Program Highlights
Saturday Conference Tours
Coming to Cincinnati a little early for OMA 2022? Or, not able to make it to the full OMA conference but still want a great OMA 2022 experience? Join us Saturday, April 2 for a full day of exploration and fun at five amazing Cincinnati museums! Learn more about the 2022 OMA Pre-Conference Tours and register here.
Sunday Conference Workshop
OMA is proud to present the Sunday Conference workshop, Open Your Mind: Understanding Implicit Bias. This workshop will take place on Sunday, April 3 from 1:00-3:00 pm, and is presented by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Learn more about the 2022 OMA Sunday Conference Workshop and register here.
Sunday Evening Museum Tours
Enjoy an evening of exploring two iconic Cincinnati museums! Buses will leave the Graduate for the Cincinnati Museum Center. Tour the featured exhibit, "The Science Behind Pixar," the recently renovated Union Terminal historic spaces, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center!
Then, we’ll head to the Cincinnati Art Museum, where attendees can explore the special exhibits Working Together, The Photographs of the Kamoinge Workshop, David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History, and One Each: Still Lifes by Cezanne, Pissaro and Friends.
2021 OMA Awards
The Annual Ohio Museums Association Awards Dinner will be held in the Cincinnati Art Museum's beautiful Great Hall. Enjoy networking with museum professionals from across the state as the Ohio Museums Association recognizes our 2021 Visual Communication and Award of Achievement winners.
2022 Opening Night Reception - Sponsored by Ohio's EMP Chapters
Join your fellow conference attendees at this OMA 2022 opening night after-party! Ohio’s EMP Chapters welcome all museum pros and Emerging Museum Professionals to enjoy networking and cocktails at this annual conference kickoff reception at the beautiful Cincinnati Observatory!
Monday Morning Leadership Workshop
OMA welcomes Jheri Neri, Executive Director of the Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition for our 2022 Morning Leadership Workshop, "Decolonizing Curated Spaces."
OMA is proud to welcome Jheri Neri for a discussion about looking at Native American culture and art through an Indigenous lens. Attendees will discuss how museums are at the intersection of academia and the general public, and how museums are at the front line of creating a truthful narrative of how the public perceives the Indigenous world.
The OMA 2022 Morning Leadership Workshop is presented with support from Ohio Humanities.
OMA 50/50 Raffle
Get your raffle tickets for OMA’s first 50/50 raffle! Support Ohio’s museums and the work OMA does on behalf of Ohio’s museum community, and enter to win a cash prize in the process! Tickets will be available at the registration desk and with Raffle team members throughout the day. Winner will be announced during the afternoon break.
Keynote Address
OMA Welcomes Rebecca Brown Asmo, Executive Director of Ohio Humanities for our 2022 Keynote Address.
Rebecca Brown Asmo took the helm of Ohio Humanities in June of 2021, and has been working tirelessly since to advance the mission to share Ohio’s stories, spark important conversations, and inspire ideas in our state’s humanities organizations. In reflecting for the future, Ms. Brown Asmo will speak to the collective upheaval and response of the humanities community in the past two years, and will discuss managing the organizational changes that have inevitably occurred in our field since. Bring your questions as Rebecca shares her vision for the future of the humanities in Ohio.
The OMA 2022 Keynote Address is presented with support from Ohio Humanities
Conference Sessions
Sunday - April 3
1:00pm-1:00pm Sunday Conference Workshop
(Ticket Required—This workshop can be included as an add-on to conference registration)
Open Your Mind: Understanding Implicit Bias
Change the way you think about the way you think—and learn why having implicit bias is nothing to feel bad about. The goal of this implicit bias experience is to open people up to new ideas, new perspectives and new experiences. This workshop aims to change the way people think about the brain, about discrimination and, hopefully, about themselves. Using real-world examples and practical demonstrations of implicit bias, in addition to various interactive, “hands-on” activities like riddles, illusions and brainteasers, this workshop will help visitors appreciate both the power—and limits—of the human mind.
