The 2024 ALHFAM Annual Meeting & Conference

Hosted by Howell Living History Farm

June 7 - 10, 2024 in Titusville, New Jersey
And September 9 - 10, Virtual Symposium with Papers and Panels

Curating Living History: Preserving Skills and Intangible Culture

Have photos/videos of the conference to share? Click here. (Members only.)

THANK YOU for a wonderful conference this year!

Watch the YouTube video conference recap by Kori Taber.

PROCEEDINGS Submission Guidelines click here.

Virtual Conference Program for September 2024
NEW program download here.

If you registered for the in-person conference you are automatically registered for the virtual sessions; no additional fees apply.

Zoom links for the conference has been emailed to all who registered for the in-person and the virtual conference. If you don't see them please check your spam folder or email: webmaster@alhfam.org.

Virtual-Only Registration Fee:

Members - $90

Non Members - $130 (Includes 1 year ALHFAM Individual Membership)

Registration is now closed.

FOR MORE INFO click here.

Introduction

For those who use living history to preserve the work, play, stories, traditions, and lifeways of times past, the ability to transfer knowledge and skills from one generation of practitioners to another is of critical importance.

How do we ensure that the living, intangible cultural heritage held in our hands is as safely and comprehensively kept as the material culture that supports and reflects it? Can the historical skills of a farmer, miller, butcher or tailor be collected, registered, curated and preserved like the tools and equipment they use?

During ALHFAM's 2024 annual conference, stakeholders from museums of all kinds are invited to explore the ways that curatorial methods, succession planning, and the development of strategic skill training and transfer systems can help us preserve the intangible cultural heritage that is the heartbeat of living history.

Conference Format

The theme will be explored during a two-part conference that will use hands-on training workshops as the inspiration for keynotes, papers and roundtable discussions that will engage all participants in the work of strengthening the standards, best practices and professional skills needed to preserve living history’s invaluable intangible culture.

Part I: June 7 – 10 will be a 4-day in-person forum based at Rider University in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. It will include presentations on curatorial tools and methods, hands-on workshops, meetings of professional interest groups, and both formal and informal networking opportunities. Half-day and full-day workshops will serve as a means of skill sharing and transfer, as well as opportunities for participants to learn about and contribute to the documentation of workshop content conducted by members of the Conference Committee.

Part II: September 9 – 10 will be a virtually held symposium with both live and recorded presentations. It will begin with a presentation and evaluation of workshop documentation produced by the Conference Committee and volunteer contributors, followed by theme-related sessions and roundtables. The virtual session will conclude with the debut of the updated ALHFAM Skill & Knowledgebase (A.S.K.) presented by members of Princeton University’s I.T. Department, who are assisting ALHFAM with improvements to the database that will allow for the storage and searching of photographs, videos, an audio library and other digital assets.

Virtual Conference at a Glance 

 

All Times are Eastern Daylight Savings Time 

Monday, September 9 

10 a.m.   Welcome & Opening Remarks 

10:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Claus Kropp 

11 a.m.–12:10 p.m.   Morning Sessions 

11:05 a.m.  Creating Apprenticeships: How to Create a Learning Curriculum for Your Trade

11:40 a.m.  Creating a Work Culture that Prioritizes Preservation of Intangible Culture

12:15–1:15 p.m.   Lunch and Lunch Meetings

12:40 p.m. Arts and Culture Professional Interest Group (PIG) Committee Meeting 

1:15–5:30 p.m.   Afternoon Sessions 

1:15 p.m.  Living History Institute: Review, Reflection, Next Steps (Panel Session)

2:25 p.m.  Partnering with Tourism Offices to Promote Local Tangible & Intangible Culture

3:00 p.m.  Preserving the Receipts for Preserves, Pancakes & Picnics

3:35 p.m.  Cultures of Craftsmanship: Volunteer Management & Learning at Allaire Village 

4:10–4:25 p.m.   Closing Remarks 

4:30–5:30 p.m.  Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA Committee led Panel Session) 

Tuesday, September 10 

10:00 a.m.   Opening Remarks 

10:20 a.m.–12:30 p.m.   Morning Sessions 

10:20 a.m. Living History at the Museum of the American Revolution (Panel Session)

11:25 a.m. Succession Planning Resources You Can Use Now

12:00 p.m.   Transfer of Practice 

12:30–1:30 p.m.  Lunch and Lunch Meetings 

1:30–4:15 p.m.    Afternoon Sessions 

1:30 p.m. Researching the Environment, Heat and Ventilation in Homes

2:05 p.m. Preservation Trades Challenge: Re-Discovering How to Install an Unusual Roof

2:40 p.m. Introducing Customizable "Skills Experience" and "Traveling Teacher" Programs

3:15 p.m.  "In My Previous Life": Incorporating Philosophies from Previous Experiences into Museum Management (Panel Session) 

4:30–5:30 p.m.   Closing Presentation & Roundtable Discussion                                    

Presentation of the redesigned ALHFAM Skill & Knowledgebase (A.S.K.)  followed by roundtable discussion on opportunities and challenges in the work  of preserving skills and intangible culture.