Conversations
View past Conversations on the Commons
Click Here for the Conversations on the Commons Response Form
Conversations on the Commons November 12: Critical Race Theory
PUBLICK OCCURRENCES -- November 1, 2021
November 12, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
With Julia Jeffries, Ph.D. ...
Town Meets Gown: Connections Between Local Historical Societies and Academics (22 October 2021)
How do academic scholars and local museums and historical societies work together? Has your museum worked with scholars and/or researchers? Do you have a long term working relationship with a researcher or public history scholar? What have they worked on for you? How do academics work with historical societies? Have you (scholar or museum) received a grant to do this work? What about student researchers and internship programs? What benefits can they provide to museums, and how can museums cultivate these relationships with students and scholars to further their mission and goals?
Countering Native American Erasure: Practical Steps for History & Cultural Organizations (8 October 2021)
How do local organizations and towns think about Indigenous history and perspective in their own community histories? What are practical ways that we, as members of cultural organizations, can integrate these perspectives into the programs, language, and conversations we have about local history? We ways to counter Native American erasure and build more nuanced and inclusive narratives about Massachusetts history.
Conversations on the Commons: Taking History Across Town! (24 September 2021)
What do you do, and how well does it work? What does not work? Join our panelists, Sabrina Kaplan, Outreach Manager
One Year Later (9 July 2021)
Conversations on the Commons was the MHA's response to the pandemic. Like everyone else, we worked on making hay ...
But Does it Spark Joy? A Spring Cleaning Collections Conversation (14 May 2021)
Historical organizations’ priorities change, and storage is overflowing. How do we clean up without getting rid of ...
See You Online! Acing the Virtual Conference (30 April 2021)
Conferences and meetings are in full virtual swing! The MHA’s IT guru Matt Friedman and Susan Grabski, executive
Take It Outside! Summer 2021 & Outdoor Programming (16 April 2021)
Take it outside! 2021 one is the year of the garden as many cultural institutions try to adjust their programming ...
Twelve Months and Counting of COVID-19 (2 April 2021)
It’s been one long year of ups and downs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are still wearing our masks ...
Selling History: Let’s Talk About Making Money on Merchandising (19 March 2021)
From bake sales to the annual calendar, most historical organizations occasionally sell something to raise funds. Many have also hosted someone’s event, upon occasion. But what does it take to make this a regular part of your income? What’s involved in having a shop, merchandising your collections, or running an event or wedding venue? Have you tried it? Where do you have things printed or made? What are some questions you have? Do you stock 200 logo tees or work with print on demand suppliers? How are you doing at creating income?
Show and Tell! (5 March 2021)
Massachusetts museums and public and local historians share the best andmost intriguing object or archival piece in their collectiosn. A white elephant? Something that cool and weird, or rare and valuable? We show it, post a picture, brag, ask for help interpreting, share what we have done with it. The first of a quarterly series of Conversations on the Commons that will focus on items in our collections and what we do with them. Moderated by Gloria Greis, Executive Director of the Needham History Center & Museum.
“Get Up, Stand Up:” Getting Preservation Done (19 February 2021)
Advocacy starts in our neighborhoods and community centers, when we commit ourselves to a cause and communicate our passion to friends and associates. In a world of explosive issues and headline grabbers, how do we make a compelling case for history work? How can we craft an effective proposal and build the momentum to make a difference? Panelists Dan Everton, Project Lead and Community Archivist at New Bedford LGBTQ+ Archive, and Diane Pursley, Chair of the Turning Mill Association, lead a discussion on advocacy success stories and what we can learn from them.