Open Forum

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

​John Summers here from Ontario Canada. This is an issue of some interest, as we are in the process of re-focusing a municipal heritage organization from operating a traditional community museum towards a service-delivery unit that supports local heritage partners.

Many conference presentations address the need for change, far fewer talk about how to make it real, particularly in traditionally-structured organizations, so I would second the importance of this as a topic.

------------------------------
John Summers
Manager, Heritage Services
Milton ON
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Original Message------

​John Summers here from Ontario Canada. This is an issue of some interest, as we are in the process of re-focusing a municipal heritage organization from operating a traditional community museum towards a service-delivery unit that supports local heritage partners.

Many conference presentations address the need for change, far fewer talk about how to make it real, particularly in traditionally-structured organizations, so I would second the importance of this as a topic.

------------------------------
John Summers
Manager, Heritage Services
Milton ON
------------------------------

Marc: We're finishing a 2 year renovation and during the closure we took lots of our educational programming and events into the community. When we re-open our historic landmark building and all three museums in November, the education and learning teams will function differently than before we closed for renovation. Not sure what type of change you're referring to but I believe for us the 2+ year process will result in a stronger and more engaged community with our museums. Whitney Owens is our Chief Learning Officer and she with her leadership team have successfully driven these changes.

The renovation has also set the stage for some institutional changes that are being driven by our CEO Elizabeth Pierce. I will share your query with both Whitney and Elizabeth.

I love your museum and have my favorite museum memory from your photo collection. My dad was career Navy fighter pilot and I've donated a number objects and archive material but the photo, that I had never seen, was of my dad on the tarmac by his plane in boxers and tee putting on his flight suit. When I saw this photo I clearly remember my mother ironing those sharp creases in his boxers and t-shirts!

Best,
Jane

------------------------------
Jane MacKnight
Director Museum Planning
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Cincinnati OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

I would be interested in participating in a panel discussion. At Vizcaya Museum and Gardens we are revising our mission, vision and interpretive themes to better represent the museum from the lens of past, present and future. These changes also reflect the dire reality of climate change and sea level rise. Our location on Biscayne Bay in Miami offers a unique opportunity for the museum to act as a catalyst for awareness and change with our peers and our community. This issue is not related to our former mission or our specific history yet reality is pushing us to adapt. If you think this context could offer something to the panel proposal please feel free to reach out .

Best,

Mark

------------------------------
Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
Adult Learning and Engagement Manager
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, FL 33141
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Folks,

There certainly seems to be some interest, and that's great!

The change I've implemented is beginning a Visitor Studies Program and revamping the Exhibit Design Process through a variety of means.

I'll take a look at the submission proposals and see what the best format may be to accommodate as many of your good ideas as possible.

Thanks,

Marc 

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-23-2018 09:18 AM
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

I would be interested in participating in a panel discussion. At Vizcaya Museum and Gardens we are revising our mission, vision and interpretive themes to better represent the museum from the lens of past, present and future. These changes also reflect the dire reality of climate change and sea level rise. Our location on Biscayne Bay in Miami offers a unique opportunity for the museum to act as a catalyst for awareness and change with our peers and our community. This issue is not related to our former mission or our specific history yet reality is pushing us to adapt. If you think this context could offer something to the panel proposal please feel free to reach out .

Best,

Mark

------------------------------
Mark Osterman, Ed.D.
Adult Learning and Engagement Manager
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Miami, FL 33141

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

I am the Public Programs Coordinator at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis I'm interested in participating in the panel at AAM. The Dixon, especially the Education Department, is in the middle of big, exciting changes. We're in the process of having a new education building constructed, and we're continuing work on ways to connect with more segments of the community. We've been concentrating on diversity within our audience for several years, and the new building allows us to think more broadly.  Future programming will make the Dixon a place  where even more people feel at home by allowing more classes and more meeting spaces for community partners including organizations and clubs.

We're currently connecting with diverse groups through exhibitions and events that reflect the Latino and the LGBTQ communities. We recently had an education program where a local drag queen led a tour and facilitated an interview with two other drag queens. We then had a performance with all three participants. We plan to build on this event by having a larger one in the spring of 2019. This did not happen without some push back, but the Dixon leadership stood in support of the event and those participating in it, showing that the LGBTQ community has our support and will continue to have it. 

The Latino community is personally invited to events through interviews on local Spanish speaking radio stations and we are working to have all of our labels in the museum in English and Spanish. Dixon staff also participates in the local Day of Dead parade and has had an altar in the Dia de los Muertos celebration for several years. Local stakeholders in the Latino community were also invited to a meeting in which we all participated in brainstorming ideas for programs during our upcoming El Taller de Gráfica Popular: Vida y Arte exhibition. Everyone from moms who bring their children to our programs to tamale makers to university professors shared their ideas of how we could create great programs during the run of the show. 

