The 1st symposium came off without a hitch. Reviews from those that attended are very positive.
"Overall a wonderful day...please do it again." "...excellent gathering of interesting people.." "I will look forward to other days like this one"
"...excellant conference...practical, useful information."
"Very well planned-great presenters", and on and on!
There were four presenters that were universally enjoyed. We started the day with a kick off from Phil Kwiatkowski, Director of the Michigan Historical Museum.
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 | The Past in Person Michael Deren (Click to Enlarge) | Musician, Songwriter & Storyteller
Michael presents multi faceted, audience centered programs that educate, delight, enthrall, and encourage participants to learn more about the past that surrounds them. Learn techniques to help bring your tours and programs to life through song, dance, stories and other participative activities!
 | Mike Deren Lights up the Lighthouses (Video) (Click to Play the Movie) |
 | We were trees...blowing in the wind! (Click to Enlarge) |
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Next up was the presentation from Judy Gail Krasnow.
Hi! Story:
Bringing History to Life Through Storytelling
Judy Gail Krasnow
Professional storyteller, historical portrayal artist, musician and author
The art of storytelling can bring historical characters, events and family history to life. This workshop shows how to research a topic, event or character and transform it into a story narrative that begs telling and captures the audience`s imagination. Meet Temperance activist, Carry Nation, and Michigan’s own Civil War soldier and spy, Pvt. Frank Thompson, a.k.a. Sarah Emma Edmonds.
 | A Taste of Carrie A Nation (Video) (Click to Play the Movie) |
Judy demonstrated to us how she portrays Carry Nation by effortlessly becoming her before our eyes. She showed how history can come alive. Outstanding performance.
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For lunch we moved to the education room for the keynote speaker, Historical Center Director Sandra Clark.
 | Sandra Clark, Keynote speaker (Click to Enlarge) |
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We started the afternoon session with David Allison from Conner Prairie.
 | Opening Doors to Great Guest Experiences David Allison (Click to Enlarge) |
Experience Design Manager, Conner Prairie
What began as an initiative aimed at improving the quality of Conner Prairie’s living history interpretation, has become a broadly adopted and transformative new way of doing the business of interacting with their guests and helping them learn more about the past!
David walked us through the process they used to analyze their existing operation and design and develop a new interface between there docents and the public they serve. Very enlightening.
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Our own Laurie Perkins followed next with a VERY interest presentation on Shoes.
 | Standing in Someone Else`s Shoes Laurie Catherine Perkins (Click to Enlarge) |
Education Historian
Michigan Historical Museum
Shoes are often the most overlooked artifacts in a museum`s collection until they are needed to complete a costume or finish off an exhibit. This presentation will look at ways the shoes found in the Michigan Historical Museum`s collection are used not only as tools of interpretation, but as a way for visitors to bring historical meaning to their everyday lives.
It became clear to us that shoes are simply an example of how we can entice visitors with the untold stories of even the simplest items displayed at the museum.
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 | Docent Round-Table Discussion Stories, Issues & New Ideas (Click to Enlarge) |
David Bridgens
Docent Liaison, Michigan Historical Museum
Lois Baumer
Michigan Historical Museum Docent Guild
Dave and Lois lead the discussion at the final session, a round-table discussion.
When Museum Docents and Volunteers get together there are stories to be told and fresh new ways of looking at the same old issues and concerns always abound. |