WMA 2000 Annual Conference & Membership MeetingForward Thinking: Museums Educating the Next Generation

Olympia & Lacey, Washington

June 14-16, 2000
Wednesday, June 14

    Thursday, June 15

    Friday, June 16

Wednesday, June 14 

Coach House & State Capitol Museum, 211 West 21st Avenue, Olympia (map)

 

8:30 – 4:00pm
Web Sites for Museums:  Pre-conference workshop that focuses on starting a Web site, creating Web pages and making the most of the Internet. Click here for workshop handouts & resources.
3:30 – 5:00pm
Board of Trustees Meeting:  All members welcome. Held at State Capitol Museum conference room.
4:30 – 6:30pm
Evening Reception:  Sponsored by the State Capitol Museum and Washington State Historical Society.
Thursday, June 15 

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

8:00am
Registration:  Coffee & conversations. Check in Silent Auction items.
9:00 – 9:15am
Opening Remarks & Welcome:Karen Marshall, acting President, WMA

Derek Valley, Chair, Local Arrangements Committee

Annamary Fitzgerald, President, South Sound Heritage Assn

9:15am
Keynote Speaker:  Lt Governor Brad Owen

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.

10:00am
Introduction of Guests:  Karen Marshall, acting President, WMAJoin the WMA Board of Directors in welcoming Melissa Rosengard, Executive Director, Western Museum Assn.

“Break Around the Lake”

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

Silent Auction bidding begins

10:30 – 11:45am
General Session:

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.

11:45 – 12:00pm
“Break Around the Lake”
Noon
Conversations at Lunch:  Choose a topic of your choice and join in the conversation.

Web Site Questions Lorin Catudio
School Programs Mary Jo Maute
Museum Festivals Keith Williams
Making the Most of Charitable Contributions Ellen Ferguson
Digitizing your Photograph Collection David Lynx
Creative & Entertaining Educational Programs for Adults Pat Doran
Tips for Attracting Young Board Members George Thomas
Creative & Entertaining Educational Programs for Youth Pat Wald
News Q&A with the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Rob Whitlam, State Archaeologist
1:00 – 1:30pm
“Break Around the Lake”
1:30 – 2:45pm
Concurrent Sessions:

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

2:45 – 3:00pm
“Break Around the Lake”
3:15 – 4:30pm
Concurrent Sessions

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

6:00 – 8:30pm
Progressive Dinner, Olympia and TumwaterEnjoy delicious foods and beverages throughout this fun evening of exploration! You’ll visit the Bigelow House, Olympia’s oldest residence, delight on light hors d’oeuvres and hear lovely piano music played on a 1871 square Steinway; delve into the Hands-On Children’s Museum, where you can learn about line, shape and proportion as you create your own three-dimensional self-portrait as you munch on London Broil, Thai chicken and smoked salmon; taste a bit of Germany at the Henderson House Museum, home of William Naumann, German immigrant and brewmaster for the Olympia Brewing Company featuring German desserts; and step back in time at the 1858 Historic Crosby House and Pioneer Log Cabin, with fresh fruit tarts, lemonade and demonstrations of pioneer homecrafts.
Friday, June 16 

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!