Old Collection, New Pride: Fresh Takes to Diversify Programming

75-minute session

Location: Hilton Albany, Kelsey

Day/Time: Tuesday, April 9 // 9 - 10:15 AM

About: Gain fresh inspiration to invigorate family-friendly, inclusive programming from two niche museums that found novel and creative ways to connect the unique stories in their collections and archives to community events that are especially LGBTQ-welcoming. Find out how The Whaling Museum uses historic content in its archives to connect to family programming with drag performers. Explore how the Corning Museum of Glass is deepening its inclusivity for and with broader audiences through its work with community circles. Staff will share their triumphs, challenges, strategies for addressing pushback, and lessons learned from the process of expanding their public programming. Leave with practical inspiration to use your collection as a gateway to celebrate gender diversity.

Presenters:

Nomi Dayan, Executive Director, The Whaling Museum & Education Center

Nomi Dayan leads The Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, where she has worked since 2008. She has greatly enjoyed helping to revitalize the historic museum with creative interpretations of its stories and collection. Previous experience includes the Brooklyn Children's Museum, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium. She has an MA in Museum Education from Bank Street College, and is currently the Vice President at the Long Island Museum Association. When not thinking about museums (which is rare), she is either involved with vegetable gardening or performing in community theater.

Mieke Fay, Manager, Education and Interpretation, Corning Museum of Glass

Mieke Fay joined the Corning Museum of Glass in 2011. She directs and develops departmental plans, education content, programs, and partnerships, and co-leads the Junior Curator program and Teen Leadership Council.Fay received bachelor's degrees in Art History/Museum Studies and History from Juniata College in Huntingdon, Penn., and a master's degree in Museum Education from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She held internship positions at the National Gallery of Art, the Erie Zoo, Abracadabra Child Care and Development Center, and the Stephen Decatur House Museum. She previously managed youth programs and school partnerships at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and was a supervisor of the Readers Are Leaders program at Everybody Wins! DC. She is a member of the National Art Education Association, the Advisory Committee of the Expanded Learning Network of the Southern Tier, and has completed the three-part Professional Development Institute in Visual Thinking Strategies.