about innovative concepts for historic cultural sites and the focus of today's keynote. The book, now in its 3rd printing since November 2015, was voted best Museum Education-related book of 2015 by Museum Educator’s Monitor, and became the #1 bestseller (Museum-related) on Amazon for February 2016.
While Executive Director of major historic house organizations in Philadelphia (The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks) and New York City (Historic House Trust of New York City), his leadership has been recognized through, two Lucy G. Moses awards from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, Award of Excellence from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Award of Merit from Museum Association of New York Award, and a Grand Jury Medal from The Philadelphia Preservation Alliance.
In recognition of his sustained work in the museum profession, Franklin was selected for the 2015 Museum Association of New York State’s prestigious Individual Achievement Award.
10:15-10:30 AM
Break
10:30-11:15 AM
Going Green Means Saving Money
Using the Erie Art Museum as a concrete example, this session will examine what it means to go green: Green certification processes, especially LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, the U.S. Green Building Council's certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices); green operating policies; using the green museum as an educational opportunity; and specific examples of ways that greening the museum can reduce operating expenses, create greater visitor comfort and improve employee working conditions.
The session will include a introduction to green museums and a tour of the green features of the Erie Art Museum's 2010 LEED Gold building.
Presenters:
Brian Smith, Energy Efficiency Outreach Representative for Sodexo Quality of Life Services, which administers the Pennsylvania energy efficiency rebate program (which can offer immediate savings to PA Museums by underwriting much of the cost of converting to energy efficient lighting)
John Vanco, Director, Erie Art Museum
10:30-11:15 AM
Going Viral: A View from Other Side
You may have seen the viral video of a museum visitor damaging a clock at the National Watch & Clock Museum in 2016. That video, posted as a polite warning to other guests, eventually garnered over 5 million views across multiple media platforms. How did it happen? What were the impacts of this video? What should you prepare for in the event that your museum’s video goes viral?
Presenters:
Kim Jovinelli, Curator of Collections, National Watch & Clock Museum
Noel Poirier, Museum Director, National Watch & Clock Museum
11:15-11:30 AM
Break
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Courting Uncle Sam: A Case Study of Challenges and Strategies in Funding The Ignite Initiative through IMLS
Find out how a rural museum with a staff of four, a shoestring budget, and a passion for science employed a blended grant writing approach developing a grant application ole Sam couldn’t refuse. The Children’s Museum of Bloomsburg will share the challenges, strategies, and successes in applying for and executing a multi-prong project powered by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Participants will have an opportunity for a mini “museum camp” activity to experiment with practical ideas for their own institutions.
Presenters:
Shawna Meiser, Director, The Children’s Museum
Ginny Weibel, Ph.D., Education Coordinator, The Children’s Museum
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Deaccessioning and the Ethical Use of Deaccession Funds
How does your museum spend deaccession funds? Since 1993 the American Alliance of Museums’ Code of Ethics has required that proceeds from the sale of non-living collections be spent on acquisitions or “direct care of collections.” Panelists will discuss AAM’s 2016 White Paper Direct Care of Collections: Ethics, Guidelines and Recommendations which provides a matrix and recommendations to help museums of various disciplines define “direct care of collections.” Participants are encouraged to bring their questions and concerns regarding deaccessioning and the ethical use of deaccession proceeds to the discussion.
Presenters:
Ellen Endslow, Director of Collections/Curator, Chester County Historical Society and former Chair, AAM’s Curators Committee
Susan E. Hanna, Regional Curator, Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums, PHMC
Stacey Swigart, Curator of Collections, Please Touch Museum and member, Direct Care Task Force
12:15-12:30 PM
Break
12:30-2:30 PM
Awards Program and Lunch
2:30-2:45 PM
Break
2:45-3:30 PM
Death, Taxes and Chief Executive Transition
Executive transition is inevitable, whether planned or due to an emergency. If an organization is not prepared there is high risk for negative impact including to programming, fundraising and relationships. If prepared, this can be a time of organizational strengthening. This session will review best practices to manage the risk; the trends and dynamics behind leadership transition today; how the chief executive position is changing; and what your organization can do to prepare to attract the best candidates and allow them to hit the ground running. Succession planning, whether to use an interim executive director, and the role of the board of directors and the outgoing executive will also be addressed.
