The Oregon Historical Society’s roots stretch deeper than most cultural heritage institutions in the Pacific Northwest. With a history of over 122 years of active collecting, it holds one of the largest archival and museum collections in the region. OHS’ legacy of acquisition and description is skewed and narrowed by its origins as a pioneer memorial association. It is incumbent on OHS leadership and staff to confront and address the various expressions of this legacy. Staff members from several departments will discuss ways they incorporate radical empathy in the work they do to address the issue. The panel was recently presented as part of the Northwest Archivists 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.

Presenters:

• Laura Cray, Digital Services Librarian at OHS
• Eliza E. Canty-Jones, Editor of the Oregon Historical Quarterly and Director of Community Engagement at OHS
• Nicole Yasuhara, Deputy Museum Director at OHS
• Erin Brasell, Managing Editor of the Oregon Historical Quarterly and Managing Editor and Co-founder of Dear Oregon, OHS’s blog
• Dana Miller is Collection Management Librarian at OHS

Watch the archived webinar

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced some museums to permanently close, presenting their staffs and boards with unexpected legal and ethical questions about what would become of their assets. This program will use examples from shuttered museums to address how to go about dissolving a collection and liquidating its assets. Resources from museum workers and state agencies will help institutions take steps now to prepare for an unexpected closure in the future.

Presenters:

• Joseph Govednik, Museum Director, Cowlitz County Historical Museum
• R. Lewis Ferguson, former Director, World of Speed Museum (now closed)
• Jenn Clemo, Director of Nonprofit Leadership & Resources, Nonprofit Association of Oregon

• Stephanie Littlebird Fogel (Grand Ronde, Kalapuya) is a visual artist, professional writer and curator of “This IS Kalapuyan Land” at Five Oaks Museum.
• Molly Alloy and Nathanael Andreini are Co-directors at the Five Oaks Museum.

Five Oaks Museum uses a values-centered and heart-centered approach to their work. They have switched to a guest curator model, allowing curators to decide the exhibition, which, in turn, has implications for how that exhibition affects the structure of the museum.

You don’t do equity in bits and pieces. By collaborating with others to explore how art, culture and history shape the past and influence the future, Five Oaks helps visitors connect to a collective local history made up of community voices and the important stories they tell.

Join Stephanie, Molly and Nathanael as they talk about the process of curating and exhibiting “This IS Kalapuyan Land.” Bring your own personal value(s) you hold close and discuss how to institutionalize them in your museum and work.

Watch the archived webinar

Presenter: Kyrie Thompson Kellett, Principal and Certified Interpretive Planner, Mason Bee Interpretive Planning

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020, 12-1:30 pm

COVID-19 has changed so many things, especially for museums. How do we reach our audiences when our doors are closed? How do we tell our stories if our events are cancelled? Finding answers requires creativity and a critical, but often underutilized, museum tool––interpretive* planning. 

The interpretive planning process helps us outline the central story our museum wants to tell and the best ways to share that story with our key audiences. In this interactive workshop, we will go through the basic steps of the interpretive planning process and discuss how they can be adapted for the current coronavirus situation. The discussion will include thinking deeply about who our key audiences should be right now and sharing a variety of creative interpretive tools that we can use to reach them. In particular, we will explore how we can serve teachers and families yearning for engaging, safe learning experiences during the unprecedented school year ahead.

*Interpretation here means the mission-based communication that museums use to create emotional and intellectual connections between audiences and the museum’s focus.