BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Mass History Commons - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://masshistorycommons.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Mass History Commons REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250402T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250402T203000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20250319T164341Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250319T164341Z UID:34279-1743620400-1743625800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: A Home in Woods Hole with Elizabeth Sheehy DESCRIPTION:A Home in Woods Hole with Elizabeth Sheehy\nApril 2\, 2025\n7:00-8:30pm \nWalter Nickerson and Helena Nugent built a house in Woods Hole more than a hundred years ago. Though their descendants spread out across New England\, they kept returning to the house on Eel Pond\, which survived the 1938 New England Hurricane and also served as a boarding house for many years. \nFor our third installment in the History Studio series on authors and publishing in Massachusetts history\, join us for a conversation with Elizabeth Sheehy. We will be talking about the making and publishing of A Home in Woods Hole: Life and History on Eel Pond published by The History Press in 2024\,  in which she chronicles the history of Woods Hole through the lens of a house and the family that built it. Find out more about how history gets published! \nRegistration is free – but if you’re able to donate to help us continue to offer programming like this\, it’s much appreciated! REGISTER HERE. \n  \n  \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our speaker: \nAfter the serendipitous purchase of a grand old house in Woods Hole in 2018\, Elizabeth Sheehy turned to writing full-time to tell the story of people she met through the house\, long dead and nearly forgotten. Retired from her career as a retail executive\, Sheehy put her Trinity College history degree to work to uncover the fascinating lives of the Nickersons and the Nugents from one hundred years ago. A lifelong writer and lover of puzzles and mysteries\, Sheehy grew up in California with English parents who passed down to her their passion for history. She and her husband split their time between Arlington\, Virginia and Woods Hole. \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-a-home-in-woods-hole/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-14.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250321T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250321T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20250317T193507Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250324T174553Z UID:34268-1742558400-1742563800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversation on the Commons: Putting the Public in Publishing History DESCRIPTION:Putting the Public in Publishing History\nMarch 21\, 2025\n12:00-1:30pm \nThe gold standard of having done research in local history used to be to get it published. Is publishing the imprimatur from the history community that it once was? If you want to bring your information to the public\, or sell it\, might you as well create a website or (gasp!) self-publish? Or does it have advantages to having your or your organization’s book published by an actual publisher? What does it take to get a publisher interested in your work? And what does it get you? What series are out there? What trends? Join us for a conversation with and tips from two seasoned pros from the publishing world: Mary Dougherty from the University of Massachusetts Press and Erin Vosgien from Arcadia Publishing. \n  \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \n  \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our speakers: \nMary Dougherty (she/her/hers) became the third director of UMass Press in 2014. Before coming to UMass\, she worked at both Bedford/St. Martin’s and Houghton Mifflin in Boston. She earned a PhD in American literature from Rutgers. Mary collaborates with all members of the Press staff\, and she manages the Press’s financial and strategic planning\, university relations\, and fundraising. She also manages the Juniper Literary Contest. \nErin Vosgien has been an acquisitions editor with Arcadia Publishing\, the nation’s leading publisher of regional and local history\, for 22 years. Born and raised in New England\, she currently resides in New Hampshire with her family. Her work through Arcadia has allowed her to combine her love of history and writing with the joy of connecting with historians\, community groups\, and archives across the county to share their passion for their community’s stories. \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-putting-the-public-in-publishing-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MHA-COTC-2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250312T200000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20250220T161206Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T163551Z UID:34166-1741806000-1741809600@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Abandoned Massachusetts with David Whitemyer DESCRIPTION:The Second Installment in our History Studio on Authors and Publishing in Massachusetts: David Whitemyer\nMarch 12\, 2025\n7:00pm \nMassachusetts is littered with the remains of public and private buildings and landscapes: hospitals\, factories\, churches\, houses\, and harbors. For our second installment in the new History Studio series on Authors and Publishing in Massachusetts History \, join us for a conversation with architect\, designer\, and photographer David Whitemyer. We will be talking about the making and publishing of his gorgeous book Abandoned Massachusetts (2023)\, in which he directs his camera at many of these structures. Find out more about how history gets published! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our speaker:\nDavid Whitemyer is an amateur\, self-taught photographer who has been exploring modern ruins since his adolescence in the early 1980s. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and currently lives in southeastern Massachusetts with his wife\, sons\, and cats. In addition to his photographs\, David’s passion for history and architecture is demonstrated through his twenty-five years of work in the museum and exhibition planning profession\, as a designer\, architect\, project manager\, writer\, and adjunct faculty member. \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-abandoned-massachusetts-with-david-whitemyer/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unnamed-13.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250228T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20250205T221523Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T162347Z UID:34114-1740744000-1740749400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Reality Check: How Much Funding Is at Risk for MA History Organizations? DESCRIPTION:Reality Check: How Much Funding Is at Risk for Massachusetts History Organizations? \nFriday\, February 28th from 12-1:30pm on Zoom \n\nA Conversation on the Commons that will break down exactly how federal funding changes will impact history organizations in Massachusetts. Featuring David Slatery of Mass Cultural Council\, Katherine Stevens of Mass Humanities\, and Elizabeth O’Connell of the Massachusetts Archives.\n\n \nFederal funding is in great turmoil at the moment. Join us in breaking down what funding and projects stand to be affected in the realm of public history in Massachusetts. Which sources in Massachusetts are connected to federal funding\, which are part of the state budget\, and which are a little of both? What funding is private? How can your organization find out the funding sources for particular grants and initiatives? Part 2\, coming this fall\, will consider how we should respond and advocate.\n\n \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our panelists: \nElizabeth O’Connell has spent the last three years working in digital archives at the Massachusetts Archives\, and has been the head of the Digital Team for the past year. Her team works to preserve and make accessible online historic states’ records; particularly those records of historically marginalized groups\, records of international interest\, and records on delicate physical media. She also serves on the State Historical Records Advisory Board where she advises on matters related to digital record preservation and digitization.  \nDavid T. Slatery has served as Mass Cultural Council’s Deputy Executive Director since 2012. Under the Executive Director\, Dave provides executive leadership and support and counsel to the Agency and Council Members. He also serves as Chief Legal Officer for the Agency. \nKatherine Stevens is Director of Grants and Programs at Mass Humanities. \n  \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-reality-check-how-much-funding-is-at-risk/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MHA-COTC-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250219T203000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20241220T182806Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T154737Z UID:34046-1739991600-1739997000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Author Talk with Jane Sciacca DESCRIPTION:  \nEnslavement in the Puritan Village: The Untold Story of Sudbury and Wayland\, Massachusetts \nWednesday\, February 19 from 7:00-8:30PM on Zoom \n\nA History Studio featuring author\, public historian\, and Wayland resident Jane Sciacca\n\n \nColonial Sudbury\, Massachusetts\, was designated the Puritan Village by author Sumner Chilton Powell in his 1964 Pulitzer Prize–winning history of the founding of this quintessential New England town in 1638. Yet this quiet rural village also had a darker history that is often overlooked. Sudbury’s Puritan inhabitants\, including some of the most prominent citizens in town\, held and sold enslaved Black people throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Stories gleaned from preserved records highlight the lives of men\, women and children held in bondage\, including a court case involving an enslaved boy repeatedly beaten and left scarred by his master less than thirty years after the town’s founding\, as well as the bill of sale of Phebey\, age two\, to a woman in another town. Local author Jane Sciacca uncovers the hidden side of suffering in this New England town.\n\n \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This History Studio will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-author-talk-with-jane-sciacca/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/81SkZtPMO7L._AC_UF10001000_QL80_.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250110T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250110T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20241220T180230Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241220T180230Z UID:34043-1736510400-1736515800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Rev(ing) Up History: Promoting Tourism for the Big Anniversary DESCRIPTION:Rev(ving) Up History: Promoting Tourism for the Big Anniversary \nFriday\, January 10\, 2025\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \n\nA Conversation on the Commons featuring Sheila Green of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and Jonathan Lane of Rev250\n\n \nAmerica’s Semiquincentennial is just around the corner and Massachusetts is preparing for two years of commemoration. What events might your site plan? Are there ways to promote your organization’s Revolutionary story? Is there funding available to participate in the commemoration? Join us for a Conversation with Sheila Green of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and Jonathan Lane of Revolution 250 to learn about statewide efforts to “rev up” tourism in 2025 and 2026\, and how you can get involved. \n\n \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-revving-up-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/COTC_Jan25.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241213T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241213T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20241210T204953Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T162909Z UID:34003-1734091200-1734096600@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: The "Joys" of Holiday Programming DESCRIPTION:Candles\, Gifts\, Community Cheer: The “Joys” of Holiday Programming \nFriday\, December 13\, 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \n\nA Conversation on the Commons featuring Aida Gennis\, co-chair of the Holiday Open House at the Grout-Heard House Museum in Wayland since 2003.\n\n \nIt’s December and we’re up to our necks in cookies and lights. What are the opportunities and pitfalls of creating joy around the winter holidays? Does your organization do holiday programming? Is it traditional or non-sectarian? What sorts of activities are a part of it? Does it have a historical motif? Join us for a conversation on the gifts conveyed by and pitfalls to avoid in holiday programming.\n\n \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-the-joys-of-holiday-programming/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/COTC_Dec.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241122T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241122T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20241107T165340Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T163045Z UID:33934-1732276800-1732282200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: How to Make a Living in History DESCRIPTION:How to Make A Living in History \nFriday\, November 22\, 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \n\nA Conversation on the Commons featuring two panelists from very different experiences\, and with very different career paths\, in the public history field.\n\n \n“What are you going to do with that degree?” the history major is asked. It’s tough enough to get a job in the history field\, let alone to truly make a living. How might you go about finding a job and then building a career that will enable you to support yourself in the public history field? Join us for a Conversation on the Commons with Ted Clark of Hubtown Tours and Rachel Hoyle of The Shirley Eustis House on November 22 from 12 – 1:30pm.\n\n \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-how-to-make-a-living-in-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MHA-COTC.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240531T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240531T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20240505T171954Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T163215Z UID:33046-1717156800-1717162200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Public History in Our Public Consciousness DESCRIPTION:Public History in Our Public Consciousness \nFriday\, May 31\, 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nDuring an election year\, the media likes to reference historical numbers and facts. People quote their versions of what is the ‘true’ history of their country/state/city\, sparring on who did what to whom and when. What does history\, in all of its many forms\, look like in the public consciousness? Is there a more productive way to engage history in the political process? How is public history of use to those of us in the field in an election year? How can we be of use to the community? How might historical organizations model productive uses of history? How might historical organizations engage people from across the political spectrum or encourage civic reflection rooted in history? \nJoin us for a conversation tackling these and similar issues on Friday\, May 31\, 12:00-1:30pm with Margo Shea\, Professor of Public History at Salem State University\, and Noelle Trent\, Executive Director of the African American History Museum in Boston and Nantucket. \nBring your lunch and questions\, observations\, successes\, and failures! And join us for an engaging\, possibly difficult\, and certainly worthwhile discussion. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-public-history-in-our-public-consciousness/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Conversation-on-the-Commons-Public-History-in-Our-Public-Consciousness.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240322T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240322T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20231208T181045Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T163821Z UID:33044-1711108800-1711114200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Exhibit Planning\, Part 2 DESCRIPTION:Exhibits: What’s a Small Museum to Do? Part II – Building and Implementation \nMarch 22\, 2024\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nWe’ve all visited exhibits in larger museums that lead us to scratch our heads in envy. So smart\, so wonderfully inviting to interaction\, so beautiful\, so … expensive. Moreover\, our visitors\, not in the least their kids\, have been to those places as well. How can a small museum create exhibits to work with the public’s sophisticated expectations? Is it all about hiring expensive designers\, consultants\, cabinet makers\, and computer specialists? Join us for two back-to-back Conversations on the Commons entitled Exhibits: What’s a Small Museum to Do? Part I will tackle concept and design — in other words\, the planning. Part II will take on the installation and technology — that is\, the implementation. \nJoin us with your questions\, ideas\, successes\, less-than-successes\, and comments on Friday\, March 22\, noon to 1:30\, for part two of this Conversation! We’ll discuss the nitty gritty of practical exhibit building and implementation. Hard hats not included! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-exhibit-planning-part-2/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Mass-History-Alliance-Presents-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240315T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240315T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20231208T180357Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T163920Z UID:33042-1710504000-1710509400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Exhibit Planning\, Part 1 DESCRIPTION:Exhibits: What’s a Small Museum to Do? Part I – Design and Conception \nFriday\, March 15\, 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nWe’ve all visited exhibits in larger museums that lead us to scratch our heads in envy. So smart\, so wonderfully inviting to interaction\, so beautiful\, so … expensive. Moreover\, our visitors\, not in the least their kids\, have been to those places as well. How can a small museum create exhibits to work with the public’s sophisticated expectations? Is it all about hiring expensive designers\, consultants\, cabinet makers\, and computer specialists? Join us for two back-to-back Conversations on the Commons entitled Exhibits: What’s a Small Museum to Do? Part I will tackle concept and design — in other words\, the planning. Part II will take on the installation and technology — that is\, the implementation. \nJoin us with your questions\, ideas\, successes\, less-than-successes\, and comments on Friday\, March 15\, 12-1:30pm for the first part of this Conversation. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-exhibit-planning-part-1/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Mass-History-Alliance-Presents-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20231208T175348Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T172516Z UID:33040-1708689600-1708695000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Navigating Born-Digital Materials DESCRIPTION:Navigating Born-Digital Materials \nFebruary 23 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \n\n\n\nSocial media posts\, correspondence\, oral histories\, videos of events\, twitter poetry\, community bulletin boards\, photographs. Any number of forms of born-digital media and correspondence vie for the attention of archivists and curators of small historical organizations — and not only in the inbox or online. The questions surrounding collecting and preserving them are materially different from the past\, when we collected paper\, or even when we digitized paper-based collections. \n\n\n\n\n\nDoes your organization hesitate to collect materials whose only existence is digital? What do you collect of your own records? Other materials? How do you choose? How do or should you keep them safe? What about formats? Do you have a budget and what are budget-friendly practices? \n\n\n\n\n\nOn February 23 at noon\, join Massachusetts Digital Archivist Elizabeth O’Connell\, in conversation with Amita Kiley of the Lawrence History Center and Penni Martorell of Wistariahurst in Holyoke\, for a conversation on collecting and preserving born-digital materials\, both as part of your own record keeping and to collect the 21st century. We’re going to take a stab at developing guidelines for our digital collecting. Bring your practices\, questions\, and tips for retaining our sanity! \n\n\n\nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our presenters: \nElizabeth O’Connell has spent the last three years working in digital archives at the Massachusetts Archives\, and has been the head of the Digital Team for the past year. Her focus has been on identifying and making accessible records of marginalized groups in Massachusetts\, preserving oral histories\, and digitizing records of international interest. She also serves on the State Historical Records Advisory Board where she assists with matters related to digital record preservation and digitization. She believes that digital archives are the future of archives and a way to make more equitable access to our shared history. She has an undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Kentucky and a Masters of Library and Information Science from Syracuse University. \nAmita Kiley was raised in Lawrence\, MA and graduated from Northeastern University in 2004 with a B.A. in American History. Her experience growing up in Lawrence fostered a love of the city and its history. In 2001\, she began working at the Lawrence History Center as a preservation assistant as part of Northeastern University’s Co-operative Education program. She continued her work there after graduation and in 2015 moved into her current role as collections manager and research coordinator. Amita also manages LHC’s social media\, supervises volunteers\, and handles walk in visitors\, school groups\, and researchers. She is a Trustee of the White Fund\, the Lawrence Public Library\, and the Strikers’ Monument Committee of Lawrence\, MA. She co-edited the book Covid Conversations: Voices from Lawrence & Lowell\, Massachusetts in 2023. Amita enjoys introducing others to LHC’s mission of collecting\, preserving\, sharing\, and animating the history and heritage of Lawrence and its people. \nPenni Martorell is passionate about her work as curator of collections at Wistariahurst Museum and is Holyoke’s City Historian. When she is not managing and preserving collections and the archive\, or organizing history exhibits and lectures; she is providing opportunities for community organizations\, college classes\, school groups\, and the public to engage with local history through presentations and workshops. She is continually redefining Wistariahurst as a place of engagement and as a repository of local shared memory. She lectures on Holyoke’s industrial history; local textile and paper industries; and women history makers. She has led workshops on preserving heirlooms\, and basic textile preservation. Martorell served 5 years on the State Historical Records Advisory Board\, and she is a lecturer at Simmons University Graduate School of Library and Information Science where she tasks her students to accept the challenges of becoming 21st-century archivists. \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-born-digital-materials/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Add-a-subheading.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240119T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240119T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20231208T173242Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240109T000142Z UID:33038-1705665600-1705671000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Planning for Change DESCRIPTION:Planning for Change \nA Conversation on the Commons featuring Kayla Coleman\, Executive Director of the New England Museum Association\, and Susan Robertson\, recently retired Executive Director of Gore Place. \nJanuary 19\, 2024\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nDespite the fact that we are all planning to live forever\, sooner or later our organizations must grapple with the issue of transition and succession.  The replacement of an Executive Director or Board President is always accompanied by some degree of angst and institutional change.  Executive successions\, especially\, are a chance to start fresh – they require the organization to take a hard look at its current state\, at its aspirations for future programming\, and at changes in its mission and focus. Join us for this Conversation on January 19 with Kayla Coleman\, recently appointed Executive Director of NEMA\, and Susan Robertson\, recently retired Executive Director of Gore Place\, two panelists on opposite ends of the succession planning process! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-succession-planning/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Conversations-on-the-Commons.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231208T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231208T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230924T201544Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231119T224345Z UID:32242-1702036800-1702042200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Oh Snap! Photography in Collections DESCRIPTION:Oh Snap! Photography in Collections \nDecember 8\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nThey say a picture is worth a thousand words\, but what if it has no date\, place\, or known face? Panelists Martha Mahard (Simmons University) and Ron Polito (UMass Boston) will take us through the process of dating\, identifying\, and then preserving photographs in museum collections. What are the best practices for handling\, cataloging\, and preserving photographs? What clues can we see in photographs to help us fill in the blanks about their settings and subjects? How can we facilitate digital access to these materials? Join us for this Conversation on December 8 from 12-1:30pm! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our panelists: \nDr. Mahard retired in 2005 after 35 years in various Harvard University libraries. While at Harvard she began teaching courses in photographic archives\, preservation management\, and digital preservation at Simmons GSLIS. Upon her retirement she became a full-time Professor of Practice at Simmons. where she developed and taught new courses and directed the successful Cultural Heritage concentration. In 2014 she undertook an assessment of the Boston Public Library’s Print Department leading to a project to inventory the prints and photographs in the collection. When the project ended in 2019\, over 135\,000 works of art on paper\, and over 250\,000 photographic prints and negatives had been inventoried. Dr. Mahard is the co-author of Preservation Management Handbook: A 21st Century Guide for Libraries\, Archives\, and Museums\, with Ross Harvey\, and Libraries\, Archives and Museums: Insights from the Field\, with Michele Cloonan and Peter Botticelli. \nRon Polito has been studying early Boston and Massachusetts photographers for almost 50 years and has served several terms on the Photographic Historical Society of New England’s Board of Directors (phsne.org). A number of his articles can be found in The Daguerreian Annual and The New England Journal of Photographic History. He is also coauthor of the Directory of Massachusetts Photographers\, 1839-1900\, now available online. His most recent works were the 2020 monograph\, T. E. Marr (& Son): Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Photographers—and More: Their Lives\, Their Work\, Their Photographic Techniques\, and material on Simon Wing & Company in the 2022 PHSNE Journal. Now retired\, he was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His study collections of nineteenth-century Boston and Massachusetts photographers are now part of the Boston Athenaeum’s photographic collection. \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-photography-in-collections/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Add-a-heading.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231201T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231201T130000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20231120T024302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231120T024302Z UID:32807-1701432000-1701435600@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Has Anyone Seen $500 Million in Missing Art? DESCRIPTION:Has Anyone Seen $500 Million in Missing Art? \nDecember 1\, 2023\, 12:00-1:00 p.m. \nSt. Patrick’s Day\, 1990. Two men dressed as Boston cops entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum\, stayed for about 90 minutes\, and left with 13 pieces of art. None of the priceless items have been found. Numerous suspects have been named over the years but none have been arrested. Many are now dead. Bob Ainsworth\, the author of DUPED\, a fictional account of the robbery\, will review the actual details of the theft\, the suspects\, and the motives behind the world’s most valued art theft. He will also tell of his own brush with the infamous crime. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. This Conversation will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout the speaker: \nBob Ainsworth was raised in New Jersey\, earned a BS in Accounting from Boston College\, an MBA in Finance from Northeastern University\, and had his CPA. He worked in corporate accounting as a CFO and Controller and taught accounting. He uncovered two fraud cases during his career. The idea for the Harry Bartlett stories sprang from his Accounting students’ positive reactions to fraud anecdotes. He started to write his first story while commuting and then continued after retiring. He has self-published 3 novels- DUPED\, CONNED and SCAMMED. A fourth\, PONZI’d\, is planned for 2024. He loves reading mysteries and thrillers by authors such as John Grisham\, Dennis Lehane\, Robert B. Parker\, David Baldacci\, Earl Stanley Gardner\, Arthur Conan Doyle\, Hank Phillippe Ryan\, and Elmore Leonard. He also likes to read non-fiction history. He lives in retirement in Massachusetts with his family. \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-photography-in-collections-2/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-7-x-4-in-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231117T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231117T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230924T200516Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231116T171217Z UID:32240-1700222400-1700227800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: The Ins and Outs of AI for Historical Organizations DESCRIPTION:The Ins and Outs of Artificial Intelligence \nNovember 17\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nHeads-up – here comes Artificial Intelligence! How can generative AI tools like ChatGPT\, Bard\, Poe\, ChatPDF and others help advance our work?  Are they difficult to use?  Can they be fun?  Which are the most reliable sources for chatbots? What are some examples of how AI can help with administration\, fund-raising\, programming and the many other tasks that keep librarians and cultural heritage workers hopping?  Join us for a conversation and demonstration with Joanne Riley (Healey Library Archives and Special Collections\, UMass Boston) and Jane Stimpson (Massachusetts Library System) about using AI creatively and productively at libraries\, historical organizations\, and small museums. Join us with your questions and experiences\, good and bad\, as well as with your ideas and practices\, and start bending the arc of the future to our advantage. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n  \nAbout our Panelists: \nAs University Archivist and Curator of Special Collections at UMass Boston\, Joanne Riley managed Healey Library’s archival research collections and related academic and community-based initiatives between 2010 and 2017\, followed by a five-year stint as Interim Dean of Healey Library. She now enjoys serving as the library’s Digital Initiatives Archivist\, which calls on her long experience in digital humanities\, especially the design of structured data models to store and retrieve cultural heritage information. Joanne was the founding director of the “Mass. Memories Road Show” program at UMass Boston\, an early participatory archiving initiative\, and she conceived and directed the “1919 Boston Police Strike Project” that engaged a team of volunteers in researching the lives of those who participated in that historic event. Joanne’s work is centered on empowering researchers\, faculty\, students and community members to apply digital technology to advance humanities initiatives within academia and in the cultural heritage sector. \nJane Stimpson (she/her) is a Consultant with the Massachusetts Library System and consults in areas related to library instruction and educational