OMA 2018 Conference Program

Program Highlights

Sunday Morning Discovery Walk

Get an early start at OMA 2018 with a Morning Discovery Walk at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. Walk with an Aullwood naturalist along the beautiful trails to explore the changes Spring brings to Aullwood. Don’t forget your binoculars!

Sunday Evening Museum Tours

Enjoy an evening of exploring two iconic Dayton museums! Buses will leave the Holiday Inn for Dayton History where attendees can explore the beautiful campus. Be sure to check out the museum’s working brewery—Carillon Brewing Co.—for historic, 1850s beverages and treats! (cash bar)

Then, we’ll head to the Dayton Art Institute where attendees can explore the galleries. Enjoy a cash bar and experience theinteractive What is a Masterpiece tour!

2017 OMA Awards

Join us for the Annual OMA Awards Dinner April 15, 2018, in conjunction with the 2018 Conference in Dayton. The Ohio Museums Association  Annual Awards Program will honor outstanding achievement in both individuals and institution with the Awards of Achievement.

The awards dinner will also feature the winners of the Visual Communication competition that recognizes creative excellence by Ohio museums and its field professionals. The awards dinner will take place at the beautiful Dayton Art Institute. Tickets to this event are included in Full Conference Registrations, or may be purchased separately. See the OMA Conference Brochure and Registration page for complete details.

Ohio EMP Reception

Join Emerging Museum Professionals from across the state as Ohio’s five EMP Chapters welcome all EMPs and museum pros looking to learn more about these groups to their conference kickoff reception. Enjoy networking and cocktails at this annual all-Ohio EMP event!

OMA Raffle

Get your raffle tickets for an eclectic assortment of merchandise, products and experiences from Ohio museums and businesses! Donations are welcome - contact raffle Chair, Megan Hancock for details.

Keynote Address

Conference Sessions

Sunday - April 15

1:00pm-3:30pm Pre-Conference Workshop
(Ticket Required—This workshop can be included as an add-on to conference registration)

Serving the LGBTQ Community with Cultural Humility and Structural Competency
The LGBTQ community is growing both in size and visibility. This introductory training will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to best serve this community. Differences between sexual orientation, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression will be discussed. Disparities experienced by the LGBTQ community will be highlighted.
Speaker: Karen R. Nicosia, Education Manager, Institute for LGBTQ Health Equity, Equitas Health

Monday, April 16

9:20am-10:05am CONCURRENT SESSIONS MORNING I:

Cultural Tourism: Building Partnership and Support in Ohio’s Travel Industry
Once thought to be a niche market, Cultural Tourism has continued to grow in the past ten years and is a huge contributor to local economies. So how can museums help lead to sustainable destination growth for their community? How can you make sure you’re getting the most from your CVB or state tourism office? Who else in the travel economy can help you reach your goals, and how can you convince them to be a partner? Explore those questions and more in this session!
Speakers: Melinda Huntley, Executive Director—Ohio Travel Association; Elizabeth Connor, Great Miami Riverway Coordinator—Miami Conservancy District

Shopping Local: Keeping Gift Shop Merchandise Local and Authentic
In keeping with a sense of community, the gift shop is a unique way to involve the local & regional businesses in the museum environment all while staying true to your mission. The session will cover how to stay authentic and local when setting up your gift shop area.
Speakers: Tammi Mackey Shrum, Site Director, Zoar Community Association—Zoar Historic Village; Linn Mahaffey, Gift Shop Manager, Zoar Community Association—Zoar Historic Village

Practicing Diversity and Implementing Inclusion 
Learn innovative practices to promote inclusion by reducing barriers to participation while introducing common language among organizations to help track progress. This session also includes best-practices in making today's museum relevant in a millennial society. 
Speakers: Kareem Simpson, CEO/Founder, SparkLight Creative Group; Holly Hartlerode, Curator, The Wood County Historical Center and Museum, Kelli Kling, Marketing and Events Coordinator, Wood County Historical Center and Museum

No Money for an Evaluator? Don’t Despair! Building Evaluation Confidence
Need an evaluator but can’t afford to hire one? It may be time to develop and/or hone your own evaluation skills. In this interactive session we will explore three elements essential to developing and implementing solid evaluation protocols: logic models, evaluation questions, and data collection methods.
Speaker: E. Elaine T. Horr, Ph.D., Research Associate, Center forResearch and Evaluation, COSI


10:10am-10:50am MORNING BREAK AND ROUNDTABLE SESSION:
Take a break to explore the OMA exhibit hall, and network with your colleagues in the ballroom during our morning roundtable sessions. Choose one of many discussion tables with topics important to Ohio museum professionals.

