PREPARING MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS: NEW APPROACHES FOR CHANGING TIMES Thursday, April 30 Convention Center, Room 109 A/B Educational innovations in the U.S. and the U.K. reflect the reconfiguring of two critical aspects of museum professional training: the pedagogical essentials for entry-level professional standards, and continuing educational opportunities for mid-career professionals. Attendees will identify which skills they would like to refresh or gain, and specify the educational experiences they consider valuable. CHAIR: Tina Olsin Lent, Chair, Fine Arts Department, College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY PRESENTERS: Martha Morris, Associate Professor of Museum Studies, George Washington University, Washington, DC Paul D'Ambrosio, Vice President/Chief Curator, New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown Dana Kletchka, Curator of Education, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, PA Maurice Davies, Deputy Director, The Museums Association, London, United Kingdom Endorsed by the AAM Committee on Museum Professional Training, Co-Endorsed by the AAM Curators Committee, AAM Museum Management Committee, AAM Registrars Committee, AAM National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME), AAM Committee for Diversity in Museums, and the AAM Committee on Education.
INTERNSHIPS 101: A PRIMER FOR STUDENTS, SUPERVISORS AND ACADEMICS Saturday, May 2 Convention Center, Room 103 B/C A round-table discussion of internships will present the perspectives of academia, the institution and the intern. Following a short presentation from three experts in the field, elements of successful and not-so-successful internships will be discussed, producing a better understanding of a successful internship. BACK TO BASICS SESSION! CO-CHAIRS: Lindsey Baker, Executive Director, Laurel Historical Society, MD Tatiana Ausema, Collection Assistant, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC PRESENTERS: Cristin Waterbury, Registrar and Collections Manager, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc Kristen Olson-Eckman, Curatorial Assistant, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY Vicky Cassman, Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Delaware, Newark Endorsed by the AAM Committee on Museum Professional Training. Co-Endorsed by the AAM Curators Committee, AAM Registrars Committee and the AAM Small Museum Administrators Committee.
MID-CAREER PROFESSIONAL TRAINING: WHAT WOKS AND WHAT DOESN'T Saturday, May 2 Convention Center, Room 108 A Project directors of IMLS 21st Century Museum Professionals grants share their experiences planning and implementing professional development programs for working professionals. Effective tools, scheduling, presentation formats and project evaluation methods will be shared, along with approaches to mid-project adjustments to address the needs of mid-career learners. CHAIR: Christopher Reich, Senior Program Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, DC PRESENTERS: Erika Gee, Program Director, International Coalition of Sites and Conscience, New York, NY Tema Harnik, Executive Director, Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Elmsford, NY Margaret Kadoyama, Principal, Margaret Kadoyama Consulting, Fairfax, CA Leslie Swartz, Senior Vice President for Research and Program Planning, Boston Children's Museum, MA Jenniver Weiskotten, Program Director, Virginia Association of Museums, Richmond Endorsed by the AAM Committee on Museum Professional Training. Co-Endorsed by the AAM Curators Committee, AAM Museum Managers Committee, AAM Small Museum Administrators Committee, AAM Committee on Education, AAM Committee for Diversity in Museums, AAM Registrars Committee.
STAFFING RESPONSIVE MUSEUMS: WHY I HIRE WHOM I HIRE Saturday, May 2 Convention Center, Room 204 A How can museum leaders and trainers prepare, then seek out and hire prospective staff members with the best characteristics, knowledge and qualifications? How can job seekers meet museums' staffing needs in the coming decade? This session will encourage discussion of needs and best practices. CHAIR: Rosemary Krill, Curator of Education, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, DE PRESENTERS: Steve Friesen, Director, Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, Golden, CO Lynn Robertson, Executive Director, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Scott Swank, Executive Director, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, MA Endorsed by the AAM Committee on Museum Professional Training, Co-Endorsed by the AAM Development and Membership Committee.
TRANSITIONING FROM ACADEMIA TO THE MUSEUM: EXPERIENCES OF RECENT GRADUATES Sunday, May 3 Convention Center, Room 201 A Recent Graduates from academic programs in museum studies assess how well prepared they were for their first jobs, and a faculty member of a major museum studies program discusses the findings of a survey of recent graduates. Focus on what academic programs can do better and on ways museums can help ease the transition from academia to first museum job. CHAIR: Petra Chu, Director, MA Program of Museum Professions, Seton Hall University, Department of Art and Music, South Orange, NJ PRESENTERS: Kristian Anderson, Student, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Seattle, WA Maggie Crawford, Education Coordinator, Newseum, Washington, DC Cynthia Hawkins, Director of Galleries, State University of New York Geneseo, NY Wendy Duff, Director, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, Canada Endorsed by the AAM Committee on Museum Professional Training. Co-Endorsed by the AAM committee on Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE), AAM Curators Committee, and the AAM Education Committee.