Friday, October 23, 2020
Conference Recordings
CONCURRENT SESSIONS 9:00 AM - 10:0 AM
Uncovering Relevant Stories for Modern Audiences
In 2017, Pendarvis Historic Site in Mineral Point started a site re-interpretation project that totally altered the site’s historic period focus by almost 100 years. This project led to the current work at the Wisconsin Historical Society’s three other southwest sites to ensure fresh and accurate history is presented that aligns with our institution’s vision of “enriching and transforming lives.” Is your organization looking to include other voices in your story or looking for new ways to connect to contemporary audiences? We will discuss why and when we made a major change in our storytelling to tell a modern story that connects with modern visitors. Presenters: Bethany Brander, Southwest Sites Program Manager and Susan Caya-Slusser, Southwest Sites Regional Director
Additions to Public Buildings: It's Not What You Do, But How You Do It!
The process of designing a sensitive addition for a historic public building is important so that it can continue to serve the community. Here you will learn are a few tricks to ensure the historic building continues to be the star of the show! Presenter: Jen Davel, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
The Lands We Share Traveling Exhibition and Community Conversation Tour
The Lands We Share Traveling Exhibition and Community Conversation initiative toured Wisconsin between October 2018 and May 2019, visiting over a dozen localities and hosting six farm-to-table public discussions. The exhibit explored the rich historical intersections between race, ethnicity, land, and farming through five diverse farm sites, from sacred white corn growers in the Oneida Nation to urban gardeners in an African American neighborhood in Milwaukee to dairy farmers of German descent in Jefferson County who employ seasonal workers from Mexico and Central America. The project was part of the Wisconsin Farms Oral History Project, founded at UW-Whitewater in 2012 and was a collaboration among campuses at Oshkosh, Madison, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire that has collected over 400 interviews to date. Presenters: James Levy, Director, Lands We Share Project / Associate Professor, Department of History, UW-Whitewater and Stephen Kercher, Co-Director, Lands We Share / Professor, Department of History, UW-Oshkosh
21st Century Artifact Collecting
As a staff person, or a dedicated volunteer, think about the legacy you leave for your successors 100 years from now. Are you collecting artifacts that represent the 21st Century? How will your successors tell the stories of your communities of the early 21st Century? Join this session with the Curatorial Section of the Wisconsin Historical Society, to learn about our considerations and findings as we actively collect our contemporary experiences, and history as it is happening today. Presenters: Joe Kapler, Lead Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society, Dave Driscoll, Curator of Economic History, Wisconsin Historical Society, Tamara Funk, Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society, and Alan Hanson, Curatorial Assistant, Wisconsin Historical Society
In 2017, Pendarvis Historic Site in Mineral Point started a site re-interpretation project that totally altered the site’s historic period focus by almost 100 years. This project led to the current work at the Wisconsin Historical Society’s three other southwest sites to ensure fresh and accurate history is presented that aligns with our institution’s vision of “enriching and transforming lives.” Is your organization looking to include other voices in your story or looking for new ways to connect to contemporary audiences? We will discuss why and when we made a major change in our storytelling to tell a modern story that connects with modern visitors. Presenters: Bethany Brander, Southwest Sites Program Manager and Susan Caya-Slusser, Southwest Sites Regional Director
Additions to Public Buildings: It's Not What You Do, But How You Do It!
The process of designing a sensitive addition for a historic public building is important so that it can continue to serve the community. Here you will learn are a few tricks to ensure the historic building continues to be the star of the show! Presenter: Jen Davel, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
The Lands We Share Traveling Exhibition and Community Conversation Tour
The Lands We Share Traveling Exhibition and Community Conversation initiative toured Wisconsin between October 2018 and May 2019, visiting over a dozen localities and hosting six farm-to-table public discussions. The exhibit explored the rich historical intersections between race, ethnicity, land, and farming through five diverse farm sites, from sacred white corn growers in the Oneida Nation to urban gardeners in an African American neighborhood in Milwaukee to dairy farmers of German descent in Jefferson County who employ seasonal workers from Mexico and Central America. The project was part of the Wisconsin Farms Oral History Project, founded at UW-Whitewater in 2012 and was a collaboration among campuses at Oshkosh, Madison, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire that has collected over 400 interviews to date. Presenters: James Levy, Director, Lands We Share Project / Associate Professor, Department of History, UW-Whitewater and Stephen Kercher, Co-Director, Lands We Share / Professor, Department of History, UW-Oshkosh
21st Century Artifact Collecting
As a staff person, or a dedicated volunteer, think about the legacy you leave for your successors 100 years from now. Are you collecting artifacts that represent the 21st Century? How will your successors tell the stories of your communities of the early 21st Century? Join this session with the Curatorial Section of the Wisconsin Historical Society, to learn about our considerations and findings as we actively collect our contemporary experiences, and history as it is happening today. Presenters: Joe Kapler, Lead Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society, Dave Driscoll, Curator of Economic History, Wisconsin Historical Society, Tamara Funk, Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society, and Alan Hanson, Curatorial Assistant, Wisconsin Historical Society
CONCURRENT SESSIONS 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
The Legacy of the Public Works Era in Wisconsin
The Federal Government created the “Alphabet Soup” New Deal agencies to address the dire economic impact of the Great Depression. Programs such as the WPA, PWA and the CCC increased employment through investment in public works projects. The presentation will provide an overview of New Deal agencies and their built legacy in Wisconsin. Presenter: Dr. Daina Penkiunas, State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
A Public-Private Partnership: Putting Shaw Point on the National Register
The Shaw Point Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a collection of three neighboring properties on Sand Island, part of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The district’s features reflect the interconnected commercial, agricultural, recreational, and seasonal residential development of the islands from 1870-1970. Private development was generally halted in 1970 with the creation of the national lakeshore. While the federal government acquired much of the area, several longtime residents— including those at Shaw Point—established life estates allowing them continued use of their property. Historian Charlene Roise will discuss the process of preparing the nomination and NPS Apostle Islands National Lakeshore archaeologist David Cooper will describe that agency’s perspective on the designation and managing this unique cultural resource.
Additional resources from this session.
Unvarnished: Restoring the Erased History of Exclusion
Many museums and organizations are working to share a complete, inclusive history. Often that means sharing histories that have been erased from the consciousness of all except those who were marginalized. This panel will talk about their experiences collaborating with six organizations across the northern and western U.S. to tell stories of exclusion through real estate practices like restrictive real estate covenants and Sundown Towns. Presenters: Sabrina W. Robins, PhD, Board Member, African Heritage, Inc., Donna K. Sack, Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Naper Settlement, and Nicholas Hoffman, Administrator of Museums and Historic Sites, Wisconsin Historical Society
Maximizing Mission Effectiveness Through Strategic Partnerships
For the last four years, Wisconsin’s State History organization and Milwaukee’s County History organization have worked to better partner in areas where their missions overlapped. Wisconsin Historical Society Deputy Director and COO Wes Mosman Block and Milwaukee County Historical Society President and Executive Director Mame McCully will discuss joint fundraising, programming, and business initiatives that leveraged resources to grow their mission. Through this case study, the session will explore successes, challenges, and lessons learned through strategic partnership efforts and provide ideas for the identification and development of successful partners and joint initiatives.
The Federal Government created the “Alphabet Soup” New Deal agencies to address the dire economic impact of the Great Depression. Programs such as the WPA, PWA and the CCC increased employment through investment in public works projects. The presentation will provide an overview of New Deal agencies and their built legacy in Wisconsin. Presenter: Dr. Daina Penkiunas, State Historic Preservation Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society
A Public-Private Partnership: Putting Shaw Point on the National Register
The Shaw Point Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a collection of three neighboring properties on Sand Island, part of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The district’s features reflect the interconnected commercial, agricultural, recreational, and seasonal residential development of the islands from 1870-1970. Private development was generally halted in 1970 with the creation of the national lakeshore. While the federal government acquired much of the area, several longtime residents— including those at Shaw Point—established life estates allowing them continued use of their property. Historian Charlene Roise will discuss the process of preparing the nomination and NPS Apostle Islands National Lakeshore archaeologist David Cooper will describe that agency’s perspective on the designation and managing this unique cultural resource.
Additional resources from this session.
Unvarnished: Restoring the Erased History of Exclusion
Many museums and organizations are working to share a complete, inclusive history. Often that means sharing histories that have been erased from the consciousness of all except those who were marginalized. This panel will talk about their experiences collaborating with six organizations across the northern and western U.S. to tell stories of exclusion through real estate practices like restrictive real estate covenants and Sundown Towns. Presenters: Sabrina W. Robins, PhD, Board Member, African Heritage, Inc., Donna K. Sack, Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Naper Settlement, and Nicholas Hoffman, Administrator of Museums and Historic Sites, Wisconsin Historical Society
Maximizing Mission Effectiveness Through Strategic Partnerships
For the last four years, Wisconsin’s State History organization and Milwaukee’s County History organization have worked to better partner in areas where their missions overlapped. Wisconsin Historical Society Deputy Director and COO Wes Mosman Block and Milwaukee County Historical Society President and Executive Director Mame McCully will discuss joint fundraising, programming, and business initiatives that leveraged resources to grow their mission. Through this case study, the session will explore successes, challenges, and lessons learned through strategic partnership efforts and provide ideas for the identification and development of successful partners and joint initiatives.
KEYNOTE 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Settler Colonialism and the Objects Around Us
Aaron Bird Bear, Tribal Relations Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Twelve American Indian nations speaking six languages from three language families reside within Wisconsin’s borders, making Wisconsin the most culturally and linguistically diverse state east of the Mississippi River—yet many of the historical narratives we share begin with European or European American settlement. Join Aaron Bird Bear, Tribal Relations Director at the University of WisconsinMadison, for a discussion of how the monuments, markers, and other objects in the landscape only tell a fraction of the more than 12,000-year human story of the place we now call Wisconsin.
Additional resources from this keynote:
Wisconsin Historical Society’s 2020 Board of Curators Awards
CONFERENCE CLOSING REMARKS 12:45 PM - 1:00 PM
Christian Øverland, the Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society
Aaron Bird Bear, Tribal Relations Director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Twelve American Indian nations speaking six languages from three language families reside within Wisconsin’s borders, making Wisconsin the most culturally and linguistically diverse state east of the Mississippi River—yet many of the historical narratives we share begin with European or European American settlement. Join Aaron Bird Bear, Tribal Relations Director at the University of WisconsinMadison, for a discussion of how the monuments, markers, and other objects in the landscape only tell a fraction of the more than 12,000-year human story of the place we now call Wisconsin.
Additional resources from this keynote:
- Wisconsin First Nations.org – Lesson Plans and Resources for Educators
- 12 Native Nations of Wisconsin "Act 31 Tiered Purchasing Plan" for K-12 teachers.
- UW-Madison Our Shared Future resources and additional tab for primary resources for teaching the 12,000-year human story of Teejop (Four Lakes, or Madison, WI).
- Read the Native Americans and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve webpage to learn about the 12,000-year human story of Waaksikhomik (Lake Mendota).
- 2014 CSPAN featurette about the Observatory Hill mound group at UW-Madison CSPAN (8min): Native American Effigy Mounds.
- D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian Studies at the Newberry Library “Indians of the Midwest” that includes the Ho-Chunk discussing the effigy mounds on the “Indian Perspectives” page.
- The Ways - Ho-Chunk Language Apprentice 5 min. video from The Ways (5min. videos of the 12 First Nations of WI - 2015).
- PBS WI Ho-Chunk Nation History 25 min. Tribal History video: Wisconsin Public Television Tribal Histories, (25min. videos of 12 Nations of WI - 2017/2018).
Wisconsin Historical Society’s 2020 Board of Curators Awards
CONFERENCE CLOSING REMARKS 12:45 PM - 1:00 PM
Christian Øverland, the Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society