Care & Conservation of Indigenous Collections Workshop

 

Announcing National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation of Indigenous Collections: Regional Workshops

Two regional workshops will be offered in-person April 2023 and 2024, cost-free to all participants! The first will take place in Salamanca, New York and the second in Santa Rosa, California. These workshops are available to those seeking opportunities for professional development outside of a graduate program. Ideal participants are currently, or plan to become caretakers of American Indian cultural materials, either in cultural centers or museums. Transportation, accommodation, and meals will be included with the workshop, and materials will be available on-site.  These workshops are intended to teach practical skills, impart confidence in decision-making, and help build professional and community networks. Our two instructors will demonstrate collections care and conservation skills such as:

  • condition reporting
  • building custom storage boxes
  • removing/adding accession numbers
  • pest management
  • mold remediation
  • cleaning collections items
  • …and more!

The specific topics of the workshop will be tailored to the selected participants, focusing on addressing the needs and interests of the participants’ own collections.

Note: Regional Workshop focused toward collection stewards in Western North America

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Spring 2024 Workshop | April 10-12, 2024

We welcome applications for our Spring 2024 in-person workshop on Preservation of Indigenous Cultural Collections, generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The workshop will be hosted at the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, April 10-12 2024, with travel the day prior. Participation includes flights and/or mileage, four nights at Hilton Garden Inn or another locally owned hotel, plus meals. Workshop materials will be available on-site.

Care & Conservation of Indigenous Collections Workshop Poster

 

Instructors

Nicole Passerotti (Seneca Nation, Bear Clan) is a conservator with over ten years of museum experience including work with the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and the Field Museum’s Native North American Collection. She has experience teaching collection care classes and workshops through UCLA Extension and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.

 

 

 

Michelle Brownlee (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) is the Collections Manager for the Field Museum’s Native North American Ethnographic and Archaeological Collections. In addition to this work, Michelle is an elected member of the Field Museum’s Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion Staff Council. Prior to joining the Field Museum’s Collections Management team, Michelle received her B.A. in Anthropology and Native American and Indigenous Studies with a minor in Biology from the University of Minnesota, Morris.

 

 

 

 

Host Institution

The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center was founded in 1996 with the purpose of educating the public about the history, culture, and contemporary life of California Indians and to honor their contributions to civilization.

The Museum provides California Indians and the public with a first class museum facility in which to portray California Indian history and culture from an Indian perspective. In addition, the museum showcases and encourages the present-day renaissance of California Indian culture, affirming its survival and continued vitality in the face of extreme adversity. Finally, the museum provides opportunities for Native Americans to receive training and experience in a variety of fields such as museum direction, curation, design, and interpretation.

 

How to Apply:

Applications are due by Feb 2, 2024 at the latest. Please send questions and the following application materials to preservation-courses@ioa.ucla.edu: