ENID, Okla. – The Oklahoma Museums Association will host its 2022 conference at the Stride Bank Center in Enid September 14-162022.
The conference, “Museums: Bringing communities a great and beautiful future,” is open to museum professionals of all levels, according to an OMA press release. The keynote speaker will be Ruth Ann Rugg, Executive Director of the Coalition of State Museum Associations and former Project Director of the Texas Association of Museums.
Rugg will speak about the “alternative future” for museums and how they must find a way forward through reinvention, partnership or even closure, the statement said. She will highlight the ways in which struggling museums reinvented themselves to survive or sought a graceful exit strategy based on data collected during a five-year initiative called Finding Alternative Futures in Texas.
Brenda Granger, OMA’s executive director, said attendees will have access to a variety of sessions, including museum collaboration, grant writing, preservation practice, advocacy and workforce development. ‘work.
“‘Museums: Bringing Communities a Big Big Beautiful Tomorrow’ is open to all museum-related professionals and institutions, including board members, volunteers and students,” Granger said in the release. “Attendees can converse with colleagues and gain valuable insights through sessions, panel discussions, and discussions.”
Pre-conference workshops will be held the afternoon of September 14, and the conference opening event begins at 5 p.m., with stops at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center for a picnic in the park and live music, as well as at Leonardo’s Children’s Museum and Enid Brewing Co.
OMA award winners will be recognized at the awards dinner on the evening of September 15. Tickets can be purchased at www.OKMuseums.org individually or in conjunction with conference registration, according to the release.
Conference registration scholarships are available for up to 60 attendees through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
There are also 10 scholarships available for conference and workshop registration, provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Oklahoma Historical Archives Advisory Board, with financial support from the Commission on publications and national historical archives. The deadline to apply is July 22, according to the release.
Early bird registration rates end August 5 and the standard conference registration deadline is August 26. Details and registration can be found at www.OKMuseums.org/Conference.
Conference sponsors include Visit Enid, Oklahoma Today Magazine, Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board, National Historical Publications and Records Commission, The Guild, Martin & Martin Design, Old Home Rescue, Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, Lucidea, Route 66 Alliance, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Displays Fine Art Services, Leonardo’s Children’s Museum, University of Oklahoma Press, Exhibit Concepts, and The Springer Co.
The Oklahoma Museums Association is a nonprofit, charitable organization founded in 1972. The programming offered by the Oklahoma Museums Association is a primary source of information and professional development for the 500 museums, historical societies, historic sites, zoos and botanical gardens, historic homes, living history museums, tribal cultural centers and other museum-related institutions.