2026 Conference Program
The Power of Place: Museums Supporting Communities | October 19 -21, 2026 |
Suquamish / Bainbridge Island, WA
A full conference schedule will be added mid-June
Monday, October 19, 2026
Tours (Tickets required)
Suquamish Museum
Tour Times: 12:30 – 1:30 and 3:00-4:00pm
Join a guided journey through Suquamish history, culture, and living traditions. Explore exhibits, featuring stories, art, culture, canoe culture, fishing, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the Suquamish people. (Please note, the museum store will be closed this day).
Pre-Conference Workshops (Tickets required)
10:30am – 12:30pm
Workshop 1: Mountmaking for Museum Exhibition: Introduction to Theory and Practice.
Presenter: Devorah Romanek, Independent Curator
Successful exhibitions depend on access to the objects on display, on the ability for audiences to engage with the material culture presented. In this workshop participants will have the opportunity to both engage in some of the thinking behind mountmaking for museum exhibition. This will be followed by a conversation/demonstration about mount design and build techniques and get to design a mount. While this workshop is meant as an introduction to best practice in mountmaking, it will be helpful to those who have an interest in embarking on a journey to learn how to make mounts themselves, or for those who might supervise the work of those designing and making mounts. A variety of materials and techniques will be covered in introductory fashion. The use of mountmaking materials such as Acrylic, Brass, Steel, and Composites will be covered. And mounts for collections found in museums of Anthropology, Natural history, Social history, Tribal history, Applied arts and Fine arts will be considered. This is a workshop that has been presented at Die Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, University College London, The British Museum, University of Toronto and University of Washington. (Price includes a $20 materials fee.)
Workshop 2: Museum Kits that Work: Research-Based Strategies for Hands-on Inquiry
Presenter: Dr. Lindsey Snyder
Description: Museum kits are powerful tools for connecting collections to classrooms—but only when they are designed with teacher and student needs in mind. Drawing on research with eleven elementary educators, this session shares practical, research-based strategies for designing museum kits and teacher programming that foster inquiry, critical thinking, and engagement. Participants will experience object-based learning firsthand, explore what teachers actually use (and don’t use) in kits, and apply design principles to improve their own programs. Grounded in “The Power of Place,” this session highlights how thoughtfully designed outreach that incorporates community voices can expand access and strengthen educational impacts.
Workshop 3: Meeting Your Community Where They Are
Presenter: Lindsay Ogles, Director of Exhibits and Engagement, Bainbridge History Museum
In the face of limited funds, increased demands on museum staff, and changing community needs, museums are faced with the daunting task of facilitating exhibit, education, and programming in an ever-changing environment. Through a series of examples and brainstorming activities, workshop participants will be able to clarify the needs of their communities, identify the barriers that currently exist, and brainstorm affordable and impactful solutions. Upon entry, workshop participants will be able to select seated around tables based upon whether they are most interested in discussing exhibits, education, or programming. Seated with others interested in the same areas, the brainstorming session will include handouts for targeted planning as well as guided discussion and examples for each area of consideration.
Workshop 4: The Power of Place Starts Within: Leading Grounded, Resilient Institutions.
Presenter: Lisa Jackson, Director, Suquamish Museum
Description: Strong leadership begins from within. This interactive workshop invites participants to explore how self-awareness, regulation, and grounded leadership practices strengthen teams and organizations during times of uncertainty. Through guided exercises, real-life scenarios, and group discussion, attendees will practice tools for managing stress, making thoughtful decisions, and leading with clarity and confidence. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that support emotional regulation and explore how their responses impact workplace culture. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with practical strategies to lead with resilience, foster trust, and create stable, supportive environments within their organizations.
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Workshop 5: Creating a Seat at the Table, Practical Methods of Inclusion
Presenters: Wendy Meluch (Wendy Meluch Consulting) & Kathryn Owen (Kathryn Owen Consulting)
Place shapes people, just as people shape their place. Museums are perfectly positioned to facilitate experiences that expand our understanding of each other and the world around us. Museum staff can’t – and shouldn’t – do this alone. Involving the communities we are part of is integral to experience design and strategic planning. This workshop offers practical methods for bringing visitors and community members into the conversation to ensure that your programs and your organization are relevant and accessible. Participants will learn about manageable data collection methods (surveys, live polling and passive systems), and how these can be used alone or in the context of interactive, in-person events with community partners. We will cover fundamentals including technical best practices, cultural competency, sample design and size guidelines, and analysis tips. Participants are encouraged to arrive with a project or research/messaging need in mind which they can develop during the session. Attendees will expand their thinking about and enhance their toolkits for community engagement. Workshop presenters have over 60 years of combined experience in the field, and reputations for fun, dynamic training sessions in the US and abroad. Join us for some laughs and learning.
Workshop 6: Planning for People: Why Logistics are Critical for Community Engagement
Presenters: Melanna Kallionakis, Director of Visitor Services, Museum of History and Industry & Nicole Robert, Independent Museum Professional
Have you had to chase after visitors because they didn’t know where to buy a ticket? Did your community participant bring live plants to create a shared art piece? Was your presenter physically unable to access your stage? There’s a better way! Many museum activities are planned without fully understanding how to support the visitor and community experience. Understand why considering essential visitor logistics is critical to successful community engagement, and how to apply key visitor planning principles to your museum projects. Drawing from their years in the museum field managing visitor engagement, public programs and community-led interpretation, Melanna and Nicole will share examples from their experiences and guide you through key learnings that are broadly applicable to museum work. Attendees will work collaboratively to consider specific museum and community-impacting scenarios and apply the principles learned to these scenarios. Participants are encouraged to bring their own questions.
Workshop 7: Cultural Access: Learning the Hard Way
Presenter: Stephanie Lile, Director, Harbor History Museum
What does it take to launch a Cultural Access campaign in your community? Learn the good, the bad, and the ugly from a boots-on-the-ground campaign.
Workshop 8: Reclaiming Space: Museums, Memory, and Community Responsibility.
Presenters: Charlotte Campbell, Museum Educator, Holocaust Center for Humanity & Michael Langberg, Holocaust Center for Humanity
What responsibility do museums have to the voices history has marginalized—and to the stories and forms of resistance that often go unrecognized? What does it mean to transform a space once marked by exclusion into a place of learning, reflection, and responsibility? This interactive workshop explores how the Holocaust Center for Humanity engages these questions through place-based interpretation and inquiry-driven education. Founded by Holocaust survivors, the Center operates within a building that once hosted exclusionary events, including Ku Klux Klan rallies. Today, that space has been reinterpreted as a living memorial that invites students to connect past injustice to present responsibility. Participants will engage in image-based and artifact-centered inquiry activities that model how individual stories can illuminate broader systems of oppression. This work is informed by ongoing relationships with Indigenous communities, including the Spokane Tribe of Indians, who have imparted an understanding of place and memory as living, evolving, and relational. As we enter a post-survivor era, participants will also consider how museums can ethically preserve and expand memory. The session offers practical strategies for activating space, centering lived experience, and fostering meaningful community engagement.
5:30 – 7:30 pm Welcoming Reception – Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Full Tuesday schedule coming soon!
6:15 – 8:15 pm Awards Banquet Program (Tickets Required):
Join us for an evening of celebration and connection at the Awards Banquet Dinner, featuring a special program presented by Barbara Lawrence, Suquamish Elder, historian, and storyteller. During the banquet, Awards of Excellence will be presented in the categories of Projects, Publications, Exhibits, and Individual Achievement, recognizing outstanding contributions and accomplishments across the field.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Full Wednesday schedule coming soon!