Presenters:
Caroline E. Boyce, CAE, President & CEO, Inter-Mission, LLC
Todd Owens, Co-Founder and Principal, Nonprofit Talent
Stephen J. Porter, Esq., President, Erie Art Museum Board of Directors
2:45-3:30 PM
Considerations for Creating Sensory-Friendly Programming for Teens and Adults
This session will review The Andy Warhol Museum's recent sensory-friendly programs designed specifically for teens and young adults 14 to 21 years old as well as adults 21+ with autism spectrum disorders and/or those with sensory sensitivities. Learn how participants explored Andy Warhol’s artwork through gallery discussions, activities, and art making in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Leah Morelli, School Programs Coordinator, The Andy Warhol Museum
Lucianna Randall, Executive Director, Autism Connection of Pennsylvania
Chrisoula Randas Perdziola, Programming Specialist, PA Museums
The Erie Art Museum is a three minute drive and a 13 minute walk to the Erie County Historical Society.
4-5 PM
Tour of the Erie County Historical Society
The Erie County Historical Society
356 West Sixth Street
Erie, PA 16507
814-454-1813
Come tour the Watson-Curtze Mansion, which houses the Regional History Museum,located on the second & third floors, while the first floor interprets Victorian furniture & decor.
The Watson-Curtze Mansion and Carriage House were designed by the Buffalo architectural firm of Green & Wicks and built in 1891. Designed in the iconic Dichardsonian Romanesque style, the mansion features intricate wood carvings, multiple stained glass windows, oak flooring, 12 fireplaces, and a ballroom. The Mansion is listed on the National Historic Register.
Erie roofing paper magnet, Harrison Watson, built the home in 1891. Harrison and his wife Carrie Tracey, along with their daughter Winifred lived in the home until 1923. Frederic Felix Curtze purchased the home and lived at the property until 1941 when it officially became a museum.
5 PM
Dinner on Your Own
Tuesday's conference sessions and Monday's will be held at the Erie Art Museum. We also invite you to visit with our sponsors in the Museum Marketplace. We thank our host for their hospitality. The Erie Art Museum has a collection of over 8,000 objects, including American ceramics, Tibetan paintings, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and many other mediums. The museum hosts 18 to 20 visiting exhibitions annually and shares parts of its collection with national and international partners through traveling exhibits.
Tuesday, March 28
Erie Art Museum
GPS address
10 East 5th Street
Erie, PA 16501
814-459-6477
Parking:
Meter parking is available on all blocks around the museum, on Perry Square and at the lot at 3rd & State Street. There is also a parking ramp on 3rd Street between State & French.
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
Museum Marketplace
8:30-9:30 AM
Registration and Light Refreshments
9:30-10:15 AM
Plenary Session
Old Songs New Opportunities
Old Songs New Opportunities (OSNO) is a program of the Erie Art Museum that trains refugee women to work in childcares and to use their traditional songs on the job. It has also trained hundreds of American teachers about using song in traditional ways to motivate, cheer, and comfort young children and to raise awareness of PA’s changing multicultural landscape. Hear delightful songs sung in Arabic, Swahili, Nepali and in English and meet graduates of the program. Learn how it has impacted their lives and benefitted the Museum and the greater community.
Presenters:
Kelly Armor, Folk Art & Education Director, Erie Art Museum
Ally Thomas, Education Coordinator, Erie Art Museum
Performers:
Samia Almashni is from Jordan and has degrees in cosmetology and computer networks and has served as an Arabic translator. She has been a song coach to dozens of American teachers and a dynamic presenter at the Erie Art Museum.
Amrita Magar is from Bhutan. She sings in Nepali (her native language), Swahili and Arabic with suburban children at a childcare outside of Erie, where she works.
Marta Sam is a drummer, dancer, and singer from South Sudan. She regularly shares her African culture at an early childhood center where she has worked for over 12 years.
10:15-10:30 AM
Break
10:30-11:15 AM
The Rise of Management Commons: A New Model for Resource Sharing
CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia, since 2010, has pioneered the development of the first nonprofit management commons built expressly for the arts and heritage community. As a commons manager, they build and share all of the essential resources that a cultural project or organization needs behind the curtain to support its work: finance, human resource management, legal, compliance, insurances, fundraising, marketing, administrative space, technology, and advisory services. They serve the full spectrum of arts and heritage organizations (including museums of all kinds, archives, historic sites), as well as individual practitioners working on a project or initiative basis. All services are flexible and affordable, and designed to be easily carried. This presentation will examine how a new shared services model of “management commons” may be better adapted to the needs of the heritage and museum community
Presenters:
Rashanda Freeman, Community Engagement Co-Director
Thaddeus Squire, Managing Director
10:30-11:15 AM
Tour of Erie Art Museum
11:15-11:30 AM
Break
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Taking the Museum Outdoors
Taking the museum outdoors can be a welcome challenge. In 2016 the Jefferson County Historical Society created a park in an undeveloped woodland setting in order to make accessible the unique story of Douglas Stahlman and his 100 year old legacy of meticulously carved words, passages and symbols on rocks ranging in size from a washtub to a house. This session will discuss the pitfalls and successes of developing a park in a remote setting and present a creative avenue of interpreting and teaching local history.
The experience Children’s Museum in Erie PA is home to Discovery Corner, a recently recognized certified Outdoor Classroom. Discovery Corner is one of 14 nationally certified outdoor classrooms in the State. This session will discuss the transformation process of how the experience Children’s Museum took an unused “ugly” space and created a nationally recognized classroom for families to enjoy.
The Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park, or LEAF as it is known, is a tree museum situated in a public park in Erie PA. This session will discuss how a dedicated group of volunteers working with the City of Erie and other supporters transformed a poorly maintained and under-utilized park in an urban setting into a hub for family friendly educational and recreational activities.
Presenters:
Ainslie Brosig, Executive Director, expERIEence Children’s Museum
Kenneth Burkett, Executive Director
Jefferson County History Center
Char Mashyna, Executive Director of the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
The W’s of Museum Making, with an H Thrown in
The Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground Railroad Museum has been a long process of planning, re-planning, starting, stopping, natural disasters, research, and partnerships. Learn about the amazing life of William C Goodridge and the work he did to provide freedom to strangers as well as the precarious process involved in starting a museum to honor him.
What happens when you are given a property for a museum?
Why is it important?
Where to start?
When does all this happen?
How do you get it registered/certified?
Who will visit it, appreciate it, sustain it?
Presenters:
Carol Kauffman, Community Development Director, Crispus Attucks Association
Dan Roe, Vice President of Interpretation, York County History Center
12:15-2:15 PM
Lunch on Your Own
2:15-3 PM
Kids as Curators
In 2005, the Erie Art Museum started an experimental program to have middle school students create exhibits using their own collections. Kids as Curators blossomed into the Museum’s largest educational program. Using kids’ inherent interest in collecting gets them to consider museums as interesting and teaches about exhibition design and partnering with local schools. Learn how smaller museums can capitalize on their ability to be flexible, local, and personal while also addressing the curricular needs of math, science, history, and language arts teachers.
Presenters:
Kelly Armor, Education Director, Erie Art Museum
Ally Thomas, Museum Education Coordinator, Erie Art Museum
2:15--3 PM
How Failing to Invest in Your Online Presence is Losing Your Organization Money
Prior to 2016, the Crawford County Historical Society had a minimal Internet presence that was limited to an out-of-date website with no social media channels and no means for generating online revenue. The society recognized a need to change. Within 6 months of investing time and resources into a clear digital marketing strategy, the society witnessed a 68% increase in memberships, 34% increase in research requests, 25% increase in ticket sales, and 20% increase in non-member visits to the society—all of which directly translated into additional revenue versus the prior year. They were also reaching new audiences of all ages, both in and outside the area. The tenants of the society’s online marketing strategy, the tools and tactics used to implement the strategy, and how others can see similar success will be shared.
Presenters:
Joshua Sherretts, Board President, Crawford County Historical Society and Executive Director of the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum
Ron Mattocks, Board Member, Crawford County Historical Society and Vice President of Digital Marketing Services for an Indiana-based marketing firm
3-3:15 PM
Break
3:15-4 PM
Annual Membership Meeting
