I was pleased to work with UMBC’s John Willard to present a workshop for participants in the Museum on Main Street program on May 17 As museums around the state get ready for a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, John and I talked to participants about the stories of communities. Most have plenty of little-known, but intriguing stories from local tradition-bearers and they’re anxious to share them.
In our session with museum professionals and librarians from around the state we talked about the best ways to incorporate these stories into public programming using formats such as traditional exhibits, digital storytelling, publications, and educational programs. Here’s the way the Maryland Humanities Council described the session: “Professional Oral Historians, John Willard and Mike Dixon, will share examples of successful projects from their past work with the Martha Ross Center for Oral History at UMBC and small museums and historical societies.”
We had a great time exploring these new opportunities with the folks getting ready for this exciting new exhibit from the Smithsonian.