Session: Out of MANY, One...Project

Monday, April 7

9:15 - 10:30 AM

Location: Ithaca Downtown Conference Center

About: 

The U.S. is approaching the 250th commemoration and museums are searching for ways to engage with their communities. “A New Agora for New York,” a humanities discussion project uses the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition, “Voices and Votes” as a launching point for 12 museums as they explore, reflect on, and tell the stories of their roles in American democracy.

This session will demonstrate how MANY embraced New York’s “complicated” history through partnerships with organizations across the state to fill the gaps in the national narrative of the history of American Democracy and secured funding for its ambitious state-wide project.

Presenters:

Ren Lee, Agora Project Fellow, Museum Association of New York

Ren Lee (they/she) is the Agora Project Fellow at the Museum Association of New York. Their role is to coordinate all aspects of the Agora Project. They have a Master’s in Museum Management from GWU. They are a social justice advocate and museum enthusiast and professional. They will be providing context from MANY’s perspective on the Agora Project and talk about some of the successes and challenges of coordinating a statewide project with Federal, State, private, and local sponsors and partnerships.

Lauren Brincat, Chief Curator and Director of Collections, Preservation Long Island

Lauren Brincat (she/her) has worked in museums and historical societies for over a decade, specializing in exhibition and program development, curation, and collections management. Lauren’s current work emphasizes community and institutional collaboration. She is currently the co-president of the Long Island Museum Association and holds a B.A. in History and Anthropology from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program. Preservation Long Island is the project launch site for “A New Agora for NY: Museums as Spaces for Democracy."" Lauren was the coordinator of the project at Preservation Long Island and will share the project successes and challenges from her perspective.

Joe Murphy, Director of Grant-Making, Humanities New York

Joseph Murphy (he/him) oversees the Humanities Partnership grants program and curates HNY’s public programming and special initiatives. Murphy conducts Community Conversations and serves as an interlocutor in several public programs, including the Land, Liberty, and Loss series. Previously, Murphy has worked as an adjunct instructor at Hunter College, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Murphy has organized conferences for Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and the American Historical Association among others. Murphy received his Ph.D. in American History at CUNY Graduate Center. Murphy is advising the project partner museums and facilitating community conversations at each museum and will train museum staff to lead Community Conversations using the HNY toolkit.

Emerson Shenandoah, Director, Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center

Emerson Shenandoah (he/him) is a member of the Onondaga Snipe Clan, born and raised on the Onondaga Nation. Emerson has a deep knowledge of the history of the Haudenosaunee people and the influence they have had on the United States. He brings with him a side of knowledge about American History that is often forgotten or overlooked. Emerson will speak to the relationship that has formed between the Onondaga Nation through the Skä•noñh Center, the Onondaga Historical Association, and MANY.

Lisa Moore, Executive Director, Onondaga Historical Association

Lisa Moore (she/her) has a strong background in fundraising and has held a variety of positions in higher education and non-profit organizations. She has strong community connections and has experience in development and organizational relations. She will be speaking to the process of how the Onondaga Historical Association became involved with "A New Agora for New York" project and the steps that were taken to facilitate amplifying the voices telling the Haudenosaunee story through the Skä•noñh Center.