Presented by Odyssey by HistoryIT
The MAM Conference Committee is excited to make our annual conference an in-person event for the first time since 2019. Meet us in Portland!
The 2022 conference will offer a mixture of breakout sessions, networking opportunities, dynamic plenary addresses, and a great lunch that will leave you feeling recharged, connected, and inspired with new ideas to assist you in the care and management of your collecting institution.
The event starts with registration check-in, morning refreshments, and networking with the exhibitors. It continues with an opening plenary address, two blocks of concurrent professional development sessions, lunch, the keynote address, two more blocks of concurrent sessions, and a closing plenary address.
Financial assistance is available to cover travel and/or registration fee costs. If you prefer to join remotely, all plenary and concurrent sessions will be broadcast online. Recordings will be made available afterward for all registrants.
Keynote Speaker: Marcia Minter
Marcia Minter (she/her) is the co-founder and Executive Director of Indigo Arts Alliance, a non-profit Black-led artist residency program. Her curatorial work focuses on photography, symposiums on the intersection of art and social practice, exhibition planning and implementation. Currently she serves on the Maine Arts Commission, and is a Trustee of the Portland Museum of Art and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. She has been engaged on projects for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, and the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine. She is a founding member of The Creative Justice Initiative, Colby College’s Freedom & Captivity Advisory Board and the National Black Arts Coalition.
A seasoned creative professional, dedicated arts advocate, and community leader deeply committed to social and cultural activism, Marcia Minter’s work on numerous boards represents the interest of underrepresented voices, talents and citizen constituents. She is the principal of Marcia Minter Creative Services, a cultural consultancy that advises top companies, organizations, and institutions regarding African American art, arts advocacy, history, and culture .
Event Program
8:30AM–9:00AM Registration, morning coffee and snacks, exhibitors
9:00AM–9:30AM Opening plenary: Dr. Mishy Lesser of Upstander Project
9:45AM–10:45AM Session block A
11:00AM–12:00PM Session block B
12:00PM–1:00PM Lunch (deli sandwiches and salads; dietary restrictions accommodated)
1:00PM–2:00PM Keynote address: Marcia Minter of the Indigo Arts Alliance
2:15PM–3:15PM Session block C
3:30PM–4:30PM Session block D
4:45PM–5:15PM Closing plenary: Julia Gray of the Wilson Museum
Opening plenary: Dr. Mishy Lesser
Mishy Lesser (she/her) is the learning director for Upstander Project and an Emmy® award-winning researcher. Mishy has authored Upstander Project’s many learning and viewer guides and is a Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Affiliate. She is a Circle Keeper and has been featured on WBUR (Boston) and PRI/BBC’s The World. Mishy was a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and spent 12 years learning and working in the Andes. She is a descendant of Ashkenazi Jews whose ancestral language is Yiddish and lives with her husband in the territory of the Massachusett Tribe.
Morning Block A choices
- Inclusive Exhibit Design: Going Beyond the Building Code
- A Holistic Approach to Volunteer Retention
- How I Learned to Love Making Instructional Videos for Remote Archives Users
Morning Block B choices
- Interpreting Untold Stories in Small Historic House Museums
- Building Stacks to Fit Collections
- School Outreach For Beginners
Afternoon Block C choices
- Understanding Copyright: An Introduction for Archives and Museums
- Tips & Tricks to Bring New Audiences
- Bigger Impact: How to Write and Use Impact Statements
Afternoon Block D choices
- Collection Cataloging – It Can’t be Automated…But it Can be Streamlined
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- Connecting to Your Audience via Direct Email Marketing
- Out of the Twilight: Queer History in Everyday Places
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Session descriptions and presenters listed here.
Closing plenary: Julia Gray
Julia Gray (she/her) has worked in museums for more than 20 years, becoming the Wilson Museum’s executive director in September 2021. Her background in archaeology and anthropology drew her initially into roles in collections and exhibits at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and the Abbe Museum. After leaving the Abbe Museum in 2017, she ran her own consulting business working with museums, land trusts, and other organizations across Maine. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Arkansas. Julia lives in Orland with her husband and two dogs.
