What's in a name? (and what we learned about changing one)

90-minute session

Location: Hilton Albany, Governor C

Day/Time: Sunday, April 7 // 1 - 2:30 PM

About: The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, opened to the public in June 2023, after being closed for nearly four years for a development and expansion project. Just down the road in Utica, the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute worked concurrently on a new Campus Master Plan and a new brand, resulting in what is now the new Munson. This session will offer practical information about the process of remaking museums, from a sharpened focus on community to a new name, a new graphic identity, and a new campus. Find out how the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and the Munson Museum of Art (re)introduced their new identities to their staff, their city, and the world, along with tales of what was learned in the process.

Presenters:

Stephen Boyd, Managing Editor, Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Stephen Boyd (he/him) is the Managing Editor at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. He manages the work of the Publications & Digital Experience Department with a focus on strategy and planning for design and editorial projects across all museum departments. Prior to joining the Buffalo AKG, Stephen worked as a wine and spirits educator and as an ESL instructor in Namibia and Tanzania. He earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English from the University at Buffalo.

Pam Hatley, Head of Publications & Digital Experience, Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Pam Hatley (she/her) is the Head of Publications & Digital Experience at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. She managed the development of the Buffalo AKG’s new identity and wayfinding systems and is the editor of numerous books, including the museum's first collection handbook. Prior to joining the Buffalo AKG, she worked at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and Harcourt College Publishers. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of North Texas.

Stephen Harrison, Director and Chief Curator, Munson Museum of Art

Stephen Harrison is the Director and Chief Curator at the Munson Museum of Art, where he is responsible for all curatorial, education, and exhibition related operations. He joined Munson after a distinguished career as curator of decorative art and design at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Harrison has held similar curatorial positions in New Orleans, Dallas, and Atlanta. A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar, Harrison holds advanced degrees in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and material culture from the Winterthur Museum Program at the University of Delaware.

Katherine Laube, Director of Marketing and Communications, Munson Museum of Art

Katherine Laube is the director of marketing and communications at Munson Museum of Art in Utica, N.Y., where she oversees all internal and external communication and marketing efforts including creative and brand strategy, public relations, digital marketing, and editorial direction. In addition to effectively marketing Munson’s Museum of Art, Performing Arts and Community Arts, she oversees all marketing and communications for Pratt Munson College of Art in Design, Pratt Institute’s Upstate New York extension campus. Katherine joins Munson with 15 years of experience in creative direction and brand strategy with a focus in higher education, corporate communications, healthcare, and nonprofit. Most recently, she spent 12 years as an art director at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. Katherine is a graduate of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design.