Historic Southern Indiana

Interpretation For A Changing Audience
Spring Mill Inn
Spring Mill State Park
Mitchell, Indiana

SPEAKERS & SESSIONS

Historic Sites Jeopardy
Team competitions to discover our knowledge (or ignorance) of Indiana history and geography.

David McDaniel, script editor for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.

"Historic Sites as Learning Tools"
Join Dwight Pitcaithley in exploring historic sites as learning places, what the National Park Service is doing to advance this concept in the classroom, and what kinds of interpretive and educational tools are being developed to achieve this.

Dwight Pitcaithley, is the chief historian for the National Park Service. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Eastern New Mexico University and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University and is an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Pitcaithley has served in various positions with the National Council for Public History, most recently as president in 1998. He has published several papers including Historic Sites: What Can Be Learned By Them and The Future of the NPS History Program.

"Audio Description: What Is It and How does It Work " - Part I (Sign up in advance at the registration table. This session must be reserved in conjunction with Part II.)
Pat and Byron Smith from Duet Productions in Bloomington explore the steps required to create effective audio descriptive tours in a two-hour session.

"Audio Description: What Is It and How does It Work" - Part II (Sign up in advance at the registration table. This session must be reserved in conjunction with Part I.)
Pat and Byron Smith from Duet Productions will continue to explore the steps required to create effective audio descriptive tours.

Pat Smith is experienced in describing the key visual elements in live theater productions, movies, television, museums, art exhibits, and historic sites. She has been an audio describer for the blind and visually impaired since 1993 and is a trainer of audio describers. Byron Smith is Pat's partner in Duet Productions, a small company that provides accessibility services to people with disabilities. Byron, who is blind, is an experienced copy editor and performance critic for audio describers.

"Adapting to Different Audiences"
Dennis Latta will address interpretation and how to include culturally diverse groups in today's pluralistic society.

Dennis Latta is a park ranger at George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes. He has been a park ranger with the National Park Service for 24 years.

"Changing Fashions: A Retrospective of Styles Over the Years"
Graeme Reid will discuss fashion changes throughout history and how these changes influence and are motivated by societies.

Graeme Reid is curator of the Greater Lafayeette Museum of Art. He holds an M.A. in modern and medieval history from the University of Glascow, Scotland. Formerly the curator of education at the Sheldon Swope Museum, he is in great demand as a lecturer and writes regularly for Arts Indiana Magazine.

"The Internet as a History Tool"
Dennis Trinkle will identify interpretive and historical resources on the World Wide Web. A "live" demonstration of major tools that can be used in your facilities and handouts of significant Web sites will be the core of this session.

Dennis Trinkle, an assistant professor of history at Depauw University in Greencastle, has a strong interest in technology and the electronic age. He wrote The History Highway: A Guide to Computer Resources for Historians and Researching History in the Electronic Age. Trinkle also has designed and edited Web sites and is the guest editor for the spring 2000 edition of Technology and Teaching: A Special Issue of the International Journal of Social Education.

"How to Develop and Present a Story"
A strong advocate for the power of story, Stephanie Holman will teach a brief outline of how to choose, prepare, and deliver a story. A few short stories will be told to demonstrate how incorporating storytelling into interpretation will make tours more effective and more personally rewarding.

Stephanie Holman, a ten-year member of the Bloomington Storyteller's Guild, is a children's librarian at the Monroe County Public Library and an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science. Holman tells stories for ages 2 to 92 in libraries, schools, state parks, and festivals.

"The Museum as a Therapeutic Tool"
Lois Silverman will share experiences and results from her collaborative program using three Bloomington area Museums and three mental healthcare agency programs to identify and explore the therapeutic potential of museums.

Lois H. Silverman, assistant professor of recreation and park administration and American Studies at Indiana University, is a specialist in museum and park interpretation and visitor studies. A former Smithsonian Fellow, Silverman has worked for numerous historic sites, museums, and interpretive facilities across the country. She presently serves as associate editor for the Journal of Interpretive Research and has directed research funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services on the therapeutic potential of museums.