 

I would love to participate in the panel.

------------------------------
Linley Schmidt
Public Programs Coordinator
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Memphis TN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Good Afternoon, I would be interested in taking part in a panel discussion. I am the Indigenous Outreach Coordinator at SITE Santa Fe, a contemporary art museum in New Mexico. Our institution is a traditionally-structured organization (top-down initiative) with much need for improvement. I started off as an intern at the institution with an initiative to create a more diverse and inclusive environment at SITE. I worked with the education director to do more public outreach in our Native Pueblo communities through such projects as SITE center, projects in which our artists connect with community members in creating a project that is displayed at our museum. Furthermore, I have continued to work on developing my own cultural competency curriculum based on the critical race theory framework that I specialize in as a doctoral candidate. Because of this, other museums and organizations throughout New Mexico and Santa Fe have asked me to implement cultural competence workshops at their institution as a way to help them become more culturally and socially aware of the groups in which they work with. Santa Fe is a unique town, but it is also a tourist town, in which ignorance thrives. Anyway, I would love to be a part of this panel discussion and to be around others who are also implementing change.

------------------------------
Winoka Begay
Indigenous Outreach Coordinator
SITE Santa Fe
Santa Fe NM
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

I would certainly be interested in attending this panel and also participating in it. Here at The Henry Ford, we are in the midst of a change effort to activate innovation in the guest experience. This includes exhibits, programs, collecting, and digital initiatives. Some examples are the transition to a mission-focused tour which is now sold as an add-on product to a standard visit, linking history and science through hands-on programming, and a push for more paid training for interpretive staff as they take on new duties.

As a mid-level manager, I have been at the center of implementing these change efforts and would be able to speak to the implementation and management of change, which other posters have noted is distinct from change initiation. We have achieved varying levels of success with these change efforts, and I would love to also learn from the successes and challenges of others.

------------------------------
Kate Morland
Exhibits Manager
The Henry Ford
Dearborn MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

All,

Thank you again for the interest. Reading through the proposals, I'm looking to focus on successful implementation of changes (including the management of said changes). I think sharing success stories--and specifics on what it took to be successful--will be an important part of this panel. I'd like attendees to hear the "how/why" we were successful, and then would be prepared to brainstorm during the Q&A on ways to adapt our successful frameworks to their institutions. 

E.g. We recently began our Visitor Studies Program, and I would talk through the steps/initiatives necessary to make that change in our institution, and how we now use that data to change our daily operations.

I'm looking at a lecture format with 3-4 presenters who would speak for 10-15 minutes each, leaving ~15 minutes for Q&A (60 minute total).

I'll reach out to candidates over the next few days. All participants will need to log in to the submission site to verify they're planning to participate in the session. 

Best,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-27-2018 10:41 AM
From: Kate Morland
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

I would certainly be interested in attending this panel and also participating in it. Here at The Henry Ford, we are in the midst of a change effort to activate innovation in the guest experience. This includes exhibits, programs, collecting, and digital initiatives. Some examples are the transition to a mission-focused tour which is now sold as an add-on product to a standard visit, linking history and science through hands-on programming, and a push for more paid training for interpretive staff as they take on new duties.

As a mid-level manager, I have been at the center of implementing these change efforts and would be able to speak to the implementation and management of change, which other posters have noted is distinct from change initiation. We have achieved varying levels of success with these change efforts, and I would love to also learn from the successes and challenges of others.

------------------------------
Kate Morland
Exhibits Manager
The Henry Ford
Dearborn MI

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------

Hi Marc, 

I am the Director of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum.  Our new building was opened in 2012, and we are already facing issues related to programming capacity.  To address this, we have begun an ambitious program to renovate an on-site storage building into a new Arts & Propagation Center for desert plants.  If you are still looking for panelists, I would be excited to add my institution's expertise as it relates to recognizing existing infrastructure limitations, identifying workable solutions for expansion, and then the methodology of executing that vision for the future.

If this is something that you're interested in, please give me a call, email, or message in reply.

Best,

David

------------------------------
David Breeckner, PhD
Executive Director
Imperial Valley Desert Museum
(904) 599-4456
ivdmuseum@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2018 03:17 PM
From: Marc Levitt
Subject: Panel Interest for 2019: Implementing Change

Hello all,

I'm gauging interest to develop a panel on "Implementing Change in Your Institution" (or something similarly titled).

I recently have been able to begin two initiatives at our museum with a 60+ year history, and was wondering if such a panel seems worthwhile and if anyone else has success stories they'd be willing to share.

Thanks,

Marc

------------------------------
Marc Levitt MLS
Archivist
National Naval Aviation Museum
NAS Pensacola FL
------------------------------