Speaker: Ryan Wynett, Manager of Implicit Bias Experiences, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Monday, April 4
9:15am-10:15am CONCURRENT SESSIONS MORNING I:
Decolonizing Curated SPaces - Leadership Workshop with the Native American Coalition of Greater Cincinnati
OMA is proud to welcome Jheri Neri of the Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition for a discussion about looking at Native American culture and art through an Indigenous lens. Attendees will discuss how museums are at the intersection of academia and the general public, and how museums are at the front line of creating a truthful narrative of how the public perceives the Indigenous world.
Speaker: Jheri Neri, Executive Director, Native American Coalition of Greater Cincinnati
Future-Proofing Museum Facilities
The world continues to accelerate and evolve. The pandemic, technology, and societal changes have challenged all institutions. In light of our recent tumult, how can museum and interpretive facilities be programmed, planned, designed, and built to accommodate and absorb the anticipated and unknown needs and stresses of the future?
Speaker: Patrick Hyland, Senior Architect, Perspectus
The Great Shift: Re-imagining Museum Guide Engagement
What happened when a mid-sized museum whose volunteer Museum Guides leading more than 50% of gallery experiences couldn’t lead tours anymore? Hear how Education volunteers and staff alike collaboratively created meaningful video series, accomplished new institutional precedents, and widened access to the museum’s collections. This session may interest educators, volunteer managers or coaches and those interested in approaching digital educational content.
Speaker: Casey Goldman, Lead Museum Educator, Dayton Art Institute
Click Click Done: Developing Your Google Analytics Skills
Users of all skill levels can join in as we focus on the nuts and bolts of metrics to understand Google Analytics (GA). All attendees will receive step-by-step guides on how to setup and use GA, optimize data quality, and create custom reports. Organizations: walk away understanding how to convert data into action. Individuals: discover how to leverage metrics to become even more attractive to presenters. A generous Q&A rounds-out the skills based session.
Speaker: Ceci Dadisman, Communications Director, The Temple-Tifereth Israel, home of The Temple Museum of Jewish Art, Religion, and Culture
10:15am-11:00am 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. Morning roundtable topics include:
- Grab Bag! What’s on your mind?
- Community Collaborations
- Partnering with Schools and Teachers
- DEAI in Action
- Engaging Programs for All Ages
- What's New in Museum Fundraising/Development?
- Getting the Most out of the Early Stages of Your Museum Career
- Engaging and Retaining Volunteers
- Advocacy
11:05am-12:05pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS MORNING II:
Looking Into the Future: An Emerging Professional's Viewpoint on the Museum's Relationship with Underrepresented Communities
This presentation will describe how the relationship between underrepresented communities and museums could interact with each other in the future from an emerging professionalperspective.
Speaker: Jacqueline Hudson, PhD, Exhibitions Content Developer, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The Silver Lining of 2020: Throwing Out Old Systems, Embracing Change, and Empowering your Team
Museums often find themselves stuck in a quagmire of long-standing organizational procedures. Learn how the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame used its museum shutdown to rethink the entire scope of the guest experience - from fan engagement to recruiting to staff training - and carried the mentality of improvement into 2021 and beyond.
Speaker: John Goehrke, Director of Fan Engagement and Onstage Experience, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Back to School: Making History Matter
How can historians and educators transform outdated educational outreach programs to meet the needs of students and teachers today? This presentation will highlight suggestions for hybrid models, virtual programs, and updated in-person presentations. Participants will explore innovative ways to bring relevant and inclusive history into modern classrooms.
Speaker: Traci Manning, Curator of Education, Mahoning Valley Historical Society
Dynamic Corporate Fundraising (in times of change)
More than ever, it’s important to have a flexible, adaptive approach to securing corporate support. This panel will examine what that means across three very different institutions: the Cincinnati Museum Center, COSI, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Speakers: Andrew Bednarski, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Scott Schuster, Vice President of Philanthropy, Cincinnati Museum Center; Kirby Neumann, Director of Philanthropy, Cincinnati Art Museum; Christine Zistler, Senior Director of Development, Organizational Giving, COSI
12:10pm-1:30pm LUNCHEON & PLENARY ADDRESS - PRESENTED BY: OHIO HUMANITIES
OMA Welcomes Rebecca Brown Asmo, Executive Director, Ohio Humanities
Rebecca Brown Asmo took the helm of Ohio Humanities in June of 2021, and has been working tirelessly since to advance the mission to share Ohio’s stories, spark important conversations, and inspire ideas in our state’s humanities organizations. In reflecting for the future, Ms. Brown Asmo will speak to the collective upheaval and response of the humanities community in the past two years, and will discuss managing the organizational changes that have inevitably occurred in our field since. Bring your questions as Rebecca shares her vision for the future of the humanities in Ohio.
