9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Off-Site Double Session
Victoria Mansion
Historic Restoration Tour
Victoria Mansion in Portland (the Morse-Libby Mansion, built 1858-60) has been engaged in a very active program of restoration spanning the last decade. The museum’s stated goal is to restore the house as it was when Ruggles and Olive Morse lived there. But how does restoration work in the real world of practical limitations and compromises—including modern safety codes, a lack of skilled artisans and simple financial constraints? Sometimes the challenges are more conceptual: conscious tradeoffs may be necessary when getting one thing right makes another goal unattainable. This session will begin with a tour of the house and then focus on recent projects ranging from brownstone restoration to reconstructing a stained glass skylight and commissioning painstaking replicas of the historic fabrics in the Turkish Smoking Room.
Co-Chairs: Robert Wolterstorff, Executive Director, and Arlene Palmer Schwinel, Curator, Victoria Mansion
This session includes a tour of the mansion, which is otherwise closed during the NEMA conference.
Pre-registration is required, $5 fee. Registration is limited. This session takes place just a short walk from the hotel.

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Off-Site Session
Storing the Unstorable
The Portland Museum of Art went through a major renovation project beginning in 2000. This project brought back on-line two historic structures that had been closed to the public for 25 years: the McLellan House (1801) and the L.D.M. Sweat Memorial Galleries (1911). Because these structures had housed art storage that would be lost in the renovation, significant funds were allocated to renovate and upgrade existing art storage rooms in the 1983 Charles M. Payson wing. These funds allowed for the expansion, redesign and improvement of all available storage rooms and storage fixtures. This session, presented by the project manager, designer and prep staff, will address the entire project with special emphasis on solutions found too difficult and unique storage problems including an octagonal room, use of nooks and crannies, and custom-made storage housings for those objects that just do not fit anywhere. Although storage facilities will not be accessible, with before and after photos, and show and tell objects, the panel will present a project that was completed both on time and under budget, enabling them to return thousands of dollars to the operating budget in 2004.
Chair: Ellie Vuilleumier, Registrar, Portland Museum of Art, ME
This session takes place at the museum, just a short walk from the hotel. Directions will be provided. No pre-registration required.

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

A Case for Understanding
Set in historic Plymouth, Massachusetts, the 1749 Courthouse is the oldest wooden courthouse in the country. In 2006 museum volunteers began revitalizing the exhibits, using the educational theory of Teaching for Understanding. This session will introduce this theory and discuss how it was utilized in the redesign of the courthouse exhibitions. To conclude the session, panel members will lead an activity designed to help participants think of ways to use this theory in their own museums.
Chair: Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, Manager of Gallery Learning, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Disaster Planning
Most museums do not have disaster plans despite recognizing their importance. This session will explain dPlan, which automates the plan-writing process through a fill-in-the-blank template. Speakers will offer helpful advice on organizational structures for response and provide the tools needed to complete and practice a disaster plan. Participants will address hypothetical disasters as a tabletop exercise to aid in understanding the complexities of organizing a response and dealing with the press and the public.
Co-Chairs: David Dempsey, Associate Director for Museum Services, Smith College Museum of Art, MA; David Lee Colglazier, Conservator, NH

More Than a Museum: Building an Integrated Brand Across the Entire Organization
Museums are significantly more than buildings and collections...offering educational programming, libraries, publications, etc. And many colleagues struggle with how to “package” the combined offerings under a single brand. Join us for practical advice from senior staff who have recently faced similar challenges. They will discuss how the “place” (the museum) relates to the “institution” (the complete set of offerings), and how they built brand messaging and visual identity that supports both place and institution.
Chair: Michele Levy, Brand Strategy Consultant and Director of Communications, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, MA

Museums and Colleges Working Together to Strengthen Community
The National Service Learning Clearinghouse defines service-learning as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” As museums look for ways of strengthening their ties to their communities, they can find common cause with the movement towards service learning and civic engagement on college campuses. This session will look at two successful partnerships between museums and colleges from a variety of points of view: the museum manager’s, the college faculty’s and the student’s.
Chair: Laura B. Roberts, Roberts Consulting, MA

New Solutions for Historic Houses
Today many historic house museums are struggling. Declining attendance is eating at the bottom line; volunteers are “retiring”; Board members are aging; endowments are a dream; and deferred maintenance is mounting. These landmarks are important community assets and historic structures must be maintained, even if the house museum use cannot. Any historic site steward facing diminishing revenues may want to know how and why other house museums have decided to explore other options to assure their future.
Chair: Kenneth Turino, Exhibition Manager, Historic New England, MA

The Re-Accreditation Process: Is it Worth Doing Again?
The museum accreditation process was established nearly thirty-five years ago by AAM as the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability. Accreditation remains a widely recognized seal of approval. The re-accreditation process must be completed every ten years to maintain accreditation. Leaders at some museums find the re-accreditation process of self-study and peer review to be an important method for self-improvement while others feel that the benefits are not worth the investment of time and resources. Panelists will offer their personal experiences and a discussion of both the pros and cons of the process.
Chair: John Ott, Executive Director, National Heritage Museum, MA

Reducing Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents
If you build it—someone will most likely trip over it . . . Explore commonly overlooked slip, trip, and fall hazards in your facility, as well as hazards unique to outdoor museums and historic sites. These accidents could result in injuries to visitors and staff—sometimes involving legal fees and workers compensation. Learn to identify potential problems areas and how to tackle them—without compromising your visitors’ interpretative experience—or your institution’s liability.
Chair: Darlyne Franzen, Deputy Director, Billings Farm & Museum, VT

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Clinic for Independent Museum Professionals
Join the IMPs for a roundtable clinic on important issues facing independent museum professionals across New England! Roundtable discussions will address topics important to established IMPs and those testing the waters. This year’s clinic will focus on “getting the word out”—from websites and brochures to networking and finding projects. At each roundtable discussion, an experienced IMP will give a brief presentation and then lead the group through a discussion tailored to your individual IMP needs.
Chair: Stefanie Joy Muscat, CEO, Artes Scribendi, MA

Historic House Museums Cope with the Future
As the number of historic house museums continues to grow, more and more are turning to both mission-related and unrelated programs, events and sources of income to fund preservation. Some boards have assessed their future chances of sustainability and decided that new stewards may be better positioned to preserve these historic properties. This session will address the survival of historic house museums and the challenges inherent in their long-term sustainability and share lessons learned by the speakers while assisting house museums to adapt to a changing world.
Chair: Barbara Silberman, Senior Program Advisor, PEW Charitable Trust, PA

Museum Education Marketplace
The Museum Education Marketplace is a chance to find out about your colleagues’ latest projects and programs. Twelve to sixteen presenters from a variety of museums throughout New England will be arranged in an informal marketplace setting, offering one-on-one discussions, displays and handouts to help inform participants about their programming and projects. In keeping with this year’s conference theme, presenters will address how their education programs connect to museum mission and vision, to further define their individual institutions. Programs featured will also demonstrate the variety of factors that educators take into consideration regarding the visitor’s experience, from the space used for a program, to the collections being interpreted.
Co-Chairs: Dawn Salerno, Associate Museum Educator for School & Family Audiences, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, CT; Scott Wands, Assistant Curator of Education, Antiquarian and Landmarks Society, CT

Museum Lending to the Non-Museum World
It is a standard and established practice for museums to lend to each other’s exhibitions and gallery installations. But is it also standard and established practice to lend objects from your own collection to a government entity, local company or business, or to a professor’s class lecture? This session will examine the motives, procedures, and outcomes of museums with established (and not-so established) practices of lending to the non-museum world. Please join us for a discussion on drafting agreements, establishing standards of operation, and general precautionary and follow-up measures that are often taken. We all want to help and support our communities without conflicting with our fiduciary responsibilities of caring for and preserving our collections.
Chair: Mary Herbert-Busick, Associate Registrar, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, CT

Open to Interpretation: Making Collections More Accessible to a Broad Public
Traditionally, curators, historians, and scientists, people with specialized knowledge, control the interpretation of collections for the visiting public. So what happens when a museum opens its collections to alternative interpretations and meanings? See how two different museums developed innovative projects to reconsider and recast their collections for the public. This wide-ranging conversation will discuss the why, the what, and the how of these projects, while exploring the permissible limits of accessing and extending meaning.
Chair: Gail Ringel, V.P. Exhibits & Production, Boston Children’s Museum, MA

Package It and They Will Come: The Power of Regional Partnerships
Experience the power of regional partnerships and their impact on museums, visitors and communities. Join the Peabody Essex Museum, North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Cultural Council as they share their experiences collaborating on a region-wide cultural tourism program. The panel will discuss the process of building partnerships, leveraging limited resources, and developing sustainable programs. Panelists will also provide different perspectives of the project, and tips for developing similar programs.
Chair: Elaine Aliberti, Director of Marketing and Sales, Peabody Essex Museum, MA

