BIG Questions for Leaders in History Organizations

On Sunday I will be traveling to Indianapolis to spend three weeks with fifteen practitioners of public history, the 2011 class of Developing History Leaders @SHA. We will engage in deep discussions with many leaders in our field, probing some of the BIG questions about the relevance and future sustainability of our work.

Every two or three days I’ll post a summary of what we’ve been talking about. If you’d like to follow and comment on our discussions, sign up to follow this blog by clicking on the button to the right.

During the first week our questions will center on the nature of our work in relationship to the people and communities we serve. Why is it that so many Americans find history, for the most part, boring and irrelevant? Why is it that they think of visiting a history museum, historic site, or any history organization as something nice to do occasionally, if at all, and certainly not on a regular basis? Is it because history is really not so important in today’s world?

Here are some specific questions we’ll be asking.

1. Whose history is it? Do we decide what’s important about the past, or do we let the people we serve decide? How do we share authority with them? How do we get them “involved” in history and still maintain standards of accuracy and authenticity?

2. What if they have different points of view among themselves? Do we take sides, or do we take a neutral stance? What is our role, and how do we best fulfill that role? This is an especially relevant question when one group of people has oppressed another group in the past.

3. Is it enough that we make history engaging by telling great stories and displaying evocative and provocative objects, or should we find ways to make history useful to present-day concerns? What roles should we play in our communities?

4. How can we be more creative in using authentic objects to involve people in exploring the past? For decades we have used objects to illustrate an interpretation of the past, displayed in cases, on platforms, and in room settings. Are there creative ways to use objects, not as illustrations, but as sources of evidence to enable others to develop their own interpretations?

5. How can we best use technology to enhance a person’s involvement with history? What are people already doing outside of our field? How can we take what’s out there and use it to our advantage?

6. Is there a limit to what we should do? Should that limit be determined only by available funding? Does everything old that comes our way have to be saved for the benefit of the public? How do we make choices?

Remember, if you’d like to follow our discussions, sign up for this blog.

Three weeks without (insert name here)! How will I cope?

As November draws closer and a new DEVELOPING HISTORY LEADERS @ SHA class is gearing up to move to Indianapolis, I am preparing my staff and my museum to be without a key staff member for the same three weeks. While it will be difficult to make sure the museum runs smoothly without one third of the staff, I know that having a colleague have the opportunity to learn and grow at SHA is well worth the effort and planning it takes to send someone.

This is the fourth time in five years that I have prepared for someone to attend DEVELOPING HISTORY LEADERS @ SHA – the first was my previous Director, the second a Senior Curator of Collections, then my own journey to Indy, and now a member of my small staff. Each time has needed a different preparation. When my boss left, I had been on the job just six short weeks. While he was gone, I stumbled my way through the largest traveling exhibit the museum had ever hosted and learning how to work within the structure of a city government. I survived and so did the museum. When it was over, the Director came back with new ideas and a new direction to take the organization.

Before the Senior Curator of Collections attended, I made sure that I had all the collections items and files I needed to work with while she was gone. I also prepared my volunteers and staff for the questions and problems that might arise as they worked on various projects. They knew that they would either have to come to me for help or wait until she returned and sorted through three weeks of back-logged emails and inquiries. She returned with a new enthusiasm for museum work and using material culture to enhance exhibits.

When I spent my three weeks at SHA, I was at an institution with only one other employee – a part time person at that. With the help of my division head, I was able to work it out that the part timer became a full timer. Also, as soon as I knew I was going, I made arrangements for volunteers to help my one staff member as much as possible – especially as I was missing out on the preparation for the museums largest annual public program. Being prepared helped immensely and things went smoothly while I was gone. A few questions here and there via email and things were solved. Knowing that all was going smoothly at home, I was able to concentrate on the knowledge offered by the program and my classmates

Now that one of my Curators of Education is gearing up to go, I am in planning mode once again. I have decided to change my work week to match my colleague’s normal schedule to insure that staff is available during all public programs. I have looked ahead at the calendar and decided what extra volunteer help is needed. I have also been offering advice about Indy, coursework, and the amazing people who share their expertise with each SHA class.

Planning is important in everything we do – but planning for someone on your staff or in your department to take the time they need to attend DEVELOPING HISTORY LEADERS @ SHA is key. Take a deep breath, a long look at the calendar, and then realize everything will be just fine. As you send a staff member off to SHA, know that they will come back with great new ideas, a revved up enthusiasm for their work, and a greater appreciation for the leaders in our field – and that makes any inconvenience during their three week journey totally worth it.

Announcing the Class of 2011

The SHA partners are pleased to announce the SHA Class of 2011. These individuals will join a select fraternity of history professionals who have attended SHA throughout its more than 50-year history.

The 2011 Developing History Leaders @SHA program will run October 29-November 19 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (For the full program curriculum, CLICK HERE.)

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!

• Andy Albertson, Curator of Education, Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces, NM
• Becca Loofburrow, Coordinator, Indiana Junior Historical Society, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN
• Bob Hart, Executive Director, Lane County Historical Society and Museum, Eugene, OR
• Cynthia Capers, Associate Director of Education and Changing Exhibits, Holocaust Museum, Houston, TX
• Danielle Hamelin, Program/Policy Advisor, National Historic Sites Renewal, Parks Canada, Gatineau, Quebec
• Haley Tallman, Sectional Archaeology Program Developer, Angel Mounds State Historic Site, Evansville, IN
• Jamie Glavic, Marketing & Web Communications Manager, Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH
• Jason Crabill, Manager, Curatorial Services, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH
• John Elder, Guest Experience Manager, Conner Prairie, Fishers, IN
• Kyle McKoy, Director, Museum at Papago Park (Arizona Historical Society), Tempe, AZ
• Lillian Choy, Assistant Public Programs Manager, Homestead Museum, City of Industry, CA
• Mark Sundlov, Historic Site Supervisor, Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site (Historical Society of ND), Cooperstown, ND
• Patricia Lessane, Executive Director, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at The College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
• Sarah Milligan, Administrator, Kentucky Oral History Commission, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY
• Travis Zimmerman, Indian Affairs Liaison and Site Manager, Minnesota Historical Society, Onamia, MN

Don't Think You Have Time to Learn From the Best?

“I don’t have time to eat lunch let alone attend a three-week seminar.” Sound familiar? As site directors, grant officers, education directors, et. al., we keep mighty busy work schedules. It sometimes feels like we can’t take time off to attend SHA. After all, it is a three week commitment away from work, site, and family. However, I think when you consider what you will learn, the access you get to the top minds in the field, and the experience you gain, three weeks is not that long to learn from the best.

I had the opportunity to attend SHA in 2008 and I come from a small site, so making the commitment to participate was a big decision. At first, I was apprehensive about attending, wondering if I could afford the time away, but further reflection led me to what I feel was the right choice. When I considered the number of talented individuals who were giving of their time and knowledge to educate me, I knew there was no way I could afford not to attend the Seminar.

Talk about efficient use of time. SHA gives you access to experts all in one place not only in the classroom, but also one-on-one during lunch and gatherings. I think about how long it would take to meet these individuals if I tried to do it on my own, and realize three weeks is a drop in the bucket. So if you are considering SHA, but are worried about being gone for so long, take a moment to consider what you will gain during your time at the Seminar. Attending SHA is one of the best decisions you will make.

A Masterclass In Museum Leadership

Last summer, online music retailer eMusic invited 25 listeners to a masterclass in rock’n’roll tastemaking with none other than “Little” Steven van Zandt – music collector, DJ, and guitarist for the E Street Band.

This past spring, Harvard dance students panted to keep up in a masterclass with Antonio Douthit of the Alvin Ailey dance company.

And as I write this entry, animators from Pixar Studios are leading a tutorial in technique and story development for experienced and aspiring animation artists.

As diverse as these learning experiences are, they’re all building on a tradition in arts education that started more than a century ago: the masterclass.

The masterclass format brings small groups of serious students together with an accomplished professional widely respected for his or her achievements. Masterclasses begin where textbook learning, drill and practice and lecture-style teaching end. They’re for advanced students, those who have acquired the fundamentals of their art forms and tested themselves onstage or in the field, and are now ready to take charge of the more subtle kinds of learning they need to further their careers. Masterclass students are developing their own ideas, but are open to receiving the wisdom and guidance they can get from masters of their craft. The direct power of the student-teacher relationship results in customized feedback, informed by experience, that can help students make a leap to the next level.

So is there such a thing as a museum masterclass? That’s what SHA is. Only students get not one master teacher, but a a dozen or more – and an outstanding peer group of professionals as serious as yourself.

Instead of musical instruments or dance shoes, SHA students bring their varied observations from their early experience in the field, their recurring questions, and their ideas about the future of museums and the leadership work that lies ahead. In discussions, interactive sessions, and fieldwork, they study with “masters”: experts in fields central to history organization leadership, people whose working lives and significant achievements have given them the perspective and that helps students step up their professional thinking skills.

Individually and as a group, students test their ideas, question assumptions, and form ever bigger questions. Master instructors offer responses – individualized, personal, real, and specific – that make for targeted learning to promote rapid professional growth.

SHA’s masterclass instructors are dynamic and varied, all selected from the top ranks of the field. Individual sessions and presenters are too many to name, but they run the gamut of specialties in the museum field and touch on all major areas of mission and management With leaders like Spencer Crew and David Young, debate questions of community engagement and institutional response, honestly exploring the tensions that arise when long-established views are challenged. Wrestle with the increasing demands for relevance and meaning in historic sites with preservation leaders Jim Vaughan and Ken Turino. Take on the challenges of leading change in case studies posed by museum management gurus Barbara Franco and Laura Roberts. With an impressive roster of equally talented educators, explore finance, interpretation, visitor research, management, and many more vital topics.