1:30pm-2:30pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS AFTERNOON I:
Accessible and Inclusive Museum Policy
Participants will consider their organizational culture and how it promotes and/or inhibits accessibility and inclusivity. Through discussion and creative problem solving participants will brainstorm strategies for creating more equitable and sustainable hiring and workplace cultures.
Speaker: Molly Cairney, Executive Director, Art Possible Ohio
Keeping Cultural Sites Safe in Today's World
Cultural sites and institutions have been seeing increased incidents of vandalism and violence over the past decade. This session will offer tips on how to prevent and mitigate potential damage, destruction, and/or vandalism to cultural sites, as well a discussion on current trends related to these incidents.
Speaker: Andrew Mizsak, Principal Consultant and CEO, Cultural Sites Advocacy Group
Virtual Outreach After Hybrid Learning
With decreasing budgets and increasing expectations, many organizations have learned to leverage video technology to meet, or even expand, their reach to audiences. The Ohio Distance Learning Association (OhioDLA) can help Museums and organizations reach classrooms throughout Ohio and beyond. Learn how you can reach the schools in your backyard, or expand your reach to other portions of the state, using Google Meet, Teams and/or Zoom. We will share examples from some of the country’s best content providers, interactive projects between classrooms and resources that you can bring to your organization.
Speaker: Paul Hieronymus, Chairman, Ohio Distance Learning Association
Virtual Void: Communities Aren't in Zoom
COVID-19 displayed the critical role of human connection required to make community work successful. We will share lessons learned, but also host frank conversations about the real limitations of virtual engagement in building community trust. We will explore the opportunities for virtual engagement, without forgetting our roots in human connection.
Speakers: Ben Anthony, Manager, Community Engagement, Ohio History Connection; Alex Ingley, Community Engagement Coordinator, Ohio History Connection
2:35pm-3:05pm AFTERNOON BREAK :
Take a break to explore the OMA exhibit hall, network with your colleagues, and get those final 50/50 raffle tickets! Raffle winner will be announced prior to the Afternoon II sessions.
3:10pm-4:10pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS AFTERNOON II:
Activating Social Change: How to Implement a Museum-Wide DEAI Initiative
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s social justice exhibit “It’s Been Said All Along” became a museum-wide initiative celebrating how musicians challenge the status quo and ignite change in the face of injustice. Learn how we created physical and virtual exhibits, education resources, and community events that encouraged conversations, healing, and learning among our audiences.
Speaker: Mandy Smith, Director of Education, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Accessibility Considerations for Historic Properties
Understand the history and evolution of Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) & Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) addressing accessibility in historic buildings. Identify the types of projects which trigger when additional accessibility should be designed into your project. Explore how partial rehabilitation projects are affected by building codes, accessibility, and universal design.
Speakers: Polly Lynam Bloom, Associate AIA, Perspectus; Elizabeth Corbin Murphy, FAIA and Principal, Perspectus
Creative Inclusive Virtual Experiences That Get Patrons in the Door
Today, patrons expect museums to have robust, high-quality virtual offerings. At the same time, some fear that virtual programs deter in-person visitation. Participants will learn strategies for creating virtual experiences that complement in-person experiences. We’ll discuss the resources needed and implications of adding virtual components to your museum’s offerings.
Speakers: Rachel Kribbs, Account Executive, FORM; Katelyn Gerber, Director of Operations, FORM
Gimme Space! Refining Museum Collections for a Sustainable Future
Collection storage issues can be overwhelming, but regular, thoughtful reviews ensure your collections are on mission, focused, and maintainable from a conservation/preservation standpoint. Reassessing for items that are duplicative, irrelevant, or simply unsustainable for storage and care allows you to convert objects into two valuable assets: space and financial resources.
Speakers: Andrew Richmond, President & CEO, Wipiak Consulting & Appraisals; Dr. Ware Petznick, Lecturer in Nonprofit Administration, Cleveland State University