technology. Before joining MLS\, Jane was a librarian for 13 years in community college and joint-use libraries\, focusing on instruction\, reference\, and outreach. She holds a BA in Spanish and Political Science from Williams College and an MS in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin School of Information. In her spare time\, she enjoys baking\, crosswords\, and yoga. \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-the-ins-and-outs-of-ai/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events),Mass History Alliance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/The-Ins-and-Outs-of-AI-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231027T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231027T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230924T195514Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230924T195514Z UID:32238-1698408000-1698413400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Separating Fact from Fiction: Historical Halloween Programming DESCRIPTION:Separating Fact from Fiction: Historical Halloween Programming \nOctober 27\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nAn upcoming Conversation on the Commons\, presented by the Mass History Alliance. More details will be provided soon. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-historical-halloween-programming/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/placeholder_blue.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231020T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231020T153000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230924T194249Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231017T022150Z UID:32235-1697810400-1697815800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Gender and Sexuality History at Your Site DESCRIPTION:Conversations on the Commons: Gender Inclusion: Not Just for Pride Month! \nOctober 20\, 2023\, 2:00-3:30 p.m. \nA Conversation featuring Joan Ilacqua of The History Project and Ken Turino of Historic New England. Moderated by Gloria Greis of the Needham History Center & Museum. \nToo often we schedule programs to check off boxes. Instead\, diversity and inclusion should inform all of our programming throughout the year. \nIn this Conversation\, Panelists Joan Ilacqua (Executive Director of The History Project) and Ken Turino (Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New England) will discuss how we address (or fail to address) issues of gender diversity/gender equity/gender identity in our museums. How can we practically make our staff and visitors in the LGBTQ+ community feel more included? What information already lies hidden in our collections? How do we research and document LGBTQ+ history in our communities? What have we failed to see? What have we failed to say? How do we make our program planning more equitable and inclusive\, and not just send out a little highlight factoid every June? \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-gender-and-sexuality-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/The-Massachusetts-History-Alliance.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231006T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231006T163000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230919T004843Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231002T184938Z UID:32210-1696604400-1696609800@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Central Massachusetts Black History Collaborative DESCRIPTION:History Studio: Central Massachusetts Black History Collaborative \nRESCHEDULED to October 6\, 2023\, 3:00-4:30pm \nA History Studio on the Commons \nThe Mass History Alliance’s History Studios highlight local history people\, projects\, and places. Join us for an inaugural “get acquainted” meeting of the Central Massachusetts Black History Collaborative. Modeled after a similar project by the Pioneer Valley History Network\, the Collaborative will bring together history organization\, local historians\, and genealogists to research and document the lives of African Americans in Worcester County and western Middlesex and Norfolk counties. \nRegistration is free. Please email us at commons@masshistoryalliance.org to register! (If you previously registered for this event prior to its rescheduling\, you do not need to re-register.) \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-central-mass-black-history-collaborative/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/History-Studio-The-Central-Massachusetts-Black-History-Collaborative.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230929T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230929T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230922T224456Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230925T233155Z UID:32227-1695988800-1695994200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Financial Management for Historical Organizations DESCRIPTION:Financial Management for Historical Organizations \nSeptember 29\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nTreasurer is the hardest board position to fill for small nonprofits. Not only does the treasurer do the (usually fairly simple) books\, but they report to the Massachusetts and Federal Government. The requirements are murky\, the schedule gets lost when the position changes hands. When do you need to file what kind of 990? And to whom? What do you do if it has to be filed online? What’s to file with the Massachusetts Attorney General and when? Accounting firms cost an arm and a leg\, especially for small historical organizations with little or no staff and shoestring budgets. Should you hire a pro anyway? Go it yourself and hope for the best? \nJoin us for a conversation that will clear up some of these questions and discuss what kind of financial records your organization should be keeping. We’ll share tricks and tips about software and links for filing. Join us and share your tips\, experiences\, and fiascos. Together we can come up with enough knowledge to (hopefully) save us all a bunch of money! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nAbout Our Speaker: \nMark Romboli is a retired financial executive with over 40 years experience in financial and management accounting for companies ranging in size from $5M to $100M. He also has experience as a treasurer of small non-profits. He currently works as a consultant with MDR Consulting. \n  \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-financial-management/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/092923-COTC-PR-IMG.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230915T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230908T190519Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230908T190519Z UID:32174-1694779200-1694784600@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Show Us the Money! Grants for Historical Organizations DESCRIPTION:Show Us the Money! Grants for Historical Organizations \nSeptember 15\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nA conversation with John Galuzzo of the MHA and South Shore YMCA\, Lisa Simmons of Mass Cultural Council\, and Stacia Caplanson of Preservation Massachusetts\, moderated by Mass History Alliance Commons Coordinator Rachel Hoyle. \nGot funds? We’re starting off the season with a bread-and-butter session about grants for Massachusetts historical organizations. Join us for a conversation about what’s available for programming\, for staff\, for buildings. We’ll also talk about how to get into the grants game\, and how to present a program or project so it’s attractive to a funder. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nWe will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-grants-for-historical-orgs/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Show-us-the-Money.