Extra, Extra! KMA 2021 Conference Schedule Released and Registration is NOW OPEN!

You've been waiting, and now it's here! The Kansas Museums Association has all the engaging speakers, compelling content, and opportunities for networking you need to Reimagine and Renew your museum and your spirit. Take a look at what lies in store for you November 3-5 in Lawrence!

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Workshop: Silver Cleaning with Expert Paul Benson

Silver. Let's define it. What is meant by the word 'silver' in the context of collecting objects made of this metal. Not all 'silver' is silver! We will also look at the hallmarks on silver and see what these marks mean and how they vary from country to country. Caring for silver will also be discussed with examples of why you may want to clean it, when not to clean it, how to clean it, how not to clean it, and how to store it. Two practical demonstrations of cleaning tarnished silver will be done; one method utilizing an electro-chemical process and another method utilizing a calcium carbonate (chalk) paste.

Tours

Behind the Scenes: Historic Homes and More

Go behind the scenes at the University of Kansas Libraries Conservation Lab and tour the Kenneth Spencer Research Library to see highlights of their collections. Then visit historic Old West Lawrence, to meet Eleanor Henley, via reenactor Kathryn Tuttle, for a guided tour of her home and a group of other 19th-century homes in the 700 block of Louisiana Street.

Hidden History: Haskell Cultural Center and Grover Barn Underground Railroad Site

Visit two important sites in Lawrence that are rarely open to the public. First, visit the Cultural Center at Haskell Indian Nations University for a tour of their exhibits and storage areas. After several years of closure, the Cultural Center is preparing to reopen to the public on a regular basis this fall. Then, John Brown, portrayed by reenactor Kerry Altenbernd, will share the story of a group of freedom seekers he escorted from Vernon County, MO to Windsor Canada during a tour of the 1858 stone barn built by Joel Grover. A collaborative effort to preserve the Grover Barn, converted for use as a fire station in the 1980s, for future use as a research and digital storytelling center is just beginning.