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

Are You Ready to Launch a Campaign?
If you are considering, planning or in the midst of a capital or endowment campaign, this is your opportunity to hear from campaign survivors! How ready is your organization? Is your “internal house” in order? What are the major steps in preparing and planning for a campaign? What are some tips for success? The basic steps apply to organizations of all sizes and disciplines. This session is designed with ample time for questions and discussion.
Chair: Diane Kopec, Museum Consultant and former Director of the Abbe Museum, ME

Classroom Curators: Fostering Links Between Schools and Museums
Imagine your classroom transformed into a museum!  In this school-museum partnership program, students are introduced to the world of museology by embarking on a field study at their local museum. Returning to the classroom, they utilize techniques and learning theories that provide an exciting and authentic dimension to the learning experience in order to gain a greater understanding of museum work and its significance in the historical field. We will provide the templates, developed by a teacher and a curator, that will allow you to adapt this program to your needs.
Co-Chairs: Jennifer Hunt-Beauchamp, Associate Curator, Heritage House Museum, Ontario; Michelle Swyers, Teacher, Waterford Public School, Ontario

The Museum Trustee Association’s Trustee Workshop
Using case studies and facilitated small group work, the session content is designed to examine issues related to director/trustee roles and responsibilities, community and public relations, fund raising and sustainability, legal compliance, and cultural property disputes, among others. This session is designed to encourage the development of an open and cooperative partnership between the museum director and the board of trustees. Director/trustee pairs are highly encouraged to attend.
Chair: James McCreight, President, Museum Trustee Association, AZ

Online Collection Cataloging
When our collections catalogs go “online” we suddenly put the welcome mat out to a very diverse audience: persons of school age to seniors can conduct research from anywhere in the world, and keyword searching through sites such as Google and Yahoo will bring up hits to our online presence exceeding our wildest expectations. So what do you want to say about the objects displayed online? This session will offer examples of various approaches to answering this question including, but not limited to, the Maine Memory Network, Contentdm, and PastPerfect.
Chair: Frances Pollitt, Project Cataloguer, Maine Memory Project, Maine Historical Society

Thinking Through Art: Building Critical Thinking Skills Through a Multiple-Visit Art Museum Program
How do museums benefit the K-12 community? The Gardner recently completed a groundbreaking research study, Thinking Through Art, which examined the effects of our school partnership program on the development of elementary students’ critical thinking skills. Gardner educators will share the research results and discuss the wider implications and long-term benefits of multiple-visit programs in museums—particularly the building of lifelong critical thinking and social skills that cannot be acquired in a single field trip.
Chair: Michelle Grohe, Director of School and Teacher Programs, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, MA

Working from the Inside Out: Maintaining Our Museums as Cornerstones of the Community
Several years ago an IMLS publication referred to museums as “cornerstones of the community” and “reservoirs of collective memory.” Today many institutions are attempting to fulfill these roles, although some redefining and reinterpreting of their institutional missions, policies and practices may be necessary! This panel presentation by three seasoned museum professionals will examine redefining current policies to reflect best practices; reshaping mission statements to reflect changing times and the changing populations in our communities; and broadening exhibition practices that focus on understanding our visitors and their personal history-making.
Chair: Marilyn Solvay, Independent Museum Consultant, ME

10:45 a.m – 12:15 p.m.
Opening Session
Welcome from Kent dur Russell, President, New England Museum Association

Keynote Speakers
Harold and Susan Skramstad, co-authors of A Handbook for Museum Trustees

What Makes the Museum: It Isn’t as Easy as It Sounds
Most of us in the museum field have a strong personal and professional sense of the “heart and soul” of the museum enterprise. But the heart and soul of a museum for one person is often very different from that of another. In their keynote address, the Skramstads will discuss the forces that have resulted in the word “museum” losing much of its shared meaning. They will also suggest future paths that might better allow each individual museum to define its unique role within the community it serves, and yet share common values within the larger museum community.

Harold Skramstad is President Emeritus of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. He has served in several senior administrative positions at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (1971-74), as Director of the Chicago Historical Society (1974-1980), and as President of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village (1981-1996). In 1992 he was awarded the Charles Frankel Prize (now renamed the National Humanities Medal) by President George H.W. Bush for his work in bringing the work of the humanities to a wide public audience.

Susan Skramstad is the former Vice Chancellor for Institutional Development at the University of Michigan Dearborn. She is also the author of many published short stories and poems, as well as the novel The Singing Teacher, published in 1992.

Harold and Susan are the co-authors of A Handbook for Museum Trustees, published by the American Association of Museums.

Introduction of New American Association of Museums President, Ford Watson Bell 
Join us in welcoming Ford Bell to his first NEMA conference and learn about the new initiatives that AAM is developing in response to the issues facing America’s museums. In addition, we welcome Chair of the AAM Board Irene Y. Hirano, President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Portland Conference Opening Luncheon
Join colleagues for this terrific networking opportunity. Enjoy a delicious lunch in the company of friends old and new. Chat with colleagues about current issues and future plans.

12:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Directors and Trustees Lunch Program
Hosted by
Henderson Phillips Fine Arts Insurance

A Conversation with Harold and Susan Skramstad
Museum directors, trustees and senior managers who address museum-wide policy are invited to join the Skramstads at the Directors and Trustees Lunch Program to continue the conversation sparked by their keynote presentation, “What Makes the Museum: It Isn’t as Easy as It Sounds.”

Enjoy lunch with colleagues; then, over coffee and dessert take this opportunity to engage the co-authors of A Handbook for Museum Trustees in a lively discussion of the implications of defining museums’ unique roles and common values. This is an exceptional opportunity to participate in a conversation with two of the museum field’s leading thinkers.
Chair: Scott Stevens, NEMA PAG Representative and Executive Director, Old York Historical Society, ME
Pre-registration is required. Registration is limited.

1:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Afternoon Off-Site Session
Maine Historical Society
Designing School Programs for a Changing Exhibits Gallery: Challenges and Rewards
Every six months, a new exhibit is installed at Maine Historical Society, and the museum is completely changed. Each exhibit provides us an opportunity to explore a new facet of the state’s history and to show different materials from our collection. Each new exhibit also necessitates a new education program. These programs must be broad enough to place the state’s history in the context of national events and specific enough to spotlight the individual artifacts and artworks on display. Each education program must be interactive, engaging to learners of all ages, and aligned with the work teachers are doing in the classroom. Attendees at this session will participate in the Maine Historical Society’s current exhibit program. Following the activity, we will offer a demonstration of past successes and failures, as well as a frank discussion of the challenges and rewards of designing two unique, standards-based, enticing school programs each year.
Chair: Carolin Collins, Director of Education, Maine Historical Society
Pre-registration is required, $5 fee. Registration is limited. This session takes place just a short walk from the hotel.

1:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Double Session
Volunteer Management 101: Volunteer Management 201
In this session we will focus on both the nuts and bolts of creating a volunteer program, as well as more advanced aspects such as performance evaluation and conflict resolution. In Volunteer Management 101 panelists will discuss recruiting, training, and recognizing volunteers. In Volunteer Management 201 attendees will be asked to raise their questions, share success stories, and discuss challenges. You may attend both 101 and 201 or choose the session that best suits your needs and interests.
Chair: Linda Apple, Director, Volunteer and Community Programs, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Avoiding a Cost Catastrophe: Practical Tools to Guide Your Building Project
Your financial resources, not your program or building needs, will probably determine what gets built, so controlling costs is a critical planning, design and construction activity. Learn a process that defines project scope early, and how to have the discipline to stay on track over the course of the project. These practical tools and tips will avoid scope change later and help you keep your project moving forward with a flexible yet rigorous process.
Chair: Walt Crimm, AIA, LEED AP, EwingCole Architects, PA 

