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Wednesday, 10:15-11:15
- The Hustle: Celebrating Community Through Oral History and Collaboration
- Kickstart your Fundraising Communications Calendar
- Looking In Before Reaching Out: First Steps for Effective Community Engagement
- Social/Emotional Learning Integration in Youth Programming
The Hustle: Celebrating Community Through Oral History and Collaboration
- Billy Wall-Winkel, Detroit Historical Society
- Rebecca Salminen Witt, Detroit Historical Society
History happens every day, but the present is often off-limits for museums. But why can’t museums celebrate the community that surrounds them today? Connecting the past to the present enables museums to connect their audience emotionally and meaningfully with history. For the past two years, the Detroit Historical Society has been doing just that through The Hustle: Detroit’s Unsung Entrepreneurs. Through community collaboration and oral history, the Society celebrated the rich tradition of Black Entrepreneurship in Detroit by honoring those who keep those traditions alive today. In this session, we’ll share with you how you can too.
Kickstart your Fundraising Communications Calendar
- Michelle Walk, Mackinac State Historic Parks
- Katelyn Bosch VerMerris, Zeeland Historical Society
Just as expectations of visitors have changed so have the expectations of your donors and members. Thinking ahead on how you communicate with members and donors throughout the year is a critical component of the stewardship process. A robust annual donor communication plan can help you steward your members and donors and increase retention, donations, and engagement. This session will include examples of communications calendars, tips and best practices, and a template to begin your own communications calendar.
Looking In Before Reaching Out: First Steps for Effective Community Engagement
- Tobi Voigt, Michigan History Center
- Delia Fernandez-Jones, Michigan State University
Effective community engagement begins from the inside out. Taking time to understand your institution, building community relationships slowly, and making internal changes are critical early steps. As part of a three-year program led by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, the Michigan History Center is learning about and practicing these skills while building new relationships with Michigan’s diverse Latinx communities. In this session, staff and project partners will talk about the grant project, share what they have learned, and provide tools for reflection, collaboration, and internal change that museums of any size can adapt to their needs.
Social/Emotional Learning Integration in Youth Programming
- Katie Mielens, Saginaw Art Museum
Students today are navigating a post-pandemic world, along with many other factors that contribute to their mental health. Museums as educational and community spaces can incorporate social/emotional learning into programming that supports student self-awareness, empathy, collaboration, and connection. Saginaw Art Museum recently launched the SEAL (social/emotional art learning) Pilot Program, which encompasses outreaches and field trips centered around creative expression activities and experiences. In addition, the museum also partnered with CAN Council (Child Abuse and Neglect Council) to create an event and self-guided tour based on strengthening family bonds. We will discuss these models and their outcomes, explore the possibilities of social/emotional integration in outreaches, field trips, and family programming, and experience one of the activities facilitated at Saginaw Art Museum.
The Michigan Museums Association is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. 
Thank you to our Partners!