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230407T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230407T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20230329T133915Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230329T133915Z UID:31665-1680868800-1680874200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Sustaining Engagement: High Schoolers and History DESCRIPTION:Sustaining Engagement: High Schoolers and History \nApril 7\, 2023\, 12:00-1:30 p.m. \nA conversation with Bob Nasson of the Concord Review\, Carina Ohlen of RevSpaces\, and Elyssa Tardif and Simbrit Paskins of Mass Historical\, moderated by Salem State Professor Margo Shea \nHow do historical organizations build new audiences and partners in our communities? What brings young people through the door? How are we reaching and partnering effectively with high school students? How can we inspire interest and passion about the past and help build connections between past\, present and future that are relevant to young people? Join us on April 7 to hear from a panel from Massachusetts Historical Society\, Revolutionary Spaces\, and the Concord Review to explore and brainstorm best practices for engaging young people in history and historical thinking! Moderated by Margo Shea of Salem State. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-high-schoolers-and-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Sustaining-Engagement-High-Schoolers-and-History.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230120T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230120T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221221T031843Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230113T020540Z UID:31385-1674216000-1674221400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Historical Reenactors DESCRIPTION:Historical Reenactors: Hobby\, Avocation\, Profession\, Lifestyle? \nJanuary 20\, 2023\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nA conversation with historical reenactors Clare Hurley\, Chris Hurley\, and Sarah McDonough\, moderated by Eric Peterson\, Executive Director of the Waterworks Museum and Vice President of the Mass History Alliance \nMany of us love history\, but there are some that take their enthusiasm for the past to extraordinary lengths: they actually live history. They immerse themselves in a particular historical era\, assuming the identities of historical types or specific individuals for hours or even days at a time. Their commitment is not just measured by time and money invested\, but by attention to historical accuracy. Studying the period\, eating the food\, making\, and wearing the clothes\, learning the social conventions\, firing the weapons: it’s an all-in devotion to getting the details right. But what is it about reviving an historically accurate event or person that inspires living history practitioners to endure itchy\, ill-fitting clothes\, weather events\, long marches\, and endless practice? Is it the thrill of public performance? Fulfillment from teaching accurate interpretations? Camaraderie amongst the avid? Join local reenactors as we explore their long-time allegiance to bringing the past back to life. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE! \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Christopher J. Hurley has a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst\, an M.A. in Software Engineering from Brandeis University and works for a medical software company. He has been a historical reenactor since 2007\, usually in portrayals related to the era of the American Revolution. Although he’s often seen as a nameless militiaman in countless battles\, Chris has portrayed distinct individuals caught up in the tides of history. In the annual Battle of Lexington reenactment\, Chris portrays Asahel Porter\, a released prisoner of the British Regulars who may be the first fatality of the Revolution. Chris is a board member of The Lexington Minute Men.\n \n \n \n \n \n Clare L. Hurley holds a BS in Biology from Framingham State University and a MMHS from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management\, Brandeis University. She has been working at the Heller School editing manuscripts related to health economics for nearly 25 years. She began in the hobby of 18th century reenacting in 2005 for the Woburn Historical Society and was joined by her husband in that hobby a couple of years later. She participates in numerous events with the Lexington Minute Men. She is also part of the Lexington Historical Society (LHS) Colonial Singers and Linen and Lace\, a three-person musical group performing Colonial-era music. While Clare mainly participates in 18th century reenactments\, she has also portrayed a Pilgrim\, a civil war nurse\, and an Irish maid (complete with a counterfeit brogue) circa 1910. Clare is a board member of the Woburn Historical Society.\n \n \n \n \n \n Sarah McDonough has an M.A. in Museum Education from Tufts University\, specializing in 18th century social history and material culture\, as well as a background in theater. Currently the Public Programs Manager at Lexington Historical Society\, Sarah began her work in Lexington as a costumed museum educator and tour guide in 2009\, and joined the world of reenacting in 2013. Over time\, Sarah’s historical hobbies have grown from simple sewing to hearth cooking and spinning thread on a spinning wheel. She is a member of His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot\, a British Army reenactment group\, and is a volunteer at Minuteman National Park and Newport Historical Society\, where she has portrayed a wide range of colonial women from tavern keepers to codfish aristocracy.\n \n \n \n \n \n Eric Peterson has a BA in History from Vassar College. In 2009\, while earning a Masters in Museum Studies from Harvard’s Extension School\, he volunteered at the newly created Metropolitan Waterworks Museum in Chestnut Hill\, MA and has worked there ever since. For the past 5 years\, he has served as the Executive Director of the Waterworks Museum. Committed to strengthening public awareness of the vital importance of history by helping to protect the sites\, artifacts and organizations that bring the past into the present\, Mr. Peterson currently serves as Vice President & Treasurer of the Massachusetts History Alliance. He is also a co-founder of Industrial History New England.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-historical-reenactors/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cotc_featured_20230120.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221209T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221209T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221130T230414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221201T225132Z UID:31312-1670587200-1670592600@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Collecting for the 21st Century DESCRIPTION:Collecting for the 21st Century \nDecember 9\, 2022\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nWith Carolyn Goldstein\, Public History and Community Archives Program Manager at University Archives & Special Collections\, Healey Library at UMass Boston\, and Susan Navarre\, Executive Director of the Fitchburg Historical Society \nAs historical organizations increasingly take on the role of relevance to a wider audience\, we need to collect different “stuff” from a more diverse population. Perhaps your town has changed over the past century and your collections do not reflect the local histories of people and groups who are now a vital part of your community. How do you go about enriching your collections with their stories and connecting them to older histories? What are the obstacles and successes you have met with? How have you partnered with different individuals and groups to make sure your collections do not only speak to the distant past? Join us on Dec. 9\, 12:00-1:30 for a conversation on the art of proactive collecting of community history in the twenty-first century.  \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE.\n \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Carolyn Goldstein coordinates the Mass. Memories Road Show and teaches public history at UMass Boston. Together with Andrew Elder\, she is the co-developer of RoPA\, the Roadmap for Participatory Archiving. RoPA is an online resource that guides libraries and cultural organizations through the process of collaborating with community members to plan engaging and inclusive participatory archiving events and to create digital collections.