"An Update on the Underground Railroad Initiative"
Join our panel of experts to see what is happening with Underground Railroad initiative both nationwide and within Indiana. Panelists include Dwight Pitcaithley, Jon Smith, and Saundra Jackson.

Jon Smith is the director of the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. After graduating from Wabash College, his graduate courses at Ball State University focused on historic preservation. He has been with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources since 1991. He is currently heading up the Indiana Freedom Trails initiative.

Saundra Jackson is director of daily operations at the Levi Coffin House State Historic Site. She is active in the Indiana Freedom Trails.

"Revisions in The Indiana Way"
James Madison will discuss revision in his book The Indiana Way: A State History.

"Past and Future Milestones in Indiana History"
How should historic site/museum planning and interpretation be shaped by celebration of Indiana milestones? For this plenary session, James Madison will compare and contrast the Indiana of 1816 with the state as it celebrated its centennial in 1916 and as it plans for the bicentennial and beyond. He will discuss the audiences of the future, the inclusiveness of what we designate as historic sites, and the persistence of the pioneer theme in Indiana culture.

James Madison is a professor of history at Indiana University in Bloomington. Among his publications are Eli Lilly: A Life, 1885-1977 and The Indiana Way: A State History. In 1994, Indiana University awarded Professor Madison its Sylvia E. Bowman Distinguished Teaching Award. Most recently, he served as a Fulbright Professor at Hiroshima University in Japan.

Field Study Session - A Limestone Tour of Bedford (This session lasts four hours and must be signed up for in advance. It is limited to 30 participants. If additional space is available, a sign up sheet will be located at the registration table.)
Take a bus trip to nearby Bedford to discover the "Limestone Capitol of the World." Join us for a tour of Elliott Quarry and the Land of Limestone Museum at the Oakland City University Bedford campus. This session will conclude with a stop at a local cemetery known for its limestone headstones.

William McDonald has been involved with the American stone industry for over 35 years as a cut-stone salesman, a mill manager, and most recently as executive director of the Indiana Limestone Institute. He is the author of a number of articles and books relating to Indiana limestone issues.

"Call for Papers"
Joellen Bye from Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site will discuss two successful fundraisers, "Literally, a Haunted House" and the Culbertson Mansion Murder Mystery. She will explain how these programs were developed by staff teamwork from their initial idea, through the various details of planning, to the successful end results.
Ken Brunswick will share how he collaborated with the community and other DNR agencies on a wetlands project at the Limberlost Swamp.
Ginny Terpening will address the subject "Putting History Back in the Medical History Museum," and how she gears the programs towards schools and the audiences there.

Joellen Bye began her career with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, division of Museums and Historic Sites as a seasonal interpreter at the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site in 1977. She was promoted to full-time interpreter in 1978 and was appointed Site Curator in 1995.

Ken Brunswick's love of wildlife began as a boy on his family's farm in Ohio. After he moved to the Limberlost area in 1976 he began to study the Limberlost Swamp. Since 1997 Ken has been contracted by the State of Indiana to restore the wetlands, uplands, and prairie on the 428 acre Loblolly Marsh Wetlands Preserve. He holds a degree in natural resources and biology from Ball State University.

Virginia Terpening is director of the Indiana Medical History Museum. She was formerly the director of the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology where she worked with classroom teachers to raise awareness of Indiana history publication, special programs, and opportunities for teachers and students.

Auction with Bob Allen
The annual interpretive workshop auction proceeds are used to help fund the Historic Southern Indiana awards program.

Bob Allen of Allen's Auction Service in Mitchell, Indiana, celebrates his 34th year in business. He averages 70 auctions per year throughout the United States.

Hands-on Training
"Creating Quality Leather Products"
Rachel Perry will begin the session revealing what she has learned from curators across the country about caring for leather artifacts. Mike Kline will follow with demonstrations of tanning, identifying types of leather, and how to choose top-quality hides.

Mike Kline is proprietor and primary artisan of Moonshine Leather, a wholesale and retail leather products business located in Nashville, Indiana.

"Blacksmithing"
Join T. J. Wilder for a demonstration and lesson in the art of blacksmithing. This session will take place in the village and transportation will be provided. Dress Appropriately.

8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600