10:55am-11:40am CONCURRENT SESSIONS MORNING II:

The Challenges of Intermingling 2D and 3D Collections
Museums of all sizes have collections that contain 2– and 3-dimensional materials. Understanding and tackling challenges associated with the coexistence of archival materials and artifacts can benefit your collection as a whole. Speakers will address the issues of registration and accessioning, processing, preservation, storage, and exhibition of these dissimilar materials.
Speakers: Lonna McKinley, Manuscript Curator—National Museum of the U.S. Air Force; John Luchin, Jr., Museum Registrar—National Museum of the U.S. Air Force; Christina Douglass, Manuscript
Exhibition Curator—National Museum of the U.S. Air Force; Brett Stolle, Manuscript Exhibition Curator—National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Mind the Gap: Maximizing Grants During Times of Staff Transition
A grants program needs consistent tending. What happens when the person responsible for managing grants leaves? This session will highlight the Akron Art Museum’s successful transition to a new grants manager, and include perspectives from Ohio funders and museums, to showcase best practices in maintaining grants during times of change.
Speakers: Dana Textoris, Director of Client Engagement, Grants Plus; Sarah Venorsky, Development Officer—Grants, Akron Art Museum; Bryan de Boer, Director of Advancement, Akron Art Museum

Museums for All: Expanding Access and Reach
Have free days, free memberships, and distributing free passes underperformed in bringing in under-served children and families that have financial barriers to museum attendance? Find out how Ohio museums are successfully implementing this cooperative initiative of the Association of Children’s Museums and IMLS.
Speakers: Wendy Gregory, Executive Director, AHA! A Hands-On Adventure, A Children’s Museum; Brendan Cartwright, Program Manager, Association of Children’s Museums

Keep ‘Em Wanting More: On-Site and On-Demand Tours That Engage Members Globally
This session will explain how to engage ALL your members with a “Membership 411” program. Quarterly member-only sessions are offered on-site and online. Each session is different, explaining
exhibits, historic grounds, manuscript collections and library material. Keep ‘Em Wanting More will suggest/teach methods for creating online member experiences.
Speakers: Kathy Boukissen, Director of Development, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums; Gil Gonzales, Head of Photographic Research, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums; Meghan Wonderly, Annual Giving and Membership, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

1:45pm-2:30pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS AFTERNOON I: 

That Didn’t Go According to Plan
Last July the Armstrong Air & Space Museum experiences a loss that generated international attention. There was no disaster plan. The museum’s director will describe the
unexpected effects of that event and the museum’s responses. Though this will address a unique situation, attendees will be encouraged to reflect on their own collections and buildings, and apply lessons to general and specific circumstances.
Speaker: Chris Burton, Executive Director, Armstrong Air & Space Museum

Museum Storytelling Project
Your museum and community have stories to tell. Discover ways to develop a story project in your community to create living history. Session will include a hands-on workshop where participants can tell their museum’s community stories. Leave with ideas and techniques to engage your community through storytelling.
Speakers: Katie Murphy, Museum Coordinator, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Money Museum; Kriss Plumer, Museum Coordinator, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Can anyone lead for inclusion? Gender Inclusivity at the Columbus Museum of Art
Can anyone lead for inclusion? Staff from the Columbus Museum of Art will share how small steps toward gender inclusion created a large impact among museum staff and the wider community. Facilitated discussion will explore how others can take small steps toward inclusion.
Speakers:  Alison Kennedy, Gallery Associate, Columbus Museum of Art; Mindy Galik, Gallery Associate Coordinator, Columbus Museum of Art

Bringing Them In & Taking Them Out: A Way to Engage Teens and Get Them Thinking About Their Future
COSI offers a career exploration program that is constantly adapting to regional workforce demands, and the needs of our diverse youth. We’ll show how we leverage our resources,
including local partnerships, to create a way for teens to share interests, develop skills, and increase knowledge on available career paths.
Speakers: Carla Mello, Youth Career Exploration Specialist, COSI; Gary Timko, Senior Research Associate and Supervisor, COSI

2:35pm-3:10pm AFTERNOON BREAK AND ROUNDTABLE SESSION:

Take a break to explore the OMA exhibit hall, get those final raffle tickets, and network with your colleagues in the ballroom during our afternoon roundtable sessions. Choose one of many discussion tables based on museum job titles and departments.

3:15pm-4:00pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS AFTERNOON II: 

Grant Writing Dos and Don’ts: Lessons from the Ohio History Fund
Learn tips to apply to your grant applications and discover pitfalls to avoid. Examples are from the Ohio History Fund, but the advice applies to other grant programs, too. We’ll also briefly survey the variety of museum projects the History Fund has supported, to give you an idea what it can do for your institution.
Speaker: Andy Verhoff, Coordinator, History Fund, Ohio History Connection

Microconservation: Conservation Strategies for Limited Budgets
How do we provide the best possible collections care while remaining frugal? When is it time to call in the conservator? What can collections managers do before that happens? This discussion will center around concrete strategies for object and archive conservation on a limited budget. Building a humidification chamber, testing materials and IPM and more to be discussed.
Speaker: Jessamyn Yenni, Curator, The Lakewood Historical Society

Sensory Sunday: Providing enrichment to better the Autism Spectrum Community
How do you include families with children who literally cannot enter your museum due to their condition? The Education Team of the Boonshoft Museum reviews their new program “Sensory Sunday” & discusses the trial—and—error process of providing enriching and educational experiences to the fastest growing special needs group.
Speakers: Dawn Kirchner, Vice President of Education, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery; Blaire Bartish, Manager of Education, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery