Wednesday January 21

10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Exhibit Design 101
Location: Averitt Center, 33 E Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458

Every museum can achieve great exhibit results even when faced with a nominal budget. Tellus Science Museum director Jose Santamaria has extensive exhibit experience working in a small and large museum. The fundamentals are the same, and the session will focus on how to make smart decisions in design and content; hands-on use of readily available supplies, technology, and techniques; the best use of funds and resources to get professional-looking results; and how to avoid common mistakes that can lead to amateur-looking exhibits.
Participants: Jose Santamaria (Chair, Tellus Science Museum), Amy Gramsey (Tellus Science Museum), Brian Conway (Tellus Science Museum)

The Roadmap for Fundraising Success
Location: Averitt Center, 33 E Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458

Discover the roadmap for fundraising success. From prospect identification to stewardship, learn the practical steps to fundraising. Begin with an effective development plan and strong leadership. How do we engage the board and volunteers? How do we cultivate and deepen relationships for a capital campaign or planned giving program? With giving downturn and shrinking funding sources, where do we find new means of support, approaches to fundraising, and grant opportunities? Evaluate the cost, time, and potential return on special events. Explore the potential of online giving, the role of social entrepreneurship, and the future of fundraising.
Participants: Susan Perry (Chair, Southeastern Museums Conference), Linda McNay (Our Fundraising Search)

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Learning to Make a Movie for Your Museum (Part 1)
Location: Film Studio, GSU Campus. Meet in hotel lobby at 9:00 a.m. for a shuttle to campus.

The production of historical documentary films has reached an all-time high due to the proliferation of subscription television stations and streaming Internet websites over the past two decades. Almost without exception, filmmakers , not historians, have created these programs. The two-week Visual History Summer Institute at Georgia Southern University has helped remedy the situation by instructing professional historians on how to use the tools of media production to create their own programs. Institute directors Michael Van Wagenen (Department of History) and Jason Knowles (Department of Communication Arts) will be leading a four-hour seminar on the basics of documentary planning and production for GAMG attendees. They will also be available for individual consultations during the conference.
Participants: Brent Tharp (Chair, Georgia Southern Museum), Michael Scott Van Wagenen (Georgia Southern University

12:00 Noon – 1:15 PM
Lunch on your own.

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Vendor Setup

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
How to Lead an Organization and Manage Your Team
Location: Averitt Center, 33 E Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458

Teamwork is critical to the success of any organization. During this workshop three different leaders will share their approach to creating and maintaining a strong team that stays energized, enthusiastic and effective. We'll do several hands on activities that are designed help keep team members engaged and staff morale high. Each leader will provide a handout with tips and suggestions to help you become a stronger leader.
Participants: Carleton Wood (Chair, Hills and Dales Estate), Scott W. Smith (Coastal Heritage Society), Ann Harrison (Thomas County Historical Society)

12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Learning to Make a Movie for Your Museum (Part 2)
Location: Film Studio, GSU Campus

The production of historical documentary films has reached an all-time high due to the proliferation of subscription television stations and streaming Internet websites over the past two decades. Almost without exception, filmmakers , not historians, have created these programs. The two-week Visual History Summer Institute at Georgia Southern University has helped remedy the situation by instructing professional historians on how to use the tools of media production to create their own programs. Institute directors Michael Van Wagenen (Department of History) and Jason Knowles (Department of Communication Arts) will be leading a four-hour seminar on the basics of documentary planning and production for GAMG attendees. They will also be available for individual consultations during the conference.
Participants: Brent Tharp (Chair, Georgia Southern Museum), Michael Scott Van Wagenen (Georgia Southern University

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Collections 101 Workshop
Location: Averitt Center, 33 E Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458

Are you new to collections management? Or you need a refresher? Panel members Matthew Harper, Christa McCay, and Tricia Miller will discuss the collections management topics of condition reporting, artifact storage and artifact numbering and cataloguing. A general overview of the topics will be followed by short demonstrations and an opportunity for the audience to participate in sample collections management activities. Following the presentations the attendees will be invited to ask questions about managing their own collections.
Participants: Tricia Miller (Chair, Georgia Museum of Art), Matthew Harper (Zuckerman Museum of Art), Christa McCay (Marietta Museum of History)

5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Progressive Dinner
Come join your GAMG friends and colleagues for a culinary tour through Statesboro. Meet in the lobby at 5:00 p.m. for shuttle service.

First Stop: Averitt Center, 33 E Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458.
Second Stop: Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau and Regional Visitors Center, 332 S Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458.
Third Stop: Georgia Southern University Museum 2142 Southern Drive, Statesboro, GA 30458

9:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Hospitality Suite at conference hotel.

