Annual Conference 2023

WORKSHOP: Museums and a Changing Climate: Where Does Your Museum Fit and What to Do Next
Presenters: Sarah Sutton & Danielle Sakowski of Environment & Culture Partners
Yakima Valley Museum on Tuesday, June 20, 12:00-2:00pm
Museums are uniquely positioned to foster collective action and effect change on one of the greatest challenges facing humans today: a changing climate. Museums are one of the most trusted institutions in the United States, and they have a robust network of resources for learning, targeting, and implementing localized and large-scale solutions to a problem that often feels too colossal to address. As such trusted and resource-full organizations, museums have the opportunity to come together, inform their communities, assist in their resilience to the impacts of climate change, and to lead them in Climate Action. In part one of this workshop, guests will learn about the foundations and intersections of climate and the cultural sector. With a few statistics, but mostly examples and activities, Environment & Culture Partners (ECP) will provide an overview of how a changing climate affects museums, how the sector is responding, and offer an introduction into how museums can work with cautious communities, and help any community become more resilient. In part two, guests will practice prioritizing their own next steps, and learn what resources and programs are available to help them continue or get started with their own climate action and climate resilience work.

WORKSHOP: AV101
Yakima Valley Museum on Tuesday, June 20, 12:00-2:00pm

Presenters: Hanna Palin & Libby Hopfauf of Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound
Let’s face it, taking care of audiovisual materials can be intimidating. It requires specialized, expertise, antiquated, equipment, and lots of hard to come by funding, but this doesn’t have to be the case. A little knowledge goes along way. If you understand what you have, you’ll be able to figure out what to do with it how to talk to vendors, determine costs, create access, and plan next steps for these materials. You don’t have to become a moving image archivist, but being able to tackle that shoebox full of weird old film and tape will empower you to make good choices about the materials in your care in this workshop, experts in film and video will demystify the reels and cassettes sitting on your shelves and tucked away in boxes. Participants will learn to identify formats and create access to material using simple DIY techniques. The instructors will offer hands on opportunities to become familiar with a variety of formats, such as 16mm film and U-matic videotape, among many others participants will walk away from the workshop, armed with resources, and information to help them on the journey to care for their audiovisual collections.

Tuesday, June 20
12:00 – 2:00pm

Workshop: A/V 101 (Early bird: $20 for members / $25 for non-members
Hannah Palin, Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound; Libby Hopfauf, Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound 

Let’s face it, taking care of audiovisual materials can be intimidating. It requires specialized expertise, antiquated equipment, and lots of hard-to-come-by funding. But this doesn’t have to be the case. A little knowledge goes a long way. If you understand what you have, you’ll be able to figure out what to do with it, how to talk to vendors, determine costs, create access, and plan next steps for these materials. You don’t have to become a moving image archivist, but being able to tackle that shoebox full of weird old film and tape will empower you to make good choices about the materials in your care. In this workshop, experts in film and video will demystify the reels and cassettes sitting on shelves and tucked away in boxes. Participants will learn to identify formats and create access to materials using simple DIY techniques. The instructors will offer hands-on opportunities to become familiar with a variety of formats such as 16mm film and U-matic videotape, among many others. Participants will walk away from the workshop armed with resources and information to help them on the journey to care for their audiovisual collections.

Workshop: Museums and a Changing Climate: Where Does Your Museum Fit and What to Do Next (Early bird: $20 for members / $25 for non-members)
Sarah Sutton, Co-Founder and CEO, Environment & Culture Partners; Danielle Sakowski, Program Manager, Environment & Culture Partners

Museums are uniquely positioned to foster collective action and effect change on one of the greatest challenges facing humans today: a changing climate. Museums are one of the most trusted institutions in the United States, and they have a robust network of resources for learning, targeting, and implementing localized and large-scale solutions to a problem that often feels too colossal to address. As such trusted and resource-full organizations, museums have the opportunity to come together, inform their communities, assist in their resilience to the impacts of climate change, and to lead them in Climate Action. In part one of this workshop, guests will learn about the foundations and intersections of climate and the cultural sector. With a few statistics, but mostly examples and activities, Environment & Culture Partners (ECP) will provide an overview of how a changing climate affects museums, how the sector is responding, and offer an introduction into how museums can work with cautious communities, and help any community become more resilient. In part two, guests will practice prioritizing their own next steps, and learn what resources and programs are available to help them continue or get started with their own climate action and climate resilience work.

5:30 – 7:00pm

Opening Reception at Larson Gallery

Wednesday, June 21

9:30 – 11:30am

Introductions
Katie Buckingham, WaMA President

Keynote
Moderator: Aletheia Whitman, The Incluseum; Jackie Cook, Colville Tribal Museum; Priya Frank, Seattle Art Museum; Polly Olsen, Burke Museum

12:00 – 1:30pm

Advocacy Lunch

1:45 – 3:00pm

The Past is Present: Washington State and America250
Jay Baersten, Washington State Historical Society; Allison Campbell, Washington State Historical Society

In 2022, the Washington State Legislature established a Semiquincentennial (250) Commission which is chaired by the Lieutenant Governor and staffed by the Washington State Historical Society. This session will be in two parts: 1.) a presentation about the themes and objectives for America250 that the Commission recently established, and 2.) a discussion and listening session about what you want to see in Washington State to commemorate America250. How can the heritage sector both thoughtfully engage with this commemorative event in 2026 and leverage this historical opportunity to build capacity for the sector into the future?

Living Culture: Bringing Together Community, Culture and History in Design
Rachael Kitagawa, Hoshide Wanzer Architects; Kenji Hoshide, Hoshide Wanzer Architects

Kamehameha II (Liholiho) once said when praised for his wisdom, “Na wai ho’i ka ‘ole o ke akamai, he alahele i ma’a i ka hele ‘ia e o’u mau makua Who would not be wise on the path that has so long been walked by my ancestors?” acknowledging the process from which knowledge, founded by connections to our home, family, community and each other, become wisdom. This session will focus on the importance of bringing together these backgrounds into the design of museums and exhibits. Throughout the years, we have developed an exceptional understanding of projects involving various community groups and nonprofits, emphasizing the importance of community and culture in our work. This session will highlight incorporating community outreach and engagement, historic archival research, cultural materials and identities, and placemaking in design. We invite you to explore with us how these messages can be utilized to tell a story through experience, including welcoming, equity and communication, bringing together people inside and outside the community served.

Ghosts and Gossip: Telling New Stories in Historic Campbell House
Freya Liggett, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture; Ellen Postlewait, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture; Linda Strong, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture ; Amanda Paulson, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture; DJ Moon, Northwest museum of Arts and Culture

One of the most common questions heard at Campbell House is “are there ghosts?” Inspired (and a little frustrated) by this, a volunteer proposed a program to address these rumors and bring in some much-needed historical context using stories and objects from our archives and permanent collections. This proposal would evolve into the Campbell House Dark History Program (Chapter 1), a surprise after-hours hit throughout 2022. In this session, learn about how the program not only drew in new audiences from around the region, but pushed us to learn more about objects in the collection and archives and find new, exciting ways to use them and bring their stories to the visitors. 

3:15 – 4:30pm

One Size Does Not Fit All: Demystifying the Search for a New Collections Management System
Brooke Shelman Wagner, Museum Collection Curator, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture; Britta Keller Arendt, Registrar, Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University; Jessica Long, Artifact Collections Curator, Providence Archives

Join three collections professionals from three different museum environments, who are in three different stages of replacing their collections management systems. Born out of a side conversation during an Emergency Preparedness discussion, they realized they were all going through different stages of the same process and wanted to share key takeaways. From the market research, to the decision-making processes, to the mapping and migration, and the implementation, they will discuss their lessons learned, obstacles overcome, and help mentally prepare you for your own migration.   

Study Our Local Waterways Together: STEM museum education using ROVs
Kathryn Myrsell, Westport Aquarium Education Director; Veronica Myrsell, Master’s Student in Aquaculture at University of Idaho and Marine Mammal Stranding Network volunteer

together for museum education outreach at your local waterways and learn how to use simple low cost ROVs to create amazing underwater photography and videography. In this session, we will present student ROV created underwater photography from three years of our WAqua Youth Works Program and our Transatlantic ROV Program which has been a modern day penpal style program with the Galway Atlantaquaria-The National Aquarium in Ireland, and our local Grays Harbor County Youth to document and share how our waterways are alike and different. We will also discuss the impact of outdoor museum education outreach and how it inspires local youth to continue in waterways education fields. There will be an opportunity at this session to build a simple student model ROV or take a kit back to your museum with you to put together with your fellow museum educators and students.

Buildings Full of Stories: Coming Together to Preserve and Share Washington’s Heritage at the Secretary of State’s Office
Aaron Peplowski, Senior Researcher for Legacy Washington; Benjamin Helle, Outreach Archivist for the Washington State Archives; Evan Robb, Digital Repository Librarian for the Washington State Library and also coordinator for Northwest Digital Heritage, a regional service hub for the Digital Public Library of America; Shawn Schollmeyer, Washington Digital Newspapers Coordinator for the Washington State Library; Judy Pitchford, Central Library Services Manager for the Washington State Library

Beyond Elections, the Washington Secretary of State’s Office also protects and preserves our cultural heritage. Washington State Archives, Legacy, and Library Divisions have come together to share their secrets about our treasured collections from across the state. Join us to learn about the primary and secondary source documents we collect. Stronger together, our staff team up to share the programs, projects, and resources we have that can help strengthen your organization!

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Banquet at Yakima Valley Museum (Early bird: $75 for members / $100 for non-members)

Thursday, June 22

8:00 – 9:00am

Heritage Breakfast
Hosted by Washington State Historical Society

9:00 – 10:15am

Advancing Inclusive History
Moderator: Allison Campbell, Washington State Historical Society; Moderator: Jay Baersten, Washington State Historical Society; Ann Maroney, Skagit County Historical Museum; Magnolia Telford, Skagit County Historical Museum; Lillian Xie, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum

In 2021, the Washington State Historical Society launched the Diversity in Local History grant to fund projects that forward inclusive history work at small museums. A broad range of projects have been supported in the first two rounds of this program, including collections audits to identify underrepresented communities, oral history initiatives, community outreach efforts, and processing new collections materials from diverse communities. In this session, hear from staff and interns at the Skagit County Historical Museum, Jefferson County Historical Society and Bainbridge Island Historical Museum about how their organizations, with the help of DLH funding, are working to expand the stories they tell and the audiences they serve. This session will include a moderated discussion amongst panelists and the audience exploring why inclusive history matters, what opportunities and challenges organizations have encountered, and how museums of all sizes can begin making implemental change. 

Willits Canoes A Northwest Treasure
Brent Mason, Foss Waterway Seaport

Foss Waterway Seaport was given an amazing opportunity last year (2022) to recover the entire contents of the Willits Canoe Building Workshop which stood on Day Island from 1921 and had been closed up since 1962 creating a time capsule of early life in Tacoma. Willits Canoes are an integral part of Pacific Northwest boating history from 1908-1962 and produced some of the finest canoes ever made. Recovering the artifacts has been a step back in time when almost everything was created manually and each part of each boat was lovingly made by hand, planned, and created with thought and care. Working with these artifacts has given staff at Foss Waterway Seaport a glimpse into the minds and genius of Floyd and Earl Willits — staff are currently evaluating and organizing the contents of the factory and are planning an exhibit in the near future. In this session, learn about the journey of discovery along with the challenges and insights in bringing this important and historic exhibit to Foss Waterway Seaport.

Pedagogy in Public Programs
Sarah Faulkner, Humanities Washington 

How can we apply the best principles of teaching to our public programs? Explore how pedagogical ideas like scaffolded learning, transparency, agency, and metacognition can enhance your programs and events. This session will give an overview of key terms and share how they have been incorporated into public programs, then invite attendees to discuss how they might implement these principles in their own programs. We hope to inspire innovative approaches to engaging museum guests in meaningful ways. 

10:30 – 11:45am

Accessibility in Small Museums
Allison Campbell, Washington State Historical Society; Nancy Salguero McKay, Highline Heritage Museum

Join us for a conversation about accessibility and how museums can be welcoming spaces for all visitors, including those with disabilities and different abilities. This session will cover why accessibility is essential, discuss common myths about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and share ideas about how organizations can go beyond the ADA to improve accessibility. Nancy Salguero McKay of the Highline Heritage Museum will offer examples of how her organization approaches accessibility.

The Ups and Downs of a Collection Move
Jessica Long, Artifact Collections Curator. Providence Archives

In February 2022, Providence Archives completed a two-day move of their entire artifact collection from one side of a multipurpose office building to the other. This meant transporting a diverse collection of 5,000+ objects from one large storage area and dividing it among nine new rooms. With only one staff member fully dedicated to the project, a minimal budget to work with, and six months to prepare, this was no easy feat (especially using an antique elevator)! This session will share photographs and DIY floorplans, and discuss the planning, decision making processes, difficulties, lessons learned, and continuing cleanup from the collection move. 

Safety & Health Consultation Services to Museums/Cultural Heritage Institutions
Erica Minton, LNI DOSH; Heather Mygatt-Tauber, LNI DOSH; Whitney Rodriguez, LNI DOSCH

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Consultation is eager to spread the exciting news about a national emphasis pilot project on safety and health in Museums and Cultural Heritage sites. The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in collaboration with the DOSH Consultation Program is raising awareness on the occupational safety and health risks associated with the important work of their members. The activities of acquiring, preparing, and caring for collections may expose employees to a variety of chemical and physical hazards. DOSH Consultation provides confidential, no-fee professional advice and assistance to establish, or strengthen, your workplace safety and health program. Let’s come together to learn more about the safety and health hazards in your industry, the purpose of the pilot project and explore ways that we can collaborate to keep everyone safe and working.

12:00 – 2:00pm

Annual Meeting Lunch, Awards, & Scholarships