Building Together: Co-Creating Meaningful Community Engagement

How do we move beyond assuming what our communities need, to truly understand and respond to their interests? Join Educational Programs Manager Aimee Keithan (Greater Portland Landmarks), Museum Education Specialist Kate Webber (Maine State Museum), and Mayfield Museum Curator Kim Smith (Presque Isle Historical Society) for a collaborative workshop where we'll work through these questions together.

We'll offer a framework for thinking about community-centered programming, then flesh it out with your experiences and ideas. Together, we'll explore how to identify what your communities actually want from your institution, develop creative programs that respond to these needs, and figure out what success really looks like. Through discussion and hands-on exercises, we'll learn from each other's challenges and successes.

Whether you're just starting to think about community partnerships or looking to strengthen existing relationships, you'll leave with practical approaches shaped by the collective wisdom in the room—strategies you can adapt and use in your own work.