Collecting Viewpoints: A New Museum Mission
Traditional conceptions of museums tend to focus inward, towards care and interpretation of collections. More radical views call for museums to moderate public—often political—discourse, providing redress of grievances and healing social wounds. Through a panel presentation and the discussion that will follow, this session will explore combined approaches that use objects to elicit multiple perspectives, both personal and historical, and offer museums as spaces for dialogue and repositories for multiple meanings and viewpoints. What responsibilities do such approaches imply for museums? What opportunities?
Chair: Daniel Elias, ECHO Project Director, Peabody Essex Museum, MA

Making Your Museum Work with IMLS Federal Grants
IMLS staff will present museum grant opportunities: Museums for America, National Leadership Grants, 21st Century Museum Professionals, Museum Grants for African American History and Culture, and Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services, as well as participation in the Conservation Assessment Program and the Museum Assessment Program. Information on grant programs, how to write a competitive grant, and a road map to IMLS resources will be available.
Chair: Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services, DC

The New Academic Museum: Traveling Exhibitions, Unpacking the Collection and Presenting Contemporary Art
Academic museums have become a powerful force in American culture. Devoted, like their college and university affiliates, to the missions of education and scholarship, these museums make daring and provocative forays into new artistic territory. This panel will introduce the growing importance of academic museums in America while defining their new role. The session will provide a forum to discuss new initiatives and opportunities presented by academic museums in contrast to the rise of a new corporate museum culture.
Chair: Mark H. C. Bessire, Director, Bates College Museum of Art, ME

Stories Along the Trail: Interpretation for the Whole Site
Historic properties and museums fail to take full interpretive advantage of their settings. Often, the surrounding landscape, natural resources, and viewscapes of historic resources play a significant role in a site’s history. Developing “sense of place” not only adds new stories, but also deepens ones already told while providing greater accessibility and new avenues to content. Join panelists from Hancock Shaker Village, Old Sturbridge Village, and Gore Place in a lively, participatory stroll down this new trail.
Co-Chairs: Kathryn “Katie” Boardman and Thomas M. Elliott, Principals, The Cherry Valley Group, NY

3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Coffee Break In Exhibit Hall
Hosted By
Cardinal Principles of Governance

3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Engaging Communities Through Collaborations
In this session, the panelists will suggest ways in which museums can engage the community through collaborations with libraries, schools, and local media. Working with other community organizations allows museums to reach new audiences and experiment with new programming. Funding often exists for collaborative efforts that would not otherwise be available. Panelists will provide concrete examples of successful collaborations, including an oral history project of WWII Liberty shipyard workers that involved a local high school and radio station, and a dynamic “Fear No Art” series of artists' talks at local libraries.  
Chair: Mark R. Thompson, Executive Director, Portland Harbor Museum, ME

Making a Museum
Creating a new museum, or transforming an existing one, offers extraordinary challenges and requires a knowledge base very different from that of museum operations. Senior staff members from Heritage Harbor and Mystic Seaport Museum will present an overview of their experiences, the resources on which they drew, and lessons learned. The strategy consultant who worked with the two institutions will moderate, offer insights about opportunities and pitfalls, and suggest concrete tools for strategic and facility planning.
Chair: Samuel Frank, Strategist, Synthesis Partnership, MA

Managing Change:  Is Your Board Really on Board?
Learn how to integrate new and old boards into one cohesive team. Heavy demands are placed on museum boards. But are they provided with the tools to meet these high expectations? Board composition now includes professionals who want corporate principles integrated into museum management. The challenge of welcoming these energies is the responsibility of all—with the objective of building a strong, cohesive governance team, balancing the old with the new. Using handouts and role-playing, this session will demonstrate how your museum can obtain a more productive board—that really is on board!
Co-Chairs: Sarah Graham Mann and David K. Case, Principals, Case & Mann Consulting, MA

Off-Site Collection Storage: When Does It Make Sense?
As their collections grow, many museums are considering whether off-site storage is an appropriate solution to space and budget constraints. This session will evaluate the cost-benefit and operating implications of off-site vs. on-site storage using The Museum of Modern Art and its off-site storage facility, MoMA QNS, as a case study. The panel will identify key considerations and common challenges, weigh the pros and cons of each collection storage option, and explore strategies for decision making.
Chair: Scott Newman, Partner, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, NY

Raising the Questions: A New Look at Exhibit Design Basics for the Small Museum
This workshop is for the staff and volunteers who wear many hats in small museums. The first half will provide a process for successful exhibit planning and design followed by a demonstration of some practical and affordable production techniques. Did you ever wonder how you, as an exhibit designer, can engage your visitors in a conversational experience through exhibit design? How you can make the exhibit experience exciting for your audience? And finally, how you can do all this with limited resources? We’ll share our secrets.
Chair: Shelly Merriam, Associate Curator—Exhibits, Cuttyhunk Historical Society, Museum of the Elizabeth Islands, MA

Volunteer Management 201
Continuation of Volunteer Management 101:201. Attendees will be asked to raise their questions, share success stories, and discuss challenges. See page 5 for complete session description.

Web-Based Strategies for Your Organization
According to the Chronicle for Philanthropy, online donations grew by 37 percent, from $880.7-million to $1.2-billion in 2006. How can your institution benefit from this trend? How can you use web-based communication to promote events, membership, planned giving, and campaigns? What strategic features are necessary on your website? This session will present solutions, from creating e-mail newsletters to guiding web-focused fundraising strategies as well as meeting other core strategic goals of your organization.
Chair: Denise Braley, Manager of Development, Mashantucket Pequot Museum, CT

Evening Events

5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Reception
Don't miss this opportunity to visit the exhibit booths and learn about wonderful museum products and services. Enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and meet with friends old and new!
Hosted by Harvard University Extension School/ Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies

Tour the Newly Renovated Bowdoin College Museum of Art
6:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sponsored by SmallCorp
Celebrate the arts at Bowdoin College. A social half-hour will provide time to unwind before dinner is served in Daggett Lounge on campus, catered by the award-winning Bowdoin College dining service. After dinner, stroll across the Quad and explore the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, just reopened following a 2-year renovation and expansion. Machado and Silvetti Associates of Boston, architects, creatively combined preservationist techniques with new architecture to respectfully enhance the original building, while preserving the landmark structure designed by McKim, Mead and White. The collections range from the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world to artwork created in the first years of the 21st Century. Guided tours will be available.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee of $42 includes dinner with complimentary wine and transportation.

Directors & Trustees Dinner
6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Museum Search & Reference
Enjoy a delicious dinner and complimentary wine with friends at the Maine Historical Society in downtown Portland. Celebrate the 200th birthday of America’s most beloved poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, by visiting our current exhibit, Drawing Together: The Arts of the Longfellows and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the poet’s boyhood home. Founded in 1822, Maine Historical Society is the third oldest historical society in the country and, in addition to the Museum and House, includes a one hundred year-old Research Library that is currently being restored and expanded, and the Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net), a digital museum with materials from throughout the state.
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee of $45 includes dinner with complimentary wine. A five minute walk from the hotel; directions will be provided.

Join us for a Traditional Maine Lobster Bake!
6:45 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Discover the power of play at the Children’s Museum of Maine, recently voted 14th in the nation by Child Magazine. Experience the museum’s interactive exhibits and explore “Tree Houses: Look Who’s Living in the Trees,” created by the New England Environmental Exhibit Collaborative. Travel over a wobbly bridge to create an animal sound symphony on the tree house dance floor and discover the treats that forests provide while exploring the drawers of a tree house kitchen. Then dig into your own lobster feast: 1 ¼ lb. lobster, 1 lb. of steamers, drawn butter, corn on the cob and potato. For the land-lovers there’s BBQ Chicken with baked beans and corn on the cob OR Grilled Vegetarian Kabob and potato (all entrees come with salad, bread and dessert).
Pre-registration is required. Registration fee: Lobster $45; Chicken $28; Vegetarian $18, includes two complimentary drink tickets (beer and wine). A five minute walk from the hotel; directions will be provided.