“MAM: Turns Fabulous Fifty in the Flathead”
th
Museums Association of Montana's 49 Annual Conference
Mountaineer Dorothy Pilley ascends Glacier Park's Grinnell Point with two companions in 1926
2017 Annual Conference
March 8-11
Red Lion Hotel
20 N Main Street,
Kalispell, Montana
“MAM; Turns Fabulous Fifty In The Flathead”
Annual MAM Conference
March 8-11, 2017
Registration (Please register by March 5th)
Fee
Members
Fee
NonMember
Paid
Individual (non-member): Includes Friday luncheon
$195.00
and evening banquet.
MAM individual or institutional member: Includes Friday
$150.00
luncheon and evening banquet.
Each additional participant from the same member institution: $125.00
Student Registration: Includes Friday luncheon and evening
$100.00
Thursday Workshops (Register by March 5th)
8:00-12:00- Part 1-PastPerfect for Beginners: Getting Started
on the Right Foot!
Presenter: Brian Gomez, CEO of Operations / Past Perfect
$30.00
$40.00
1:00-4:00- Part 2- Advanced Past Perfect Topics and Workshop.
Presenter: Brian Gomez, CEO of Operations /Past Perfect
$30.00
$40.00
8:00-4:00- Part 1 and 2 of Past Perfect (per participant)
Presenter: Brian Gomez, CEO of Operations/ Past Perfect
$50.00
$60.00
8:00-12:00- Volunteers: How to Get Them, Keep Them, & Make Them Happy
Presenter: Gil Jordan, Executive Director, Central School Museum
$40.00
$50.00
1:00-4:00- Care and Management of Historical Photographs
Presenter: Jeff Malcomson, MHS Senior Photograph Archivist
$40.00
$50.00
$30.00
$40.00
$55.00
$65.00
Friday Luncheon extra ticket (March 10th):
$25.00
$25.00
Friday Evening Banquet extra ticket (March 10th)
$35.00
$35.00
1:00-4:00- Historic “Threads” and “Companions” (off-site at the Conrad Mansion)
Presenters: Teresa Knutson and Garry James
9:00-4:00-MAM's Magical Bus Tour: Flathead Lake
Loop Tour, (Lunch included)
TOTAL
$
$
$
(Please use one registration form per person, do not put multiple names onto one form)
NAME-______________________________________________________________________
ORGANIZATION-______________________________________________________________
ADDRESS-___________________________________________________________________
PHONE-_________________________ EMAIL-_____________________________________
Send completed registration and check or money order to:
(Sorry, No Credit Cards)
MAM Conference
PO Box 1451
Helena, MT 59624
2017 MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF MONTANA
Annual Conference Scholarship Application
March 8-11
Kalispell Montana
The Museums Association of Montana is pleased to announce the availability of annual conference scholarships in which
the conference and workshop registration fee will be waived (does not include travel expenses). Preference will be given
to those who demonstrate financial need, are first time conference attendees, and those new to the museum profession.
Scholarship recipients must also be individual members of MAM Otherwise you must register for an individual membership
at a cost of S25. Recipients will be required to attend the entire conference and will be introduced during the banquet on
Friday. MAM scholarship recipients are awarded on a one-time basis, therefore, awardees from previous years are not
eligible to apply. MAM board members are excluded from applying for this award.
Applications must be postmarked no later than February 25th, 2017.
Applications received after the postmark deadline will not be considered. Scholarship winners
will be notified via phone or email, by March 1st 2017. Please send your completed application to:
MAM Scholarship
PO Box 1451
Helena, MT 59624
Questions? Contact Deb Mitchell at [email protected] or (406)444-4789
Applicant Name: _____________________________________Institution: ____________________________________
Mailing Address: __________________________________________________________________________________
Phone/Fax/Email: _________________________________________________________________________________
Are you an individual MAM member?
Yes
No
Is your institution a member?
Yes
No
Have you ever attended a MAM annual conference?
Yes
No
Are you a paid employee of your institution?
Yes
No
Have you received a MAM scholarship before?
Yes
No
Are you a student?
Yes
No
What is your museum's annual budget? _______________________________________________________________
What are your reasons for attending the annual conference? How do they fit into your personal and professional goals?
Briefly outline your experience with museums and any special museum projects that you have worked on/are
currently involved in:
Wednesday, March 8
1:00-5:00
MAM Board of Directors Meeting
Red Lion Hotel Kalispell
20 N. Main Street
Kalispell MT 59901
(406)751-5050
Thursday, March 9
7:00-3:00 Conference Registration – Red Lion Hotel Lobby
8:00-4:00
Workshops:
Past Perfect: Leveled Workshops
Brian Gomez, Vice President of Operations, Past Perfect
8:00-12:00 PastPerfect for Beginners: Getting Started on the Right Foot!
We'd like to make this session as interactive as possible, so plan
to bring your Windows laptop if you can and we'll load up the software
you will need. This session will focus on how PastPerfect should fit
into your work flow. It's designed for new users and users who need
a good refresher on how the basics of PastPerfect work. We will be
emphasizing good and consistent data entry practices and exploring
as many aspects of collections management as we can. We'll focus
on doing data entry with an eye toward sharing your data with
PastPerfect Online and the Montana Memory Project.
Each participant will leave with a PastPerfect Collections Management
Training CD ($39 value) to reference after the conference.
Cost: $30.00 member $40.00 non-member
1:00-4:00
Advanced PastPerfect Topics and Workshop.
This is the perfect session to explore new areas of the software and
discuss solutions for your conundrums! While we will try to stay
focused on the Collections side of PastPerfect, nothing is off limits!
We have the following topics prepared for lecture: Barcode Inventory,
Making Your PastPerfect Collection Accessible Online, Import/Export,
and Report Maker, but will allow the class to dictate much of what is
being taught.
Attend this class and you will get a free copy of PastPerfect Research
and Reporting Training CD ($39 value) and as much access to Brian
as you can stand for follow-up 1-on-1 conversation throughout
the conference.
Cost: $30.00 member $40.00 non-member
Cost for both morning and afternoon workshop:
$50.00 per member participant, $60.00 per non-member participant
8:00-12:00
Workshop:
Volunteers: How to Get Them, Keep Them, & Make Them Happy
Gil Jordan, Executive Director, Central School Museum
Volunteers, or the lack of them, can make or break an organization. Good
ones are worth their weight in gold, but only if you can keep them
engaged and committed. For the past 12 years, Gil Jordan had 60
dedicated volunteers that keep their complicated and busy operation
humming along. Learn how they recruit volunteers, retain them, and keep
them happy. It is an art. You can do it too. Workshop includes volunteer
application forms, interviews, orientation, assessment, expectations,
recognition and appreciation.
Cost: 40.00 member
$50.00 non-member
1:00-4:00
Workshop:
Care and Management of Historical Photographs
Presenter: Jeff Malcomson, MHS Senior Photograph Archivist
Photographs are some of the most sensitive and most popular materials in
our historical collections. Do you have loads of photographs and you're
not quite sure what to do with them? Do you need a refresher on the latest
information about how to care for your precious photographic
materials? This workshop will provide detailed information about
photographic collections management, the history and identification of
various photographic processes, and issues concerning the care and
preservation of photographic materials. We will also have time to discuss
specific problems or challenges you are facing and what solutions there
might be.
Cost- $40.00 Members
$ 50.00 non-members
9:00-3:30
MAM's “Magical” Bus Tour
Guide: Brian Schwartz, Montana State Parks
Travel around Flathead, beginning at Lone Pine State Park, we will tour
down the west side of the lake and up the east side of the lake, stopping at
many of the other State Parks and hearing the highlights of each. A box
lunch will be provided and eaten outside if weather permits, on the bus if
weather does not cooperate.
Meet at the front entrance of the Red Lion
(Limited to 30 participants, dress according to weather)
Cost: $55.00 members 65.00 non-members
1:00-4:00
Historic “Threads” and “Companions” (off-site at the Conrad Mansion)
Presenters: Teresa Knutson, Conrad Mansion Museum Clothing Exhibit
Curator, Garry James, Senior Editor “Guns and Ammo” Magazine
Period clothing and firearms are found in many Montana museums and
historic homes. This workshop presents useful, generic information on
both subjects. Using period clothing and historical data from Kalispell
City archives, Teresa Knutson discusses how this burgeoning railroad
town clothed itself, from hand-made articles to ready-made garments
purchased off-the-rack at JC Penneys. Attendees will receive a 14-page
commemorative booklet of the recent clothing exhibit, “Celebrating 100
Years of Fashion with the Conrads,” and view the 14 mannequin-exhibit
arranged in historical sequence.
Early Montanans needed “companions” to keep them safe. They relied on
firearms for both personal protection, to hunt, and in service to their country.
Noted firearms expert Garry James will regale attendees with stories about
selected Conrad Family firearms that date from pre-Civil War up to the SpanishAmerican War. His favorites include a parlor rifle, probably used in-house at the
Mansion, and a Spanish Mauser brought back from the Philippines Insurrection.
The workshop also includes a tour of the Conrad Mansion Museum.
(Limited to 25 participants)
Cost - $30.00 member $40 non-member
5:00-8:30
MAM Progressive Reception
Join fellow MAM conference attendees at museums in the Kalispell area
as they host a reception in your honor. Must provide own transportation.
(All within walking distance of the Red Lion Inn)
5:00-6:30- Conrad Mansion / Appetizers
6:00-7:30- Museum at Central School / Heavy hor d'oeuvres
7:00-8:30- Hockaday Museum of Art/ Desserts
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
7:30-12:00
Registration – Red Lion Motel Lobby
Silent Auction and brochure drop off
8:00-8:45
Plenary Session
Welcome: Dawn Jackson, Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau
MAM Welcome: Amanda Trum, MAM President
State and National Museum Advocacy Update: Matt Lautzenheiser and
Deb Mitchell
9:00-10:15
Engaging the Millennial Generation: How to Get 15-35 Year-Olds into
Your Museum
Presenter: Michaela Shifley, PhD candidate, Cultural Heritage and Applied
Anthropology
This presentation will discuss methods and techniques that museums can
use to connect with the mysterious generation known as the Millennials.
Who are they? What do they want? Why won't they get off their
smartphones? All these questions and more will be addressed, with the
idea that millennials are an enormously underserved population that
21st century museums often overlook, not only as a customer base,
but also as future museum workers themselves.
9:00-10:15
Montana Community Foundation Grant Opportunities
Presenters: Amy Sullivan, Director, and Nick Dietzen, Planned Giving
Officer, Montana Office of Gift Planning
Find out what grant opportunities local community foundations might be
able to provide you and how to learn about them. Ever wonder why you
should consider building endowments through planned gifts (MT
endowment tax credit!) and legacy gifts to create a permanent income
stream? Discover how to offer donors major giving opportunities that they
may not be able to do through the museums, like stock gifts, gifts of real
estate, planned gifts, to benefit an endowment.
9:00-10:15
Share Your Collections Online: Montana Memory Project
Presenter: Jennifer Birnel, Montana Memory Project Coordinator
The Montana Memory Project is a free resource for sharing digitized
content on the Internet. Developing a collection for the MMP can seem
like a daunting task, but it may not be as difficult as it seems. This handson session will walk you through the steps for cultivating a collection project.
10:15-10:30
Break Sponsored by Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau
10:30-11:45
Gift Shop Roundtable: Let's Talk Museum Gift Shop
Presenters: Penny Redli, Executive Director, Museum of the Beartooths,
and Cindy Conner, Gift Shop Manager at Conrad Mansion
Bring all your gift shop questions for this roundtable discussion from
product development that is mission appropriate to anything gift shop.
Penny will bring some of the products that she has developed to sell to
make the Museum of the Beartooths gift shop more profitable.
10:30-11:45
Making Field Trips Successful for Montana Teachers & Students
Presenter: Angie Weikert, Director of Operations, Education, and Public
Programs, Museum of the Rockies
School group visits to museums are proven to promote long-term science
literacy and develop curiosity and interest, leading to a desire for students
to learn more. Learn best practices for Montana teachers on field trips
supported by statewide teacher feedback gathered by Museum of the
Rockies through grant-supported research. Explore the unique needs of
Montana teachers and take away ideas on how to best support schools in
your community.
10:30-11:45
Programs to Fit Your Exhibits
Presenter: Kim Anderson, Director of Programs and Grants, Humanities
Montana
Humanities Montana offers programs in history, literature, the arts, and current events to
compliment your exhibits. Don't see what you want? Call us about applying for a grant to
create your own programming. Kim will explain how Humanities Montana can help
people engage with your museum.
12:00-1:30
Lunch
State of the Montana Historical Society - Bruce Whittenberg, Director of
the Montana Historical Society
“A Visit from Jeanette Rankin”
Key Note Speaker: Mary Jane Bradbury
Bradbury, as Jeannette, discusses her journey from grassroots suffragist to being the
first woman to participate in United States government. Hear in Jeannette's own words
her views on equality and government reform.
1:45-3:00
Barcoding: Trials, Tribulations and the Ultimate Success!
Presenters: Kelly Hartman, GHM Curator, and Rachel Phillips, GHM
Research Coordinator
Staff of the Gallatin History Museum will share their experiences working
with a barcoding system in both artifact and library collections. Their
presentation will feature step-by-step examples of how they have
approached barcoding, from choosing a printer to preparing inventory
lists. We will include a discussion on the benefits of using this system as
well as a lively question/answer session. The goal of this talk is to create a
network of museums who can then troubleshoot and share their
experiences together.
1:45-3:00
Why is it Always the Board's Fault? Understanding Board Roles and
Responsibilities.
Presenter: Brian Crockett, Independent Museum Professional
This workshop will examine Board roles and responsibilities with an
emphasis on the unique governance needs of tired museums. While
covering topics like governance structure, board recruitment, legal
concerns, financial oversight, planning, successions, fundraising, meeting
practices, evaluation, and board social dynamics, we'll ferret out stories of
dysfunction, corruption, poor manners, and harmless malfeasance. Most of
the workshop's topics will be shaped by the preferences of the attendees.
You can expect complaints to begin with: 'How do I get my Board to . .
.?” at which point we'll swap best advice, sigh, and offer understanding
hugs at the workshop's close. Please don't attend this workshop if you
can't face your own guilt. Note: A companion gripe session for museum
board members only will be scheduled at the nearest bar.
1:45-3:00
Museum Security: Best Practices vs. Reality
Presenter: Jerry McGee, Security Manager, Montana Historical Society
Museums collect, preserve and display priceless art and artifacts. How
does the security professional tasked with safeguarding the collection
provide the best level of protection with minimal staffing, training and
funding, while still maintaining an inviting museum atmosphere? This
presentation will lead into an informal discussion and open invitation for
attendees to join a network of museum professionals tasked with
safeguarding your museums' collection.
3:00-3:15
Break Sponsored by First Interstate Bank
3:15-4:30
"Doing Your Bit" WWI's Home Front in Your Historic House
Presenters: Bobi Harris, Historical Interpreter, and Maggie Ordon,
Curator, Montana Historical Society
Spring 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into The Great
War. From 1917 to 1919 in homes across America, families did their bit
to support this war effort. Can you make a Red Cross hat in three minutes?
How long did it take to knit 61 pairs of socks for the soldiers? How
do you bake bread without wheat? A house museum is the perfect
backdrop to highlight the activities on the Home Front.
3:15-4:30
Creative and Compelling Exhibits; Strategies That Work!
Presenters: Karen Reinhart, Registrar, and Norm Miller, Board Member,
Yellowstone Gateway Museum
Learn how to use artifacts, stories, and other resources to create exhibits
that will pique the interest of all. From planning and research to interactive
components, fabricating and installation, two curators share simple,
affordable, and creative tips during this interactive session. Topics covered
include: brainstorming, thinking “outside the box”, using humor,
storyboarding, setting the stage, tapping the community and schools as
resources, developing hands-on activities for all ages, and more.
3:15-4:30
Highlights from the 2016 AAM Conference
Presenter: Amanda Trum, MAM President; MHS Curator of Collections
Join Amanda to learn about the best ideas for small museums that arose
from the 2016 American Alliance of Museums annual conference that
took place in Washington, D.C. last May. Although some of the AAM
session topics are directed at museums with numerous staff and larger
budgets, many of the ideas presented are great for small museums.
Amanda has cherry-picked the best suggestions for small Montana
museums and will share them, along with handouts and other resources
obtained through the AAM conference.
4:30-5:30
No Host Bar and Museum Table Talk
Tables labeled with popular museum topics will be hosted by MAM board
members. Visit with others about museum issues important to you and your museum.
5:30
Banquet
Scholarship award winners
Keynote Speaker: Brian Crockett: Independent Museum Professional:
"Who Needs Us Anyway? Isn't 50 Years Long Enough?"
Thank You to Sponsors
Awards Presentation
Live Auction
Saturday, March 11
9:00-10:15
Essentials of Board Service
Presenter: Ned Cooney, Facilitator/Consultant to Nonprofits, Public
Agencies and Businesses
In this fast-moving workshop, Ned will introduce key concepts about the
practice of Governance, the core function of a board. Discussion topics
will include: Why do we have a board of directors? What are the
responsibilities of a board, collectively and individually? What are the
elements of an effective partnership within the board, and between the board and staff?
9:00-10:15
Dating Historic Photos from Costumes Pictured
Presenter: Pat Roath, Independent museum consultant
One telltale sign of a photograph's original date is the clothing pictured.
After a brief presentation looking at women's clothing of the mid-19th to
early 20th centuries--the time period usually well-represented in our
museums' collections--we will look at your mystery photos and make an
educated guess as to the date of the picture based on the clothing
of the wearer. Please bring historic photos in need of date identification (photos
need to picture people).
10:30-11:45
Preparing a Museum for Seasonal Closing: Things You Need to
Consider!
Presenter: Colleen Curry, Curator, Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center
Many museums are open only in the late spring and early summer months,
and then close down for winter. If your museum is one of these, there are
a number of things (security, exterior maintenance, pest control) that need
to be addressed to ensure the building and collections contained inside
remain safe. This session will provide information and handouts on issues
that need to be addressed before the door is locked for the season! Bring
questions and examples of issues and/or problems that you face with your
museum during its closure.
10:15-10:30
Break Sponsored by Montana History Foundation
10:30-11:45
Encoding Exhibition Ideas
Presenter: Michaela Shifley PhD candidate, Cultural Heritage and Applied
Anthropology
This session is based on Michaela's soon-to-be published thesis "The
Changing Face of the American Indian in U.S. Museums:
Encoding/Decoding, Symbolic Interactionism, and the "Other." The
presentation will examine how museums encode meanings into their
exhibitions. Characteristics such as the physical objects used, the layout of
the exhibit, the ideals and values of the curators, as well as the museum
itself, and society's overarching ideological views all play roles in
determining the types of meanings that are encoded.
10:30-11:45
Collection Conundrums Continues! Panel Discussion
Presenters: Colleen Curry, Curator, Yellowstone Heritage
and Research Center, Amanda Trum, Museum Program Director,
Montana Historical Society, Pat Roath, independent consultant
This popular interactive session is a continuing discussion of collections
issues shared by all of us at one time or another. Timely topics include
those addressed at this conference, abandoned property, long-term loans,
rightful owners, copyright issues, or any issue your institution is currently
struggling with. Bring your solutions too!
10:30-11:45
Making Visual Sense; Tips to Achieve Professional Exhibit Signage,
Design and Graphics
Presenter: Bill Soth, Exhibit Designer for ExplorationWorks!
This session will provide an overview of ways to achieve professional sign
Saturday, March 11
and graphic design for exhibits utilizing efficient methods and products
available today. We will discuss layout, scale, font selection, border
options, graphics and photos to create cohesive, and visually pleasing
designs. Assistance with products available to achieve the desired result at
the lowest cost will also be discussed
Brochure Table:
Brochure table will be available during the entire conference, so plan on bringing your organization's
brochures. It's a great way to advertise who you are. If you have extra photos of your museum, please
bring those as well.
Silent Auction
The Museums Association of Montana hosts a Silent Auction at both the Annual Conference and the
Montana History Conference. The monies generated from these auctions goes towards providing
scholarships for people to attend the MAM Annual conference, as well as providing funding to bring in
speakers for our conference sessions. Please bring items for the auction and leave them at the
conference registration desk. Thank you for your contributions.
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact:
Deb Mitchell- MAM Executive Director- 406-444-4789 or [email protected]
Thank You to our Sponsors:
Special Thanks: Red Lion Inn and Staff, Gil Jordan, Central School Museum, Gennifer
Sauter, Conrad Mansion, Hockaday Museum, Brian Gomez from Past Perfect, Brian
Crockett, Brian Schwartz, Humanities Montana, and all the presenters who gave of their
time and talents to educate and share with the conference attendees. The Museums
Association of Montana Board of Directors and staff are grateful for the opportunity to
serve our colleagues and museum friends.
LODGING OPTIONS
CONFERENCE HOTEL:
Red Lion Motel
20 North Main Street
Kalispell, Montana, 59104
·
·
Ask for group code MONTO317
Special Rates of 92.00 (double or single) until 2/16/17
Thank you for completing the evaluation form on the MAM conference. This information
helps shape future conferences and the overall direction of our Museums of Montana
Association’s work statewide.
P.O. Box 1451
Helena, MT 59624
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