Annual meeting: Register separately (free, members-only) for the Annual Meeting of MAM membership on Thursday, October 12 at noon.
Food
Coffee, tea, juice, fruit, and baked goods will be available when you arrive in the morning.
Lunch will be a sandwich platter of various meats and veggies, plus various side salads and desserts. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free sandwich options will be available. Please tell us when registering if you have any dietary restrictions so we can make sure you are accommodated.
Tables and chairs for lunch will be available inside and in a large, open-air, covered dining area outside. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, we recommend that those who are comfortable with bringing their food outside eat under this tent in the open air.
The Venue
The conference will be held at the at the University of Southern Maine Abromson Community Education Center at 88 Bedford Street in Portland.
Directions: Use the directions listed on the USM website.
Parking: Park in the USM parking garage at 88 Bedford St (attached to the Abromson Center). The cost is $3 an hour, up to a daily maximum of $20.
Transit: The Abromson Center is served by the Portland Metro Route 4 and the Husky Line. The Portland Metro Route 2 includes a stop about 1 block away on Forest Ave at Bedford Street.
Bathrooms: All bathrooms are labeled for either men or women.
Accessibility: All spaces used for this event are accessible to standards set in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Pandemic protocols
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, all attendees are required to wear a face mask or covering over their mouth and nose at all times while inside, except when actively eating or drinking. Though indoor lunch seating will be available, we recommend that attendees eat lunch in the large open-air tent that is on site. This should also help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
If attending online
To participate online, you will need access to a computer or mobile device with an internet connection. We will be using Zoom videoconferencing to host the plenary presentations, keynote address, and concurrent sessions. When you register you will immediately get an automatic email with Zoom details. If you do not receive this email, call 207-400-6965 or email info@mainemuseums.org.
If you do not have access to a computer or mobile device with an internet connection, you will still be able to call in to the sessions on a telephone, but you will unfortunately not be able to see any of the presenters, participants, or visuals.
Registration
Online registration opens August 1, 2022.
Scholarship fund: If you need financial assistance to cover the cost of registration and/or travel, fill out this request form by September 9, 2022. Before or after filling out that form, select the "Student/Bridge rate" at the beginning of the registration process and select "invoice me" at the end, instead of "pay online."
Early bird rates available online through September 9, 2022
- MAM members
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- In-person $55
- Online only $35
- Non-members
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- In-person $80
- Online only $60
- Student/Bridge rate*
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- In-person $40
- Online only $20
On-time bird rates available online through September 28, 2022
- MAM members
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- In-person $65
- Online only $45
- Non-members
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- In-person $90
- Online only $70
- Student/Bridge rate*
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- In-person $40
- Online only $20
Last-minute bird rates available online through October 7, 2022
- MAM members
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- In-person $75
- Online only $45
- Non-members
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- In-person $100
- Online only $70
- Student/Bridge rate*
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- In-person $40
- Online only $20
*The Bridge Rate is for anyone experiencing economic hardship.
We will be able to accept cash, checks (made out to "Maine Archives and Museums"), and credit/debit cards at the conference for those not paid in advance.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
Thank you to our presenting sponsor!
Host Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
SmallCorp
Colby College Museum of Art
Maine Office of Tourism
UMaineOnline
University of Maine Department of History
Cultural Alliance of Maine
Lone Pine Projects, LLC
Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center
Wilson Museum
Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center
Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations
Silver Sponsors
Maine Historical Society; Gnome Landscape, Design, Masonry & Maintenance; Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine; Center for Painted Wall Preservation; History Live! North East; Maine Preservation; Lucidea; Northeast Document Conservation Center; USM Libraries Specialized Collections
Please get in touch about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities.
Sponsoring and exhibiting at the Maine Archives & Museums Annual Conference are great ways to reach museum and archives professionals throughout Maine. See here the opportunities available for sponsors and exhibitors.