\n \n \n \n \n \n Susan Navarre has been the Executive Director of the Fitchburg Historical Society since June 2013. She studied Art History at the graduate level at Boston University; after receiving a B.A. in Art History from Bryn Mawr College. She has been a project humanist for MA Humanities-funded programs and has spoken at the Massachusetts History Conference\, where she is currently on the organizing committee. Under her leadership\, the Fitchburg Historical Society has received Bridge Sponsorships and other funding from Mass Humanities. She is currently active as a board member for the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance and member of the Fitchburg Cultural Initiative Advisory Committee and Board of Directors of Mass History Alliance. She has spoken on Fitchburg history at Fitchburg State University\, the Fitchburg Senior Center\, to the City Council\, and for numerous local clubs. Susan lives in Leominster and grew up in the Detroit area.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-collecting-for-the-21st-century/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cotc_featured_20221209b.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221207T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221207T203000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20220206T003041Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221220T211712Z UID:14048-1670439600-1670445000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Screening and discussion of 'Contradictory Place' DESCRIPTION:A screening and discussion with film collaborator Professor Robert Forrant \nFrom the 1830s through the Civil War\, many Lowellians from all walks of life engaged in concerted efforts to block the expansion of slavery and helped freedom seekers even when this meant defying federal law. “A Contradictory Place” offers viewers a way to learn about an important\, but too often neglected\, chapter of our history. The forty-minute film was written by Robert Forrant and Maritza Grooms\, produced by former Lowell Telecommunications Executive Director Wendy Blom\, and edited by former Lowell Telecommunications News Director Caroline Gallagher. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Robert Forrant is Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Lawrence History Center board member. He has been the principal historian on numerous projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities\, the Lowell National Historical Park\, and Mass Humanities. In 2018 he was the Humanities Scholar in Residence funded by the Massachusetts Endowment for the Humanities to work with the Hatfield\, MA Historical Museum. Utilizing newly discovered archives he produced a scholarly article and helped to produce an exhibit on the Porter McLeod Machine Company\, a small machine shop that exported the lathes it built around the world. His new book\, Interpreting Labor and Working-Class History at Museums and Historic Sites\, with Mary Anne Trasciatti\, will be published by the University of Illinois Press in June 2022 in its Working-Class in American History series. \n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-contradictory-place/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/HS_featured_contradictoryplace1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221202T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221202T130000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221019T023630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221220T211051Z UID:31147-1669982400-1669986000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Ten Footer Shoe Shops DESCRIPTION: \nBootmaker and Artist Sarah Madeleine T. Guerin presents her work as an artisanal Keeper of Tradition in Massachusetts and a working artist. With a thorough knowledge of traditional Western bootmaking\, Sarah researches and analyses the connections between evolving methods of footwear making craft of the 1800s in Massachusetts – with an architectural focus on vernacular Ten Footer Shoe Shops – to the stability of a contemporary art practice heavily based in handmade footwear techniques and skills. Sarah holds degrees in Fine Arts and Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design\, was certified in Footwear at Cordwainers College – London College of Fashion\, apprenticed with Colorado bootmaker Jim Covington\, founded the bootmaking studio Saboteuse\, and is a mentor artist in the Mass Cultural Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Q & A to follow presentation. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE. \nA bi-cultural artisan\, Sarah builds Western boots by hand with the passion of her New England work-ethic and her French design sensibilities. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design’s architecture and Cordwainers College’s Intensive Summer Footwear programs\, Sarah’s design skills were complimented by years of training in a variety of hands-on workshops culminating in a one-on-one Western bootmaking apprenticeship. She established the atelier Saboteuse in 2015. Driven by creative process\, Sarah intentionally combines bootmaking\, artmaking\, historical research\, and public engagement to better understand relationships between knowledge and quality. Steeped in tradition\, her work illustrates meticulous craftsmanship and the unique\, thoughtful creativity that makes Saboteuse boots stand apart. Through her provocative bootmaking practice Sarah shares her journey with an uncurated public. With every stitch and decision Sarah slowly builds beautiful handmade boots that unravel a good story – her clients become a collaborative influence in this traditional American craft. \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-ten-footer-shoe-shops/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/featured_hs_20221202-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221118T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221118T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221028T172213Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221113T222248Z UID:31051-1668772800-1668778200@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Yoga in the Museum DESCRIPTION:Yoga in the Museum: Sharing Innovative Programs for Historical Organizations \nNovember 18\, 2022\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nJoin Bob Perry\, Executive Director at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation\, and Saria Sweeney\, Community Programming Coordinator at Old Colony History Museum\, for a conversation about how history organizations can broaden their base of support through programming that moves well beyond the traditional tours and exhibits. Yoga? Maker spaces? Music? Bike repair? Cooking? What exciting new (or long-term) programs do you offer to your community? How did you develop your program? How is it funded and staffed? What is community response? And what do’s and don’ts can you share with your history colleagues across the Commonwealth? \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE.\n \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \n(Featured image courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum.) \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Saria Sweeney has been the Community Programming Coordinator at the Old Colony History Museum since 2016\, growing alongside the Museum’s program offerings from a part-time to full-time employee and now facilitating over 100 programs a year.\n \n \n \n \n \n Bob Perry is Executive Director at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation\, a small industrial museum in a historic textile mill in Waltham\, Massachusetts where he’s led the organization since June 2015. Bob’s path to museum work was wholly unconventional. He spent 30 years in food service\, the first 8 years managing at Herrell’s Ice Cream and the last 22 at The Elephant Walk\, Cambodian and French restaurants which he co-founded in 1991. After leaving restaurant life behind in 2013 Bob led Local First organizations in Brookline and Waltham and the revival of the Watch City Steampunk Festival. A native Bostonian\, Bob grew up in Asia before finishing high school in Connecticut and finally returning to the Boston area for keeps upon starting college. His happy home includes two dogs and two cats – all rescues – and for fun he races sailboats year-round on Boston Harbor.