The Quest for the North Pole: How a Small Museum Can Shape a New History through Research and Exhibition
The Arctic Museum’s exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of Robert E. Peary’s North Pole Expedition opens in April 2008. How does a museum with a limited staff and budget embark on an ambitious research and exhibition project? What do you do when a fragile, beat-up 14 ft. sledge must be the centerpiece of the exhibition? The role of the museum’s long-range plan, funding challenges, research initiatives, and staff collaborations will be discussed in light of the Peary exhibit’s development.
Chair: Susan A. Kaplan, Director, The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Center, Bowdoin College, ME

12:45 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Off-Site Lunchtime Professional Affinity Group Sessions
The following off-site PAG lunches will be held at the Children's Museum of Maine and the Maine Historical Society, just a short walk from the hotel. Colleagues may bring their own lunches or use the registration form to have their box lunch delivered to either museum.

Children’s Museums PAG
What Makes the Museum?
All are welcome to join children’s museum colleagues (and those who host family programs and/or exhibits) for informal networking and lunch at the Children’s Museum of Maine. What makes a museum? At this amazing museum, as well as other children’s museums, it is creating exhibits and programs that resonate with visitors and have connections with the communities, cultures and the surrounding natural environment. Let’s meet to discuss our challenges, successes and find answers to questions that we all face as non-profit museums for children and families.
Co-Chairs: Jane Bard, Director of Education, Children’s Museum of Portsmouth, NH; Cathy Saunders, Director of Education, Providence Children’s Museum, RI

Curators PAG
Delight Your Senses
What’s your favorite food? Chances are it’s something sweet. While we may not recall what vegetables were on our plates, desserts delight our senses. Desserts are windows into memories of delicious tastes, textures, and smells. Desserts disappear fast but long after they vanish, their recipes reveal clues to changing ideas. Join your colleagues to hear the latest news in the field and after a short business meeting, hear about a past exhibit that explored the history of dessert through interpreting the objects and recipes of the Pejepscot region of Maine. Presented by Kate McBrien, Curator, American Independence Museum, NH, and hosted by the Maine Historical Society.
Co-Chairs: Sheri Leahan, Curator, Margaret Chase Smith Library, ME; Ron Potvin, Assistant Director and Curator, John Nicholas Brown Center, RI

12:45 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Lunchtime Professional Affinity Group Sessions
Collect your lunch and attend any of these Professional Affinity Group programs.
Box lunches ordered in advance (see registration form) will be available in the hotel Exhibit Hall. Choose: vegetarian, tuna or turkey. Box lunches will not be available for purchase on-site.

Administration, Facilities and Services PAG
Greening Your Museum
This discussion will focus on the ways in which museums can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions. We will examine “green” options for different types of museums based on their resources (financial and otherwise) and discuss: 1) modeling low-energy options and educating visitors about the methods being used; 2) practical, energy saving, low-cost devices available to museums; 3) funding sources for improving energy efficiency.
Co-Chairs: Jane Bowers, Curator, Lynn Museum and Historical Society, MA; Patricia Brunetto, Operations Coordinator, Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History, CT

College & University Museums PAG
Museums Within Larger Institutions
Join colleagues who work in museums that are part of larger organizations (college, university, city or state systems). These museums compete with other entities in the larger organization for funding, visitors, space, or publicity and often need to educate parent organizations about the museum’s work and value to the community. Staff members from several museums will share advocacy tips that have worked for them, and we hope you’ll bring your ideas and questions to share.
Co-Chairs: Gail Nessell Colglazier, Director, Manchester Historic Association, NH; Mary Leen, Associate Director, MIT Museum, MA

Education and HR & Volunteer Management PAGs
Better than a Paycheck: Techniques for Motivating Education Staff & Volunteers
Do you rely on volunteers or part-time education staff to teach your education programs? Audience surveys show that program staff—whether paid or volunteer— are the key to running successful educational programs for visitors of all ages. During this informal exchange you will learn about some proven Human Resources strategies for energizing your education work force, even if you don’t have a human resources department at your museum.
Co-Chairs: Laura Howick, Director of Education, Fitchburg Art Museum, MA; Peggy Kempton, Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer, Fruitlands Museums, MA; Dawn Salerno, Associate Museum Educator for School and Family Programs, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, CT; and Jennifer White-Dobbs, Director of Education, New Haven Colony Historical Society, CT

Exhibitions PAG
“The Latest and the Greatest”
Everyone is invited to spend 5 to 7 minutes showing images of recent exhibition work. Share your recent successes and dilemmas. Please contact Serena Furman before October 26th to pre-register your talk (ph. 617-367-6222, or email sfurman@ccadesign.com). PowerPoint presentations will need to be submitted to Serena by the October 26th deadline. The suggested total number of images is less than 12.
Co-Chairs: Serena Furman, Project Manager,Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, MA; Kenneth Turino, Exhibitions Manager, Historic New England, MA

Independent Museum Professionals PAG
IMP Annual Gathering
Join your colleagues to discuss how NEMA’s IMP PAG can help strengthen our working networks. Learn about the wide range of fields represented by fellow consultants and possible partnerships for the future. IMPs of all levels are invited to talk about the challenges and successes they encounter while running their own businesses.
Chair: Laura B. Roberts, Roberts Consulting, MA

Membership, Development, Public Relations & Marketing PAG
Roundtable Discussions
Didn’t have enough time last year to share experiences, problems and creative solutions with your peers from other museums? We will open up the floor again this year to a variety of topics which will addess such issues as: Membership Events; The Capital Campaign Climate; Advertising Strategies; Making Friends with the Media; and Members: Retaining and Recruiting. Each person is invited to reveal a burning question or brilliant success. Facilitators, armed with questions of their own, will be assigned to each table and will ensure that all participants get the most out of the conversation.
Chair: Denise Braley, Manager of Development, Mashantucket Pequot Museum, CT

Museum Director Lunch
The Directors’ Discussion
Back by popular demand! This is an opportunity for CEO/Directors to voice concerns and challenges and to share thoughts and solutions. Although this will be an open forum, we will start the conversation with governance issues. Whether you are a seasoned or a first-time director, this luncheon will be for CEOs of any size museum. Participation will be limited to CEO/Directors.
Chair: Susan Robertson, Executive Director, Gore Place, MA

Registrars PAG
Year in Review: Registrars in Action
Every year our role as Collections Managers and Registrars seem to take on new and exciting responsibilities. Perhaps a building renovation, off site move, or an inventory is in the works. Or perhaps you are thinking of upgrading your collection management software. With the non-stop pace of our jobs, it is a wonder we can keep on top of our projects—let alone keep up with what our colleagues are doing. So please join us as colleagues from throughout the region talk about what they are working on, what complications they are dealing with, and what they are learning. This lunch offers the opportunity to learn from our colleagues and to collaborate with them—but most importantly to be inspired with new ideas and methods!
Co-Chairs: Mary Herbert-Busick, Associate Registrar, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, CT; Meredith Vasta, Registrar/Collections Manager, Mashantucket Pequot Museum, CT

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Assassination Vacation: Book Discussion for Educators at Historic Sites
Fascinated by presidential assassinations, humorist Sarah Vowell uncovers the gruesome, bizarre, and sometimes comical details of these crimes by visiting obscure historical societies and house museums. Her book raises a host of interesting questions. If no acts of passion took place at our sites, can we still tell compelling stories? How can we engage visitors less adept at making meaning than Sarah Vowell? Discussion will focus on chapter one, in which Vowell investigates Lincoln’s murder. Participants will receive a list of questions to ponder as they read pages 1-119 in preparation for the session.
Co-Chairs: Gretchen G. Adams, Education Director, Paul Revere House, MA; Cynthia Robinson, Director, Tufts Museum Studies Program, MA
Pre-registration is required. Limited to 30 participants.

Breathing New Life into History Museums
This session will look at how three unique history museums addressed issues of visitor sustainability while fulfilling their missions and goals. Two of these museums have increased attendance by using different approaches: The USS Constitution Museum by expanding programs within its existing structure, and the Sandwich Glass Museum by building new facilities to enhance the visitors’ experience. The third museum, Historic Deerfield, produced a Master Plan that led them to address interpretation, new construction, and renovation. In each case study, presenters will address their decision making process, staff and audience involvement, and funding process.
Chair: Philip Chen, AIA, Associate, Ann Beha Architects, MA

Deterioration and Preservation of Photographs
Do you have any photographs in your collection that are fading or getting darker? If this is left to continue, the images will be lost forever. There are things that custodians of collections can do to slow down or retard the deterioration process. In this lecture and slideshow you will learn the most common forms of photographic deterioration, the causes of deterioration and the most practical and economical ways to preserve your collections, negatives, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, etc.
Chair: David Mishkin, Independent Museum Professional, ME

How to Develop a Technology Plan
If you were asked what the five-year strategic technology plan is for your museum, what would your answer be? John Rodman was given the task of answering the question for the Preservation Society of Newport County two years ago. In this session he will give a manager’s-eye view of how such a plan is developed, what it should include and some practical action steps to start thinking about your own. In addition to his experience at the Preservation Society, John is a veteran broadcaster and has developed technology plans for broadcasters including systems used by CBS radio news departments around the US.
Chair: John G. Rodman, Director of Marketing and Sales, The Preservation Society of Newport County, RI

Maintenance Issues for Small House Museums: Some Alternatives to Consider
This session addresses the challenge for small house museums of accessing reliable, affordable building maintenance advice. Where can small house museums obtain trustworthy advice on appropriate treatments for their historic properties? How can small institutions partner with larger institutions to support and protect historically and architecturally significant properties? Historic New England staff and partners will highlight strategies for house museum maintenance, and introduce alternatives for accessing technical support and a model for protecting museum property.
Chair: Sally Zimmerman, Preservation Specialist, Historic New England, MA

Museums Reinterpreted: Digital Adventures in New Technology
Join us as we study the case of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology as a catalyst for our discussion of how new and emerging digital technology can help us redefine the roles of visitors, curators and of museums. Digital media technologies have a promising role to play in establishing the expanding mesh of relationships between physical artifacts. How to respect the artifacts as anchors in this dynamic universe, and how to navigate, manage and assemble the ephemeral media are key questions.
Chair: Douglas Flandro, Exhibit Designer, Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., MA

Opening Your Doors to Families and Building Institutional Buy-In
Focusing on a family audience impacts all areas of a museum, from PR to programming and board members to bathrooms. Learn how the USS Constitution Museum’s National Leadership Grant identified techniques to make exhibits more engaging and encourage family learning. Hear from the board chairman how this effort became a new strategy. Join the museum president in a candid discussion of reshaping the museum to engage all of the audience in hands-on and minds-on learning.
Chair: Anne Grimes Rand, Deputy Director, USS Constitution Museum, MA

Evening Events

4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Newcomers Reception
Meet NEMA staff, board members, and your local hosts over refreshments in a casual reception designed just for you. This is your chance to become acquainted with NEMA and to hear the inside story of this year’s conference. Whether you’re new to the profession, the region, or just new to NEMA, please plan to join us. We’ll be expecting you!
Hosted by Tufts University Museum Studies Program

Historical Mill Renaissance Tour
6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Explore the rich history and cultural renaissance of Lewiston-Auburn! The night starts at the Bates Mill Complex in its acclaimed Museum of Labor and Industry with hors d’oeuvres, a glass of wine and Franco-American entertainment. View the immense collection of New England’s one-time textile giant in one of the remaining original mill buildings. Experience the Museum’s new exhibit, “Portraits and Voices: Workers of Seven Mills.” Enjoy dinner at Davinci’s brick-oven Italian restaurant in a restored mill storehouse. Cross the street to Maine Heritage Weavers to witness former Bates employees continuing to craft the heirloom bedspreads that shaped the cities’ history.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee of $36 includes dinner, complimentary wine and transportation.

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. and Museum
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Ride along sparkling Casco Bay on the Portland waterfront at twilight in vintage 19th century Maine two-foot narrow gauge coaches. Learn how this two-foot gauge railroad was the economic development engine for interior Maine! Walk through historic coaches in the museum and take a peek at the history of the Portland Co., founded in 1846 to build the Grand Trunk railroad. This railroad was the first major US trade connection with Canada, still this country’s biggest trading partner. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks in the museum, and learn the rest of the story. A cash bar will be available. Consider exploring the exciting restaurants of nearby Old Port on your own following this event.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee of $25 includes a train ride, reception refreshments, and transporation to and from the museum at the conclusion of the reception.

An Evening at the Portland Museum of Art
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of delicious hors d’oeuvres, friendly conversation, and three centuries of exquisite art and architecture. Experience the rich artistic heritage of Maine and the United States through the work of world-class artists including Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, Rockwell Kent, Louise Nevelson, and Andrew Wyeth. Learn about the story of American art before 1900, from Gilbert Stuart to Frederic Edwin Church, in the Federal-era McLellan House (1801) and Beaux-Arts L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries (1911). See Maine’s finest collection of European art by masters such as Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso. A cash bar will be available. Consider exploring the exciting restaurants of nearby Old Port following this event.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee of $20 includes reception refreshments. A five minute walk from the hotel; directions will be provided.