Thursday January 22

8:15 AM – 9:15 AM
Breakfast

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Starting or Upgrading Your Volunteer and Docent Program

The current economic climate dictates that volunteers be more selective about where and how they share their time and resources. Recruitment, thorough training, and retention of highly effective individuals are essential to volunteer-dependent organizations. This session will discuss techniques to start, reinvigorate, and reinvent your program, including the art of "firing" a volunteer.
Participants: Mary Woodlan (Chair, Historic Oakland Cemetery), Jamie Credle (Davenport House), Patricia Mosier (Museum of History and Holocaust Education)

MUSE, MAP, and STEPS

This session will introduce the various evaluation programs sponsored by GAMG, the American Alliance of Museums, and the American Association for State and Local History. The panelists will talk about the advantages and challenges of completing these evaluations and offer tips to make the process run smoothly.
Participants: Carleton Wood (Chair, Hills & Dales Estate), Matt Davis (Old Governor's Mansion)

Working with Heritage Tourism Partnerships

This session will focus on suggestions for museums and galleries to work with or as part of heritage tourism partnerships. Session participants have been engaged in a variety of such collaborations and will represent the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Humanities Council, and the Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia. The roundtable format will encourage all participants to share their ideas and brainstorm together.
Participants: Ann McCleary (Chair, University of West Georgia), Bruce Green (Georgia Department of Economic Development), Cheryl Hargrove (Regional Tourism Project Manager), Arden Williams (Georgia Humanities Council)

Using Primary Sources in Your Museum

Museums must seek innovative ways to engage new audiences and identify new revenue streams. The "Teaching with Primary Sources Program" created by the Library of Congress, helps museums connect with teachers through GPS and Common Core?aligned professional development. Attendees will learn how to personalize the Library's "Build and Deliver" components into effective and popular workshops for classroom educators in history, language arts, and science while showing off the primary sources unique to their own museum or site. This program is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University.
Participants: Michelle Zupan (Chair, Hickory Hill), Frank Smith (Hickory Hill)

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Coffee Break with vendors

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Career Paths for New Professionals

In this session, young museum professionals and students have the opportunity to network with seasoned museum colleagues and learn about the various museum careers, museum studies programs, and internship opportunities available to them.
Participants: Susan Perry (Chair, SEMC), Don Rooney (Atlanta History Center), Trey Gaines (Bartow History Center)

Working with Universities and Academic Museums

Partnerships with universities and academic museums can be fruitful and bring new opportunities to your institution. Join the three panelists for a productive conversation about how best to approach academic institutions to ensure success.
Participants: Brent Tharp (Chair, Georgia Southern University), Justin Rabideau (Zuckerman Museum of Art), Jennifer Dickey (Kennesaw State University)

Keeping Your Audience During a Renovation
During a major restoration, renovation or building project, museums face challenges to keep the audience and buzz whether they stay open with impediments to normal operation or close the place" but need to keep the institution alive.
Participants: Katherine Keena (Chair, Juliette Low Birthplace), Carissa DiCindio (Georgia Museum of Art), Lisa Wheeler (Booth Museum of Art)

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Luncheon and Keynote Lecture:
Keynote speaker: Julia Forbes, Head of Museum Interpretation , High Museum of Art

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM
New Trends in Historic Homes

Five house museum administrators from around the state will speak to national trends and offer perspectives on a range of topics from changing visitor demographics, to an aging docent corps, to maintaining community relevance. Each panelist will speak for about ten minutes, and the remainder of the session will encourage audience engagement.
Participants: Jamie Credle (Chair, Davenport House Museum), Matt Davis (Old Governor's Mansion), Erick Montgomery (Historic Augusta, Inc.), Jessica Van Landuyt (Swan House and Margaret Mitchell House), Michelle Zupan (Hickory Hill and Tom Watson Birthplace)

Engaging K-12 Students in Museum Programming

This session will focus on different ways museum educators can create engaging, meaningful, and fun field trip experiences for visiting K-12 students. Presenters will discuss logistical concerns involved with school field trips, tips for working with classroom teachers.
Presenters: Callan Steinmann (Chair, Georgia Museum of Art), Michele Schulte (Morris Museum of Art), Cantey Smith (Tellus Science Museum)

Mentoring Speed Date

This interactive session is for anyone interested in enlarging their network in the state. Come meet your colleagues and learn how to be successful and well-connected in the field.
Facilitators: Catherine Lewis (Museums, Archives and Rare Books, Kennesaw State University), Jennifer Dickey (Kennesaw State University)
Participants: Anna Tucker (Museums, Archives and Rare Books, KSU), Susan Mays (Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon), Kathy Dixson (Emory University), Tommy Gregors (Thronateeska Heritage Center), Leo Goodsell (Historic Westville), James Newberry (Museum of History and Holocaust Education), Nicole Cromartie (Center for Civil and Human Rights), Dina Bailey (Center for Civil and Human Rights)

Preserving the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace for the Next 100 Years

Between 2012 and 2014, the Wayne Gordon house, birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, underwent extensive restoration. The stucco clad masonry building needed exterior repairs and the final project scope involved almost every surface between the roof to the foundation including replacement of the original brownstone and the 1886 metal cornice. The session will outline the approach to the project, the types of consultants involved, and show some of the unforeseen conditions and methods to resolve them. Presenters will discuss their approach to ensuring quality control of the work, communication methods, keeping staff and visitors and staff safe and engaged, and lessons learned.
Participants: Sherryl Long (Chair, Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace), Mark Fitzpatrick, Roy Suttles (Keim)

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Ice Cream Social with vendors

3:45 PM – 5:30 PM
Mistakes Were Made

Join us for this all-GAMG interactive session, filled with good humor. Most conference sessions focus on successes; here you will learn what did not work. The panelists will share their institution's most memorable mistakes and lessons learned. Then participants will have a chance to share their "best mistake" for the People's Choice Award.
Participants: Dr. Catherine Lewis (Chair, Dept. of Museums, Archives & Rare Books, Kennesaw State University), David Moore (Historic Oakland Cemetery), David Dundee (Tellus Museum), James Newberry (Museum of History and Holocaust Education), Jose Santamaria (Tellus Science Museum), Arden Williams (Georgia Humanities Council)

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Reception, Dinner and Silent Auction
Location: Center for Art and Theater, 233 Pittman Dr, Statesboro, GA

9:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Hospitality Suite at conference hotel.

Friday January 23

8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
Museum Education and Controversial Topics
Museum educators will reflect on their experience working with difficult or contentious topics including the Holocaust, civil and human rights, and contemporary art. Each presenter will discuss some successful and less-than-successful strategies to address challenging material developed through public programs, school programs, and interpretation.
Participants: Richard Harker (Chair, Museum of History and Holocaust Education), Dina Bailey (National Center for Civil and Human Rights), Nichole Cromartie (National Center for Civil and Human Rights), Katy Malone (Zuckerman Museum of Art)

Ethics in Museums
Ethical quandaries arise nearly every day in museums. Join the panelists for an intriguing discussion of ethical issues that many institutions face and the best strategies for solving or addressing them.
Participants: Matt Davis (Old Governor's Mansion), Carlos Herrera (Georgia College), Michelle Schulte (Morris Museum of Art)

Reinvesting and Revitalizing Georgia's African American Museums
This panel focuses on African American historic sites and museums and the challenges they face including funding, program design and audience development as well as the rewards that they have experienced.
Participants: Susan Mays (Chair, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon), Jeanne Cyriaque (Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division), Christine Miller-Betts (Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History), Gayle Jackson (The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center), Mamie Hillman (Greene County African American Museum)

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM
Coffee Break with vendors

10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Educator's Roundtable

Join museum educators from around the state to discuss current trends in visitor engagement, with a focus on safety, an often overlooked issue in museum education.
Participants: Michelle Schulte (Morris Museum of Art), Lisa Wheeler (Booth Museum of Art), In partnership with the Georgia Museum Educators Association

Director's Roundtable: Friendraising and Fundraising

Join directors from around the state for a lively discussion about how to cultivate long-term support for your museum, gallery, or historic site through friendraising and fundraising.
Participants: Catherine Lewis (Chair, Museums, Archives, Rare Books, Kennesaw State University), David Moore (Historic Oakland Foundation), Jose Santamaria (Tellus Science Museum), Tommy Gregors (Thronateeska Heritage Center), Arden Williams (Georgia Humanities Council)

Exhibit Developer's Roundtable: Using New Technologies in Exhibits
Join the panelists for a timely discussion about using new technologies in exhibitions. Learn which approaches best engage audiences diverse audiences.
Participants: Julia Brock (Chair, Museums, Archives & Rare Books, KSU), Adina Langer (Consultant), Christopher Lawton (University of Georgia Center for Virtual History), Erica Bruchko (Emory University), Sara McKee (New Georgia Encyclopedia)

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
GAMG Awards Luncheon
Location: Nessmith-Lane Conference Center, 847 Plant Drive, Statesboro, GA 30458

2:00 PM – 2:01 PM
GAMG Board Meeting