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-yoga-in-the-museum/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/cotc_featured_20221118-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221026T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221026T200000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221019T020636Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221019T024848Z UID:31145-1666809000-1666814400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:History Studio: Exploring Women's History Through Folksongs DESCRIPTION:A Silver Dagger: Exploring Women’s History Through Folksongs \nWednesday\, October 26\, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. \nPassed down for generations\, folk songs provide insights into the lives of ordinary people in centuries past. Diane Taraz mines these traditional songs for clues to the inner lives of people in Europe and America from about 1500 to 1850\, especially women. Women left few written records\, but we can learn much about them through the music that they used to speed their work\, lift their spirits\, or ease an aching heart. \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Steeped in history\, Diane Taraz creates programs that use the music of an era to show the inner lives of people who lived long ago. Women\, especially\, left behind few records of their existence\, but the songs they used to speed their work\, sing a child to sleep\, or ease an aching heart show us their minds and hearts. Diane is on the Scholarly Advisory Board of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History\, based in New York City\, and brings her programs to museums\, universities\, libraries\, and historic houses throughout New England. She is director of the Lexington Historical Society Colonial Singers\, for whom she has produced two CDs\, and her own two dozen recordings are enjoyed worldwide.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/history-studio-exploring-womens-history-through-folksongs/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:History Studio (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/featured_hs_20221026.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221021T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221021T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20221014T150701Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221014T154543Z UID:31049-1666353600-1666359000@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Neutrality and Engagement for Historical Organizations DESCRIPTION:Neutrality and Engagement for Historical Organizations \nOctober 21\, 2022\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nMuseum people are talking a lot about whether their organizations should be politically “neutral” in their presentation and interpretation of history. But what is neutrality? Or what does it mean for museums and historical organizations to be engaged in the questions that confront us today\, such as diversity\, climate change\, or violence? How do organizations decide on their programming? Veteran museum directors Gloria Greis and Tom Putnam join us for a conversation that tackles the question of “neutrality” from a practical or process-oriented rather than prescriptive direction. How does a museum decide what exhibits or programs to present? How do you bring a variation of viewpoints into your work?  Do you consider the political import of what you are doing and how does that work? Do you get pressure and how do you deal with it? Who do you look to for examples of good work or best practices? What is your process of going from idea to reality? Join us and share your experiences! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE.\n \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Gloria Polizzotti Greis been Executive Director of the Needham History Center & Museum since June 2002. She has worked in museums since 1985. She has also taught both Anthropology and Museums Studies at the college level\, and had experience teaching in a museum setting with high school and elementary school classes. Dr Greis is a Needham resident. She holds a PhD in Anthropology\, specializing in the archaeology of prehistoric Europe. She is the author of two books on archaeology; a book and three films on local history; several articles on history\, archaeology and various other topics; and writes a weekly local history blog. She is Chair of the Needham Historical Commission\, sits on several municipal committees and nonprofit boards\, and is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society.\n \n \n \n \n \n Tom Putnam is the former Executive Director of the Concord Museum and former Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. He served for eight years as a member of the board of directors of Mass Humanities\, the Commonwealth’s state humanities council including two years as Chair. A graduate of Bowdoin College and the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University\, he was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow in Quebec\, Canada; a Fulbright Scholar in Senegal\, West Africa; and the recipient of a Harry S. Truman Scholarship. He began his career teaching history in a public high school in Maine. And for close to a decade\, he directed a federally funded Upward Bound program helping low-income high school students from throughout New England to be the first in their families to attend college.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-neutrality-and-engagement-for-historical-organizations/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/neutrality-and-engagement-image.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221007T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221007T133000 DTSTAMP:20260423T070652 CREATED:20220927T214506Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220930T141849Z UID:31044-1665144000-1665149400@masshistorycommons.org SUMMARY:Conversations on the Commons: Blogging History DESCRIPTION:Blogging History: Creating Rare and Valuable Internet Content \nOctober 7\, 2022\, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. \nHistorical organizations are sitting on that rare and valuable beastie on the internet: interesting content. This makes blogging an attractive option for sharing local history\, showing what you have\, and exploring issues concerning history and society. On October 7\, 12:00-1:30 p.m.\, we will have a conversation with veteran history bloggers Elaine Clements of the Andover Center for History and Culture and History Buzz\, and Anthony Vaver of the Westborough Center for History and Culture at the Westborough Public Library (author of Westborough Center Pastimes) about their experiences. What do they write about? What do they NOT write about? Do they have one author or more? What kids of responses do they get? Do they repurpose information and blog posts? How often do you need to write/publish to make it successful? What are the advantages and disadvantages of different platforms? What are some of the do’s and don’ts of blog writing? Join us for a wide-ranging conversation and share your successes and the obstacles you have had to overcome in your blogging experiences! \nRegistration is free. REGISTER HERE!\n \nThis Conversation will be livestreamed. We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the livestream. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Anthony Vaver directs the Westborough Center for History and Culture at the Westborough Public Library\, where he writes a monthly blog. Before taking this position\, he wrote and maintained the blog EarlyAmericanCrime.com and wrote two books about the topic.\n \n \n \n \n \n Elaine Clements has been Executive Director of the Andover Center for History and Culture (ACHC) since 2001. She has a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Prior to ACHC\, Elaine worked with Historic New England and was the director of the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison\, NJ. Sharing local history stories has been a key part of Elaine’s work in museums. The pandemic opened opportunities to take local history research and writing to a new level.\n \n \n \nQuestions? Be in touch with Caroline Littlewood: commons@masshistoryalliance.org \n\nConversations on the Commons \nWhere people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent\, empathize\, laugh\, complain\, think\, collaborate\, brainstorm\, plan\, and in general be up to no good. URL:https://masshistorycommons.org/event/conversations-on-the-commons-blogging-history/ LOCATION:Online\, MA\, United States CATEGORIES:Conversations on the Commons (events) ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masshistorycommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/COTC_featured_20221007.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mass History Alliance":MAILTO:commons@masshistoryalliance.org END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR