Museum People

Season 3 closes out with an interview with Nick Capasso, executive director of the Fitchburg Art Museum, who describes how the museum is helping transform a “dying mill town” through contemporary art and community collaboration. Music credits: “Polydactyl Super Cat,” unreal_dm, ccmixter.org

Marieke and Dan recall their earliest memories. Marieke hosts her first long-distance interview with fellow podcaster Nate Dimeo of The Memory Palace, who also serves as the artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Music credits: “4 Guitars,” JeffSpeed68, ccmixter.org Podcast credits: The Memory Palace, thememorypalace.us

Dan and Marieke wax rhapsodic about the unusual niche museums in our midst. George Norton and David Ball of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History host Dan for a tour and interview. D and M close out the episode reflecting on small museum challenges. Music credits: “Be What You Are,” unreal_dm, ccmixter.org

Dan complains about the snow and wonders where all the kids have gone who used to shovel your driveway. Marieke revives the Pokémon Go discussion. Dan interviews Brian Cofrancesco of Connecticut’s Old State House, who talks about the Kid Governor Program and the importance of civic engagement. Music credits: “Bueno Jazz,” texasradiofish, ccmixter.org

Marieke and Dan talk about their wilderness experiences. Dan interviews archivist/artist Becky Fullerton of the Appalachian Mountain Club and explores the similarities between museums and the great outdoors. Marieke closes out the episode with an impassioned appeal to museum activism. Music credits: “Wayo Wayo,” Reiswerk, ccmixter.org

Marieke and Dan compare notes about the Inauguration and subsequent protests. Marieke interviews archivist Emily Gonzalez about collecting items from the Boston Women’s March. Dan has a chat with Steven Rothstein of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library about JFK’s legacy and its meaning for today. Music credits: “Reverie (small theme),” ghost; “Hanging Eleven,” Kara Square, ccmixter.org

Dan tries to convince Marieke to attend national Museums Advocacy Day before segueing into Part II of the AASLH “person on the street” interviews. Marieke interviews Laurie Phillips of Museum Sage and relates her experience with the program when she was guided by museum consultant Rainey Tisdale. Music credits: “By By Baby, JeffSpeed68 , ccmixter.org

Season 3 starts with Dan on location at the 2016 AASLH Annual Meeting in Detroit, getting choice comments from history professionals. Marieke and Dan reminisce about their childhood dolls before an interview with Debra Britt, founder and director of the National Black Doll Museum. Music credits: “Funky Bots,” Admiral Bob; “Fallwind,” 700P3D, ccmixter.org

Bonus Episode: Museum People LIVE! Join the fun with Marieke and Dan at the 98th Annual NEMA Conference, where Museum People took center stage in a live podcast session on Veteran’s Day, 2016. This special episode features an in-depth panel discussion with three museum professionals who are also veterans (Terry Dickinson of the Newport Mansions, Ted Gaffney of Florence Griswold Museum, and Van Shields of Berkshire Museum), discussing service, leadership, and how museums compare with the military. Adding to the excitement is a raffle drawing for a Museum People interview, won by Chuck Clark of Castle in the Clouds, and questions from the live studio audience. And of course there’s the usual assortment of person on the street interviews and witty banter between the co-hosts.   01:45     Person on the Street interviews 10:30     Panel discussion with military veterans 45:25     “Raffle” interview

We round out our second season with an in-depth interview with Kathy McGaughey, a museum guard who gives us a glimpse of how guards pass the hours in galleries, discrimination and bias against front-line staff, and her suggestions for how museums can become more engaging in their communities. Music credits: “Objective C#,” Admiral Bob, ccmixter.org

Celebrate with us as we honor the Tomaquag Museum, a NEMA member which was awarded a 2016 IMLS National Medal. Dan sits down with executive director Loren Spears as she shares her joys and challenges in running a Native American museum, how indigenous populations feel alienated in their own homeland, and her hopes for the future. Marieke chats with Diana Montano of renegade tour company Museum Hack and hears how they are changing the visitor experience. Music credits: “Two Fingers of Rum,” AdmiralBob, ccmixter.org

The future is ours! Special guest Elizabeth Merritt, founding director of the Center for the Future of Museums, takes us on a glimpse into the world of futurism, how she selects subjects for the annual Trendswatch publication, and what jobs to stay away from in the coming years. Dan's colleagues in the Council of Regional Associations weigh in on what issues museums are facing nationally. Music credits: “More, More, More,” Reiswerk, ccmixter.org

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service! In honor of the anniversary on August 25, Marieke tells about her experiences with the NPS in Alaska and Boston. Dan talks with Laurel Racine, curator at the Lowell National Historical Park, about how parks impact communities, her career path in the NPS, and what the next 100 years will bring to the system. Music credits: “Unfriendly Me,” Martijn de Boer,ccmixter.org

Marieke and Dan chat about summer museum fun, Pokémon Go,and innovation. Marieke interviews software guru Rich Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc., about his transformational museum experiences, how he is creating a joyful workplace culture, and how museums can become more inspirational places for workers and visitors. Music credits: “Too Broken,” Admiral Bob, ccmixter.org

Special feature: Dan and Marieke interview emerging professionals Scarlett Hoey, Alli Rico, and Adrienne Turnbull-Reilly about why they love museums, museum studies programs, the importance of mentorships, navigating internships, and their futures in the museum field.

The NEMA board tells us their greatest wish for the museum field. Exhibit designer and museum activist Margaret Middleton speaks out on diversity, worker rights, uncomfortable conversations using inclusive language,and the social responsibility of museums in a changing society. Dan and Marieke explore teamwork between boards and executive directors, biases, and whether Dan is a feminist. Music credits: “I Dunno,” Grapes, ccmixter.org

Dan and Marieke on location at the 2016 AAM Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dan interviews attendees about “conference buzz” and what’s at stake in the presidential election. AAM President & CEO Laura Lott talks about strategic plans, work/life integration, and the state of the museum field. Music credits: “Paint the Sky,” Hans Atom, ccmixter.org

Dan interviews Alyssa Lozupone of the Newport Mansions and explores the language of advocacy. Barnum Museum Executive Director Kathy Maher tells what it’s like to recover from multiple disasters of biblical proportions. Marieke and Dan reflect on what they’ve learned producing the podcast and unveil plans for another Museum People season. Episode Eight music credits: “I Never Give In,” Scomber, ccmixter.org

Museum studies programs take the spotlight. Marieke lets us know what’s important when she’s hiring at her museum. Harvard professor Mary Malloy talks authenticity, controversy, and a world without museums. Sheila Hoffman, museum studies PhD candidate, tells why she’s going through torture, the big data/collections connection, and the future of curation. Episode Seven music credits: “Dawn’s Battle,” Ivan Chew, ccmixter.org

Marieke and Dan check out the shout outs in the Museum People mail bag. Museum consultant Linda Norris talks to Marieke about fear, failure, and fantasy side-projects. Dan and Marieke speculate on the nature of museum innovation and independent professionals. Emily Robertson describes her career journey through museums, getting an MBA, Corporate America, and voiceovers. Episode Six music credits: “Funky Deep (Headphone),” fourstones, ccmixter.org