As a student at SHA, you’ll find yourself acting just like students do in arts master classes: listening attentively. Questioning intently. Jotting down bits of wisdom to draw on later. Experimenting with new ideas. Trying on new presentation styles and leadership tactics. You’ll sometimes argue passionately, think critically, and even change your point of view. SHA’s masterclasses produce leaps of insight and open up new avenues of inquiry. You’ll often get a few good laughs in, too.

It's this “masterclass” approach to teaching the skills of historic administration that makes SHA distinctive and powerful. Day-to-day working life rarely allows the extended, targeted dialogue between accomplished and emerging museum leaders that SHA provides. That intense and customized focus allows students to grow in professional skill by leaps and bounds in a short three weeks – the same way a dancer’s expressive motions can be transformed by an intense afternoon with a dance master, or a guitar player’s imagination can overflow with new melodic ideas after hearing a master musician break down his approach. Experienced artists know the master class is the most efficient tool for move to the next level of performance – it only makes sense that, in the world of museums, SHA knows it too.

Gearing up for AAM and hoping to see many SHA Alums at this national conference.

Whether they call it S_H_A or 'Sha' many Seminar for Historical Administration alums will be attending and presenting at AAM. It is at conferences such as AAM that one gets to catch up with fellow SHA Alums and to encourage the future of the Museum profession.

When I was first starting out in the museum field, I volunteered to work a national conference in order to meet people, and to start that frequently mentioned buzzword “networking”. Later in my career, I heard stories of ideas that sprung up at conferences that the museum director attended which led to projects I was working on.

Now I look forward to attending national conferences for renewal and a creative reboot. I also greatly enjoy seeing people from across the country that I only see at such events. They may only be phone call or a short click away, but to see them and to talk face to face, sometimes late into the evening, is priceless. Whether you are in a big museum with many professional colleges or in a small museum with few professional peers, a conference is a great opportunity.

I attended the Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA) in 2004, the first year it was held in Indianapolis. It is the longest-running professional development seminar in the country and the only one sponsored by six major history and museum organizations. First held in Williamsburg, Virginia, and now located in Indianapolis, Indiana, A three week, residential program, SHA is a bit like the best of grad school and multiple national conferences rolled into one. The formal part of the curriculum is intense and can take some time to fully absorb, but that is only part of it, the rest is learning outside of the classroom, from other students and from the presenters after hours.

In the spirit of SHA, there is nothing better than combining meeting up with fellow SHA alums and a national conference! With fifty-two years of SHA, there are hundreds of alums and many attend national, regional and local conferences.
If you are a graduate of SHA or you would like to learn more information about the seminar, mark your calendars and/or your program books!

On Sunday, May 22nd SHA will be featured in the idea lounge from 2:45 to 4pm. Meet Bob Beatty, Vice President of Programs, American Association for State and Local and some SHA alums to talk about the program.

On the evening of Tuesday, May 24th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, all SHA alums and other interested parties are invited to a reception to discuss the program and network! Meet Coordinator John Durel, Organizational Coach of QM2/ Durel Consulting Partners out of Baltimore, MD.

Wear your SHA pin to Houston and introduce yourself!
(And if you can’t make it AAM in Houston, we’ll see you in September at AASLH in Richmond, VA!!)

Why You Should Attend SHA

I had the privilege of attending the Seminar for Historical Administration in the fall of 2010 and it was one of the best professional decisions I've ever made. Many people look at the three weeks away from work as a large commitment, but it should really be viewed as an opportunity. It's an opportunity to step away from everyday responsibilities and look at the bigger picture in the history field.

It was an opportunity to meet some of the best and brightest in our field. In 2010, John Durel, the coordinator for our class, assembled a tremendous group of instructors including Spencer Crew, Sal Cilella, David Crosson, Tim Grove, Kent Whitworth, and Trina Nelson Thomas, to name just a few. It was an opportunity to experience some truly dynamic educational programs such as Follow the North Star at Conner Prairie and The Power of Children at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and have lively discussions afterward.

It was an opportunity to share a class with other history leaders from around the country. My class had nineteen participants hailing from Kentucky, Illinois, Hawaii, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and New York. Additionally, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta were represented. The participants were directors, curators, education specialists, exhibits specialists, archivists, marketing specialists and public program specialists. Our home organizations ranged in size from one-person operations to large state historical societies. We took the opportunity to get to know each other andto learn from each other. We had lively after-hours conversations and unscheduled weekend trips to see Ohio and Kentucky. I now have an enlarged professional network from my classmates and from the hundreds of other alumni that have graduated over the last 50 years.

Finally, SHA was an opportunity to get my enthusiasm back. In the day-to-day grind of our lives, we can sometimes get lost in the myopia of our institutions. Taking a three-week step back from everyday life and focusing on why I entered this profession has given me a renewed energy. I feel better prepared for the the challenges and changes coming to our profession. The opportunity was well worth it.

Cindy Olsen
Minnesota Historical Society and SHA Class of 2010