With members spread across the country (the globe, actually!), the Museum Education Roundtable (MER) board conducts most of its work via email and monthly conference calls. It’s an efficient way to do things, but we all look forward to the few times each year when we get together for face-to-face meetings and a little fun too. We gather each August for our two-day board retreat, our location altering each year between Washington D.C., MER’s birthplace, and a city “hosted” by a MER board member. Retreat is an intense and rewarding experience that culminates with our annual Forum—a public program for local museum educators highlighting ideas from a recent Journal of Museum Education (JME). The Forum is great opportunity for the board to engage with MER members and other practitioners. Unfortunately our audience is limited by geography.

Our other big meet-up takes place each year at the American Alliance of Museums annual meeting. Although it is not a mandatory meeting, many MER board members are able to attend the conference to present, learn, and connect with our museum colleagues. The Education, Audience Research & Evaluation track is chock full of inspiring  sessions—including many featuring current and former MER board members and JME authors and guest editors. We’ve compiled a list of these sessions below.

Beyond sessions, MER organizes activities and events in partnership with EdCom and other AAM affinity groups so that we can connect with YOU—our members, followers, and friends. So, if you’ll be in Phoenix May 6-9th be sure to find MER. We’re excited to share ideas and hear how museum educators are leading the way in building the museums of the future. If you’re stuck back home at work, no worries! You can follow along on MER’s Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Events Co-Hosted by MER

EdCom, CARE, MER, and HHSN Evening Reception
Sunday, May 6, 6-8 p.m.
Location: Rosson House/Heritage Square

Join colleagues from the EdCom, CARE, and Historic House and Sites Network professional networks, as well as the board of the Museum Education Roundtable, for a fun and inspiring evening of conversation and networking at the Rosson House Museum in Heritage Square. Ticket purchase is required.

EdCom Marketplace of Ideas
Monday, May 7, 3-5 p.m.
Location: MuseumExpo

As political, cultural, and socio-economic climates change in the US, museum educators must focus on the ethics, roles, and obligations they have in their communities. Join EdCom and MER in dialogues about these trends in museum education and how effectively addressing them will strategically increase museum relevance. Gather inspiration and new friends during EdCom’s Marketplace of Ideas!

EdCom & MER Meet Up
Monday, May 7, 5:30-7 p.m.
Location: Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix, Lustre Deck, 2 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

The Museum Education Roundtable (MER) Board of Directors and AAM’s EdCom invite you to connect and recharge with museum education colleagues during the AAM Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Free drink for the first 50 people, followed by a cash bar. Free appetizers while supplies last.

 

Sessions Featuring Current & Former MER Board Members, Recent JME Authors & Guest Editors

* current/former board member     † JME author/editor

Sunday, May 6

Creating Place and Space: Museums and the Immigration Experience
Karleen Gardner*, Director Learning & Innovation, Minneapolis Institute of Art

National Study: Impact of Art Museum Programs on K–12 Students
Stephanie Downey*, Director, Randi Korn & Associates
Amanda Krantz†, Managing Director, Randi Korn Associated

Impact and Scalability: Building Civic Engagement into Every Museum
Chris Taylor†, Chief Inclusion Officer, Minnesota Historical Society

Leaders in Education Leading Museums
Victoria Ramirez*, Director, El Paso Museum of Art

Engaging Teens through History: Decolonized Curriculum and Workforce Development as a Means to the Future
Emily Potter-Ndiaye*, Director of Education, Brooklyn Historical Society

Monday, May 7

Decolonizing the Museum: Reflection, Vision, and Change
Ben Garcia†, Deputy Director, San Diego Museum of Man

We’re All in This! Tap Human Capital and Optimize Content Delivery for Greater Impact
Karleen Gardner*, Director Learning & Innovation, Minneapolis Institute of Art

Engaging the System: Museums Working in the Incarceration System
Lauren Zalut†, Director of Education and Tour Programs, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site

Flip It: Taking Volunteer Training Online
Andrew Palamara†, Assistant Director of Docent Learning, Cincinnati Art Museum

Tuesday, May 8

Helping Our Teams (and Ourselves) Get Smarter, Faster
Jennifer DePrizio†, Director of Interpretation, Cleveland Museum of Art

Making Space for (Other) Voices: Challenging Perceptions
Chris Taylor†, Chief Inclusion Officer, Minnesota Historical Society

Evaluation: Your “Other Duties as Assigned” and Making It Work
Laureen Trainer*†, Principal, Trainer Evaluation

History and Memory: Programming for People with Dementia in Historic Spaces
Carolyn Halpin-Healy†, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Arts & Minds

Wednesday, May 9

Case Study: Activating Agentic Indigenous Voices and Ancestral Objects through Digital Learning
Wendy Ng†, Manager, Learning, Royal Ontario Museum

Case Study: Digital Learning in Children’s Museums: Visitor Expectations and Methods of Engagement
Stephanie Downey*, Director, Randi Korn & Associates

Case Study: The Use of Museum Education Activities to Preserve Cultural Heritage
Heba Abdelsalam†, Graduate student, Middle Tennessee State University

Measuring Visitor Motivation, Expectations, and Satisfaction
Sheri Levinsky-Raskin†, Assistant Vice President, Research and Evaluation, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Amanda Thompson Rundahl*, Director of Learning and Engagement, Saint Louis Art Museum
Mariruth Leftwich*†, Director of Education, Senator John Heinz History Center

Museums and Race Report Card: Looking Back to Move Forward
Ben Garcia†, Deputy Director, San Diego Museum of Man

The Empathetic Museum: Mission Impossible?
Gretchen Jennings*†, Museum Consultant & Blogger
Chris Taylor†, Chief Inclusion Officer, Minnesota Historical Society
Swarupa Anila†, Director of Interpretive Engagement, Detroit Institute of Arts

Building Capacity Through Social Justice: Lessons from Children’s Museums
Margaret Middleton*, Exhibit Designer, Independent Consultant

Teaching Teachers: Using Evaluation to Develop Effective Professional Development
Christine Baron†, Assistant Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University