Conference 2000

Derek Valley, Chair, Local Arrangements Committee

Annamary Fitzgerald, President, South Sound Heritage Assn

Education and the Role of Museums  Lt Governor Brad Owen

Lt. Governor Brad Owen is an enthusiastic supporter of children and the arts. The mission of his newsletter, Capitol Letter, is “bringing communities together for our children,” and he regularly features articles on the arts and children.

“Break Around the Lake”

The Ecology of Woodland Creek, Lisa Dennis-Perez, Water Resources Specialist, City of Lacey

Silent Auction bidding begins

Change & Challenge: Technology Past, Present & Future  Lorin Catudio

Lorin Catudio currently works as a Web site designer for his company, LCSS (Lorin Catudio Software Services). Lorin’s educational and historical interests have led him to become actively involved in technology issues in schools and museums. He has created Web sites for Rose Hill Elementary and the Marymoor Museum. He is also very interested in understanding how the evolution of technology impacts and redefines people and society. Lorin has 16 years experience in software, working in project management, technical marketing, programming and technical writing. He has also taught database, C and Visual Basic programming at Bellevue Community College.

Teacher Talk: Connecting Your Museum to New Educational Standards and School Curriculums

Museums are an important resource for schools, but with budget cutbacks for field trips and constant changes in statewide curriculum objectives, it is imperative that heritage organizations are knowledgeable not only about local curriculum but about educational reforms across the state. Learn about the latest standards and how they should be incorporated into your educational programs. Discover that it’s not as scary to implement as it sounds, just stimulating and fun.

Presenters:

Janet Oakley, Educator, Skagit County Historical Museum

Steve Crowell, Lead Curator, Paul H. Karshner Memorial Museum

Working Together: The Role of Regional Museum Consortiums in Preserving and Interpreting History

How can heritage organizations work together in a climate of competitive funding and diversified audiences? This session will examine the efforts of the South Sound Heritage Association and League of Snohomish County Heritage Organizations to promote the common goals of heritage education, cultural tourism and community outreach.

Session Chair: Drew W. Crooks, Historian, Lacey Museum

Panelists:

Carla Wulfsberg, Museum Coordinator, Henderson House Musem

Susan Rohrer, Educational Coordinator, Washington State Capitol Museum

Louise Lindgren, Senior Planner for Historic Preservation, Snohomish County

Memory Book Projects for Heritage Organizations

Collecting as many of our elder’s stories as possible to pass on to future generations is critical for preserving the essence of a community’s spirit. Small heritage organizations can develop a simple, cost-effective “Memory Book” project to encourage community elders to contribute their memoirs for inclusion in a variety of educational formats.

Presenters:

Pat Filer, Director, Log House Museum, Southwest Seattle Historical Society

Cathy Fulton, owner, Capturing Memories

Forward Thinking: Endowments and Sustained Support

Museums and historical societies across the state are being asked to do more with less all the time. Public expectation and giving are at an all-time high. Yet, many of our colleagues shy away from building their own sustained support programs through endowment/foundation building. If we are truly “forward thinking”, then why don’t we all have endowments in place and why aren’t we taking advantage of the the largest transfer of wealth from one generation to the next? This session will address just how such forward thinking is working, from a long-term, short-term and startup position.

Session Chair: Steve Anderson, Director, Renton Museum

Panelists:

Charles Payton, Museum Advisor, King County Cultural Resources Division

Jerry Ramsey, Ph.D., Foundation donor/creator, Ramsey Fund for Fort Nisqually

Keith Williams, Ph.D., Director, North Central Washington Museum

Making Your Museum a Good Teacher

Small museums are hungry for ideas on how we can better meet the needs of schools and school-aged children, but we frequently have limited expertise, time and financial resources. This session will provide an opportunity for small museums, especially those that do not have an educator on staff, to learn how they can improve the “educational quality” of their exhibits and programs. A panel of professional educators will provide concrete examples of how museums can improve the educational quality of their exhibits and programs. From these examples, the educators will make some general suggestions about how small museums can make improvements.

Session Chair: Chris Erlich, Director, Gig Harbor Peninsula Historical Society & Museum

Panelists:

Stephanie Lile, Washington State History Museum Education Coordinator

David Lynx, Curator of Education, Yakima Valley Museum

The Shape of an Idea: An Exhibit Design Workshop

This is a participatory program which will look at the successes and failures of existing interpretive exhibitions, analyze the unique quality of communication in museum exhibitions, and explore the nature of presenting ideas and objects in space. Hypothetical topics, spaces, and objects will form the basis for a mini-workshop on creating effective and entertaining educational exhibits…by allowing the subject matter to dictate the form of your exhibition.

Workshop Leader: Andy Granitto, Curator of Exhibits and Programs, Yakima Valley Museum

Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Avenue SE, Lacey (map)

8:00am
	Registration:  On-site breakfasts: Registrars & Education Committees
9:00 – 9:45am
	Opening Remarks & Welcome Keynote Speaker:  Thomas “Les” Purce Museums and Community-Based Education Incoming president of the Evergreen State College, Olympia. Currently, Purce is Vice President for Extended University Affairs at Washington State University, where he is in charge of community-based education, cooperative extension services and distance-learning programs.
9:45 – 10:15am
	“Break Around the Lake”
10:15 – 11:00am
	Point/Counterpoint General Session: Save It or Use It? Preservation vs. Education Speakers: Carla Wulfsberg, Museum Coordinator, Henderson House Musem Susan Rohrer, Educational Coordinator, Washington State Capitol Museum Louise Lindgren, Senior Planner for Historic Preservation, Snohomish County
11:00 – noon
	Save It or Use It? Break-Out Discussion GroupsChoose one of these or create your own group! 1) Issues in Developing Educational Collections: What is the collection and how does it relate to the permanent collection? 2) Collecting Priorities: What’s the educational purpose? Should the public benefit? How is the public going to benefit? 3) Interactive Exhibits: What does it matter: using artifacts or replicas? How can you maintain and kid-proof interactives? 4) School Outreach Boxes: Using artifacts in the classroom. 5) Restoration vs. Conservation: Should an artifact be returned to its original appearance and condition or stabilized to prevent the chance of further deterioration.
Noon – 2:00pm
	WMA Awards and Membership Meeting Luncheon20th Anniversary Celebration Join us as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, congratulate our scholarship winners and honor recipients of the 2000 WMA awards. You’ll also hear the latest WMA business news.
2:00 – 2:15pm
	“Break Around the Lake” WMA Silent Auction Closes Items need to be paid for (cash or check only) and picked up at this time!
2:15 – 4:45pm
	Take a Tour! Museums of the South Sound Heritage Association
5:00pm
	“Commuter” Coffee/Dinner GatheringAt Mehfil, House of Exotic Indian Food, 810 Sleater Kinney Road, Lacey (map), in the Fred Meyer complex, with easy access to I-5. Avoid Friday’s rush hour and join colleagues for a quick caffeine infusion or a more leisurely dining experience. Mehfil’s offers a moderately priced extensive menu, from Chawal Bhandar to Samunders Se!