Issuu

INSIDE S E MC The Newsletter of the Southeastern Museums Conference

winter 2026 | www.semcdirect.net

ON THE FRONT COVER

L–R: Romona Williams, Visit Winston-Salem representative, Catherine Pears, former SEMC Council Member, Tina Smith, Winston-Salem local arrangements chair), and Deitrah Taylor, former SEMC Council Member.

Rachel Gibson, Patrick Martin, Heather Nowak, and Angie Albright catch up on the conference schedule using the PheedLoop app.

SEMC Officers & Directors

Executive Director’s Notes Zinnia Willits President’s Address Calinda Lee

Membership Corner Looking Ahead: Exciting New Intitiatives for SEMC Members in 2026 Carla Phillips Programs Corner Heather Nowak

SEMC Intern Behind the Name Badge: A Student's Return My First Conference as an Intern Candice Lawrie 31 SEMC’s 2025 Incoming and Returning Council Directors 33 Winners of the 2025 SEMC Museum Professional and Competition Awards

SEMC 2025 Annual Meeting Scholarship Program

ON THE BACK COVER

Remembering the 2025 annual meeting, Montgomery, Alabama.

Staff from the Alabama Department of Archives and History at the 2025 annual meeting.

Thank You to Our 2025 Exhibitors, Sponsors, and Hosts SEMC 2025 Montgomery, Alabama, in Photographs

A Special Thanks Endowment and Membership Contributions Celebrating 75 Years of SEMC: Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future

125

Save the Date for SEMC2026: September 28–30, 2026, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Holly Wait and Deborah Gray: Titans in the World of Southern Museums (In Memoriam) David Towry 131 Important Dates Get Social

134

SEMC Job Forum

Membership Form

135

105

134

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semc Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi

North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia U.S. Virgin Islands Puerto Rico

staff Zinnia Willits Executive Director Carla Phillips Manager of Communications and Member Services Heather Nowak Program Administrator

contact semc SEMC | P.O. Box 550746 Atlanta, GA 30355-3246 T: 404.814.2048 or 404.814.2047 F: 404.814.2031 W: www.SEMCdirect.net E: membershipservices@SEMCdirect.net

semc officers Dr. Calinda Lee President sources.lee@gmail.com Principal, Sources Cultural Resources Management, LLC, Atlanta, GA

Ahmad Ward Vice President award@exploremitchelville.org Executive Director, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, SC

Deborah Rose Van Horn Secretary Deborah.vanhorn@gmail.com Senior Curator, Walt Disney Imagineering, Lake Buena Vista, FL Scott Alvey Treasurer Scott.Alvey@ky.gov Director, Kentucky Historical Society,

Inside SEMC is published twice a year by SEMC. Annual subscription is included in membership dues.

Frankfort, KY

Matthew S. Davis Past President

Design: Nathan Moehlmann, Goosepen Studio & Press

mdavis4@wlu.edu Director of Institutional History Museum, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

The deadline for the Summer 2026 newsletter is June 30, 2026. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact Zinnia Willits (zwillits@semcdirect.net) or Carla Phillips (cphillips@ semcdirect.net).

semc directors

Tamara Herring tamara@themissionsteward.com Founder/Principal Consultant, The Mission Steward, Ridgeland, SC

Eboni Belton eab714@gmail.com

Felicia Knise

Lead Gallery Attendant, Center for

Felicia.Ingram@dncr.nc.gov

Civil Rights History and Research at the

Director of Interpretive Strategies,

University of South Carolina,Columbia, SC

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC

Tafeni English-Relf tafeni.english@splcenter.org

Brigette Janea Jones

Director, Alabama State Office,

Brigette@arabiaalliance.org

Southern Poverty Law Center/Civil

Assistant Executive Director,

Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Stonecrest, GA

Katie Ericson-Baskin kericso@emory.edu

Katy Malone

Director of Education,

kmalon15@utk.edu

Michael C. Carlos Museum,

Manager of Education and Community

Atlanta, GA

Engagement, McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Knoxville, TN

Matt Farah Matt.Farah@hnoc.org

Michelle Schulte

Exhibition Coordinator,

mschulte@lsu.edu

Historic New Orleans Collection,

Chief Curator of Exhibitions and Collections,

New Orleans, LA

LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA

Alicia Franck Alicia.franck@nationalww2museum.org

John Spann

Vice President and Chief Development

jspann@mhc.state.ms.us

Officer, The National World War II

Program and Outreach Officer,

Museum, New Orleans, LA

Mississippi Humanities, Jackson, MS Scott Warren Scott.warren@dncr.nc.gov Director, President James K. Polk Historic Site, Pineville, NC

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semc executive director’s notes Dear SEMC: As we begin this new year, I am deeply grateful to all who contributed to this past, successful year for our organization. SEMC continues to be a strong, supportive community built on generosity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to museums across the Southeast. The camaraderie I witnessed throughout 2025, and especially at SEMC2025 in Montgomery, reminded me once again how much we lift one another up when we come together. More than 600 SEMC members joined us in Montgomery, and the energy was truly inspiring. Sessions were thoughtful and relevant, speakers were engaging, and every event, from early morning meetups to evening gatherings, was designed to be welcoming and provide opportunities for peer-peer connection. I also saw countless small interactions: colleagues offering support, sharing solutions, mentoring emerging professionals, and celebrating one another’s successes. These moments are what give me confidence that SEMC continues to move in the right direction as a member-centered organization.

As always, SEMC2025 was the result of extraordinary teamwork. With a small but mighty staff and an incredible network of partners, we were able to execute a meaningful annual meeting. My gratitude goes to the SEMC Council, the Program Committee, all Montgomery host institutions and their staff, dedicated volunteers, generous sponsors, and our partners at Hutchinson Design Group, all of whom poured time, talent, and enthusiasm into making SEMC2025 possible. The SEMC2025 Expo Hall featured a robust lineup of companies and organizations serving the museum field, while our publication award winners, student poster projects, and other special offerings added depth and additional points of connection for attendees. The evening events across Montgomery’s museums and cultural sites were memorable, and we were honored to partner with institutions that opened their doors for tours and excursions that explored the city’s rich history. Walking tours and local partnerships helped ground the conference in place, reflecting the stories and voices of Montgomery. The 2025 Table Talk session once again created space for honest, important dialogue, and our General and Keynote sessions delivered thought-provoking perspectives on the arts,

SEMC staff: Zinnia Willits, Heather Nowak, and Carla Phillips.

As we begin 2026, I want to thank you for your membership, dedication, and belief in the power of museums to serve, reflect, and inspire their communities. The Southeastern Museums Conference will continue to work hard to help members stay connected, share solutions, and navigate challenges, especially as we celebrate SEMC’s 75th anniversary this year, an important milestone for this organization and our field.

Evening event at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

culture, and activism and the role of museums in a rapidly changing South. The SEMC Council also gathered in Montgomery to continue advancing our strategic plan, and I am excited about the work ahead, from new programming and deeper member engagement to strengthening the longterm sustainability of this organization.

I am committed to leading SEMC with hope and intention. It is my honor and privilege to strive every day to make SEMC a place where everyone can find their professional home. A sincere thank you to all who attended last year’s Annual Meeting and helped make SEMC2025 a success. Onward! Warmly, Zinnia Willits, Executive Director Southeastern Museums Conference

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semc president’s address

My Dear SEMC Members: I am deeply honored and truly humbled to serve as your president and to pen this message for our first Inside SEMC newsletter of the 2026 and reflect back on 2025. What a year we had! Our 2025 Annual Meeting in Montgomery, Alabama was extraordinary in every sense. It was an inspiring gathering in a city whose landscape holds so much of our nation’s truth, courage, and hope.

SEMC’s programs and membership so that our field reflects the full richness of the places and people we represent. I am especially proud of our strengthened initiatives that create clearer and more equitable pathways into museum and museum aligned professions, particularly for individuals and communities that have historically been underrepresented in our sector. These efforts are not symbolic. They are tangible investments in the future of the museum field.

We celebrated an amazing turnout, and the energy you brought to every session, tour, and conversation reminded me once again why SEMC is such a vital force in our region. I also want to express heartfelt appreciation for the solidarity you showed toward colleagues who were unable to join us because of the federal shutdown, shrinking budgets, and other constraints. Your support and your willingness to step in and advocate for one another reflects the true character of this community.

And let me say what we all know. You know how to turn even the toughest circumstances into something meaningful and even joyful. In Montgomery, you brought creativity, resilience, and a healthy dose of good humor to every moment. It was a privilege to witness!

As an organization, we remain steadfast in our commitment to broadening and diversifying

* We are committed to diversifying and strengthening our funding base. If you are able, please

Looking Ahead As we move into the year, SEMC will continue to build on this momentum with several priorities.

Calinda Lee speaks with attendees of the 2025 annual meeting.

consider donating. Your support directly fuels the programs, advocacy, and community building that make SEMC indispensable. * We will continue to deepen our evaluation of professional development initiatives so that what we offer remains responsive, relevant, and high impact for the many types of professionals we serve. * We also want to share your work more broadly. We want to celebrate your milestones, innovations, awards, new hires, exhibitions, and bold ideas. Please send us your news so we can amplify it. Finally, I hope you will start planning now for an absolutely incredible 2026 conference in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Our colleagues there have shown extraordinary strength and collaboration as they rebuild in the aftermath of devastating storms. They need our

presence, our support, and our partnership. We are honored to be welcomed by such committed institutional partners, and you will not want to miss what they are preparing! More information is on the way. Thank you for everything you do to strengthen museums and uplift the stories, collections, and communities of the Southeast. This organization shines because of your passion, your generosity, and your unfailing ability to show up for each other. It is my privilege to work on purpose alongside you. Wishing you peace, inspiration, and possibility in the year ahead, Calinda Lee, SEMC President and Principal, Sources Cultural Resources Management, LLC, Atlanta, GA 16

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MEMBERSHIP CORNER

Looking Ahead: Exciting New Initiatives for SEMC Members in 2026

As we wrap up an incredible year and look forward to the next, I would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all our members for their unwavering support, energy, and engagement throughout 2025. Your participation, whether at the annual conference, through committee work, or simply by supporting our museum community across the Southeast, has propelled SEMC forward in meaningful ways. This has been a year of connection, collaboration, and resilience, and we could not have done it without you! I am excited to share that 2026 is shaping up to be one of our most transformational years yet. Not only will SEMC celebrate its 75th anniversary throughout 2026, but we are also launching new member-centered initiatives designed to celebrate your contributions, grow our community, and deepen professional connections across the region.

Introducing the SEMC Ambassador Program This year, SEMC will debut a brand-new Ambassador Program to recognize members who have gone above and beyond in promoting SEMC and supporting the mission of the organization. Ambassadors are champions of SEMC who: • Demonstrate exceptional enthusiasm for SEMC programs, conferences, and resources. • Regularly promote SEMC through professional networks, social media, and community engagement. • Support SEMC by volunteering, serving on committees, participating in events, or mentoring peers. • Advocate for SEMC membership and help strengthen relationships across the Southeastern museum community.

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This initiative celebrates the passion and leadership already present in our membership and empowers outstanding individuals to help shape the future of SEMC.

New Member Referral Program We are also excited to introduce a Member Referral Program, a fun and easy way to help grow our community while earning rewards. Members who refer colleagues, peers, or partner organizations will receive: • Recognition in SEMC communication channels • Eligibility for quarterly referral prizes • The satisfaction of helping strengthen connections across the Southeast

A larger, more diverse community means richer conversations, more shared expertise, and an even stronger SEMC. SEMC continues to be energized by the enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment of our members. Your support in 2025 enabled us to build deeper networks, and countless moments of collaboration across the region. Thank you for being part of this community and for everything you bring to SEMC. Here’s to a vibrant, inspiring 2026 filled with community, collaboration, and continued professional growth. Carla Phillips, SEMC Membership & Communications Manager cphillilps@semcdirect.net

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PROGRAMS CORNER Greetings, Members! As we look back at 2025 and ahead to 2026, I want to share my heartfelt gratitude with each of you. You are not simply members of the SEMC community, you are the driving force behind our mission. Your passion, dedication, and spirit of collaboration inspire us every day, and I am grateful for the chance to work alongside such an extraordinary network of museum professionals.

meeting that reflects and serves our diverse community. The Call for Proposals is open through February 6. All the important information can be found at: https:// www.semcdirect.net/session-proposals

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who participated in SEMC2025. Your enthusiasm and engagement created a vibrant environment for connection, collaboration, and shared learning. I am especially grateful to the 2025 Program Committee for their thoughtful planning and dedicated work. Their efforts resulted in a purposeful program featuring 55 sessions and four hands-on workshops. With more than 340 individual session evaluations submitted, it is clear just how deeply our community invested in this year’s gathering. Our time together in Montgomery was inspiring, and now is the perfect moment to carry that momentum forward as we look ahead to SEMC2026 this fall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Opportunities to get involved are already underway! We invite you to explore the suggested session topics for 2026 and consider submitting a session or workshop proposal. Your voice and expertise are essential to shaping a

We are also excited to celebrate this milestone year, SEMC’s 75th Anniversary! In honor of this occasion, we are proud to launch the 2026 Virtual Program Series: Legacy Forward: A 75th Anniversary Learning Series. This year-long initiative will explore the ideas, skills, and strategies shaping the future of museums across the Southeast. From advocacy and leadership to sustainability, culture, and equity, this special series 23

Damon Reaves presents Community Engagement 101 at SEMC2025.

brings together museum professionals at every stage of their careers to share insights, spark dialogue, and build connections that strengthen our regional community. Keep an eye on the Virtual Program Page on the website, member communications and SEMC social media channels for updated information. As SEMC celebrates 75 years of connecting and empowering museum professionals, we invite you to join us for a year of inspiration and continued career

growth. Together, we will learn from our past and lead into the future as we shape the next 75 years of innovation and impact in the museum field. Wishing you all a wonderful 2026! Heather Nowak, SEMC Program Administrator hnowak@semcdirect.net

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SEMC INTERN Candice Lawrie ,

Senior, Art History, Clark Atlanta University

Behind the Name Badge: My First Conference as an Intern SEMC’s annual conference was my first time attending a museum conference and it was a wonderful way to culminate my internship with this organization. It was exciting to see the engagement activities and attendee experiences I developed as a summer intern come to life, which gave my experience a full circle feeling. During the four days at SEMC 2025, I attended panel discussions and workshops that helped me understand responsibilities, roles, and the many challenges and successes across the museum profession. The sessions allowed me to envision where I will fit in the field and what skills I want to develop further. I was also able to have great intellectual debates with other Atlanta University Center students, and most importantly, connect with museum professionals of color

during our visits to the Legacy Museum and the evening event at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. Having these experiences in a city like Montgomery, with its important, emotional history, made our conversations much more powerful. A personal highlight and pleasant surprise for me was seeing works by two artists I have studied and admired for years: Edmonia Lewis’s Hiawatha’s Marriage (1868) and Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Street in Tangier (c. 1912). Experiencing them in person for the first time was emotional and gave me affirmation that I am on the right path and in the right place at the right time to achieve my goals. There is something so powerful about being in the physical presence of art that you have only read about in books. The encouragement I received from established professionals who saw my potential and took

time to share their knowledge is what meant most out of this experience. As a graduating senior, their encouragement gave me another layer of confidence in pursuing my career. The conference expanded my professional network, strengthened my sense of purpose, and showed me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to attend. 31

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Tafeni English-Relf

Michelle Schulte

Director, Alabama State Office, Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL

Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA

Tafeni English-Relf is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Alabama state office. A native of Alabama, she builds partnerships with local communities to advance the SPLC’s mission of dismantling white supremacy, strengthening intersectional movements, and promoting the human rights of all people. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Troy University, where she also earned a master’s degree in counseling and psychology.

Michelle Schulte is the Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the LSU Museum of Art. Michelle has an extensive background in museum and gallery management, art education, and Southern art and history, as well as their relationship to and impact on current events and societal inequities. She has a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; a Georgia State Teacher Certification in Art Education from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia (now 33

council directors, 1st term

Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus); and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. Schulte has worked as Gallery Director / Chief Curator for the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts at Pensacola State College in Pensacola, Florida, and as Gallery Director and Adjunct Faculty at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, where she gained extensive knowledge on collection care, museum standards and practices, and creating programming through university collaboration. She also served as the Curator of Education at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia, where she gained skills in curating exhibitions, collaborating with artists and community partners, and networking with peer institutions across the Southeast. At the Morris Museum of Art, she established an Education Gallery and developed a space dedicated to teaching visitors about art movements and contemporary artists.

(October 2025 – October 2028)

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John Spann is the Program and Outreach Officer for the Mississippi Humanities Council, where he develops and oversees council-led programs that foster community engagement and elevate Mississippi’s history. With more than a decade of experience in public history and the humanities, he previously served as Curator of Education and Programming on the founding staff of the Two Mississippi Museums from 2017 to 2021. At MHC, Spann also manages grants and grantees, while cultivating partnerships with educational institutions, nonprofits, and community organizations to strengthen humanities initiatives across the state. A proud Mississippian, Spann serves on the executive board of the Rho Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He also holds leadership and advisory roles with the ACLU of Mississippi, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Historical Society, Mississippi Museum of Art, and the New Stage Theatre Board of Trustees.

WINNERS OF THE 2025 SEMC MUSEUM PROFESSIONAL AND COMPETITION AWARDS Each year, SEMC is proud to celebrate museums and museum professionals who demonstrate resilience, creativity, courage, scholarship, and innovation. Their inspiring work sets a high standard for excellence and deserves recognition across our region and beyond.

Elise LeCompte, 2025 winner of the James R. Short Award.

Zinnia Willits moderates the Leadership Roundtable with winners of the 2025 professional awards.

The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is honored to recognize the recipients of the 2025 James R. Short Award, Museum Leadership Award, Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession Award, Distinguished Contributor Award, and Emerging Museum Professional Awards. This year’s winners were selected from an exceptional pool of nominees representing institutions and professionals across the Southeastern United States. The SEMC Awards Committee, chaired by Michelle

Schulte with committee members Matt Farah and Tamara Herring, continues to uphold a tradition of celebrating outstanding colleagues whose leadership, vision, and dedication have shaped and strengthened our museum community. The 2025 award recipients were recognized during the SEMC2025 Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon on October 22, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama, which also featured a Leadership Roundtable discussion moderated by SEMC Executive Director Zinnia Willits. 40

Travel Grants Committee), and the Southeastern Museums Conference (former Council member) and Southeastern Registrars Association. Ms. LeCompte holds an M.A. in archaeology and chemistry from the University of Florida and a B.A. in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University. Excerpts from Elise LeCompte’s nomination letters:

James R. Short Award Elise V. LeCompte

Museum Consultant, Registrar and Administrator (retired, Florida Museum of Natural History); Adjunct Professor, University of Florida and Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies Programs Established by SEMC in 1981, the James R. Short Award recognizes individuals who have given a lifetime (20+ years) of service to the museum profession, with a significant portion of that service at a museum within the SEMC region. It is the most prestigious recognition of service to the museum profession in the Southeast. Elise V. LeCompte is an independent museum consultant. Recently retired, she was formerly Registrar, Coordinator for Museum Health and Safety, and Assistant Department Chair for the Florida Museum of Natural History for 40 1/2 years. She has served as Collections Manager, Exhibit Registrar, and Conservation Technician and continues to consult on collections management, curation, exhibit design, and artifact treatment for museums throughout the southeast. She has organized and presented at workshops and conference sessions on collections management, museum ethics, and administration for national, regional, and state organizations. Ms. LeCompte is a member of the American Alliance of Museums (Museum Assessment Program and Accreditation peer reviewer), the Association of Registrars and Collections Management (former Board Secretary), the American Institute for Conservation, the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (Chair,

One of my first memories of Elise is at an SEMC conference. A presenter was unexpectedly unable to attend the conference and Elise said, “I always have a slide carousel with me, so I can step in and make a presentation.” I thought, Wow, a registrar who can make a presentation at a moment’s notice. What a class act! That’s what I aspire to be. Elise has been a mentor for many of the Registrars in the region and has encouraged many people to become involved with volunteering at conferences. At heart, Elise is a teacher. She devoted much of her career not only to collections management but also to sharing her knowledge about it. Of all her accomplishments, what makes Elise most deserving of the James Short Award is that she is a friend. A friend to museums, a friend to museum collections, and a friend to colleagues and fellow museum professionals. Simply put, the museum field has become a better place because of Elise.

Heather Hodges, 2025 winner of the Museum Leadership Award.

Frank Lott, 2025 winner of the Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession Award.

Excerpts from Heather Hodge’s nomination letters:

Museum Leadership Award Heather Hodges

Director of Institutional Advancement at The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC), New Orleans, Louisiana Initiated in 1994, this award recognizes mid-career museum professionals who have shown significant advancement within the profession by leadership in museum activities at his or her institution, within the museum profession as a whole, and especially in the southeast region. Heather Hodges serves as Director of Institutional Advancement at The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC), an internationally recognized, award-winning history museum, archive, and publishing house in New Orleans’ French Quarter. It is home to the largest collection of historic materials relating to New Orleans and the Gulf South. Heather is a member of the Executive Council at HNOC and reports directly to the C.E.O. & President, Daniel Hammer. She is responsible for planning, managing, and implementing activities that raise awareness of the institution locally and internationally with a broad range of individuals, organizations, and communities to grow engagement and generate financial support. Before joining HNOC in 2021, Heather Hodges practiced law in New York and Washington, DC with three international law firms. She is an honors graduate of Tulane Law School and holds a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship at Georgetown Law School. An advocate for the traditional, multicultural heritage of Louisiana, she chairs the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center in the U.S. Library of Congress.

Heather is someone who consistently makes room at the table, not just for those in her immediate circle or institution, but for all who are committed to the work of cultural preservation, storytelling, and community engagement. She operates with a deep belief in the power of shared knowledge and collective advancement. Her leadership style is marked by integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to inclusion. She builds bridges across institutions, disciplines, and communities and ensures that every project or initiative she touches is rooted in both excellence and equity. Heather exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking, compassionate, and transformative leadership that this honor was designed to recognize. Her career has been marked by a deep commitment to community engagement, cultural stewardship, and inclusive practices that are reshaping the museum field across the Southeast and beyond. In her role as Director of Institutional Advancement at The Historic New Orleans Collection, Heather has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to lead with vision and integrity. She personally lives the word representation and is out in the community daily, attending a practically inconceivable number of community-centered events and activities, and representing the work and values of The Historic New Orleans Collection. Heather’s leadership in these roles has brought about a demonstrable and transformative expansion of the reach and relevance of our institution. What sets Heather apart is her unwavering dedication to using museums as spaces for relationship building and social impact. She brings both strategic insight and emotional intelligence to her work, empowering staff, inspiring peers, and engaging audiences in meaningful and lasting ways. Heather has reimagined institutional advancement, building bridges between HNOC and broader audiences and fostering equity in access and opportunity, especially for emerging professionals in Louisiana’s museum ecosystem. She also leverages digital media as a tool of inclusion and connection, offering a model for how museums can use social platforms with purpose and authenticity.

its vision and strengthen its role as a cultural anchor for the community. Beyond the museum, Frank has spearheaded award-winning exhibits, films, and publications that preserve and interpret regional history, including Crossroads of Change: 1861–1865, the Warfield (Rosenwald) School interpretive project, and the Wade Bourne Nature Center. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the George Mabry Ovation Award from Austin Peay State University and the Lifetime Achievement in Heritage Award from the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council.

Outstanding Service to the Museum Profession Award Frank Lott

Executive Director of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, Clarksville, Tennessee Initiated in 1999, this award recognizes a leader with 10 or more years of service to an allied or affiliated professional organization. Such a leader will have assisted the museum profession in areas including program organization and long-term cultural development. Frank Lott has dedicated more than five decades to advancing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of Clarksville, Tennessee, and the Southeast. A graduate of Murray State University with a Fine Arts degree, he co-founded BLF Marketing in 1978, providing marketing, public relations, and advertising services to clients across the region until the firm’s retirement in 2019. Alongside his professional career, Frank has pursued his passion for art as a watercolorist, earning Signature Membership in the Tennessee Watercolor Society and exhibiting his work widely. His lifelong commitment to history is evident through his publishing, civic leadership, and, most prominently, his work with the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in Clarksville. Since the museum’s founding in 1984, Frank has been a driving force, serving three terms as Board Chairman, leading a major fundraising campaign and expansion that more than doubled its size, and guiding the creation of landmark permanent exhibits. In January 2020, he became Executive Director of the museum, where he continues to shape

Today, Frank continues to balance his artistic practice with his role as an influential leader in the preservation and interpretation of Southern heritage. His career reflects a deep passion for art, history, and community service. Excerpts from Frank Lott’s nomination letters: Frank has led many endeavors to change not only the membership, but his awareness campaign has allowed the Customs House Museum to win many awards from the Southeastern Museums Conference, the Tennessee Association of Museums, and, most importantly, to grow our programming to be more inclusive of all members of our community, including regionally with Fort Campbell and rural communities surrounding Clarksville. If you know him, you identify Frank Lott as an avid historian and supporter of the arts. He is not just a player, but a leader in the study of the humanities and culture of this region. Guided by Frank’s unwavering dedication, the programs and publications have won top awards in state and regional museum competitions over the last two years. The gentleman at the helm is a large part of the reason. Unprecedented milestones seem to be the norm under Frank’s leadership, as the Customs House Museum has just passed forty years of service to our community. Words and phrases that describe what Frank Lott has meant to the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in Clarksville, TN as well as the Greater Clarksville, TN-KY MSA (population approximately 350,000) as a Community Leader and Executive Director: Leader – Visionary – Project Initiator – Creative Genius – Collaborator – Bar Raiser – Inspirer – Fundraiser Extraordinaire – Consensus Builder –Community Involver – Program Expander 45

Patrick Martin, 2025 winner of the Emerging Museum Professional Award.

Ted R. Debro, Jr., 2025 winner of the Distinguished Contributor Award.

Excerpts from Patrick Martin’s nomination letters: One of Patrick’s stand-out strengths is his exceptional customer service with his colleagues and with visitors. He consistently identifies and resolves customer service and reference inquiries across various areas of the museum and through email communication. He successfully conducts research for references, social media, and exhibitions. As a new museum professional in a federal facility, he confidently contributes to group decision-making and collaborates effectively with colleagues across departments.

Emerging Museum Professional Award Patrick Martin

Visitor Services Coordinator at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, Georgia Initiated in 2007, this award recognizes emerging professionals who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in museum activities at their institutions, within the museum profession, and especially in the southeast region. Patrick Martin serves as Visitor Services Coordinator at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, he develops innovative public programs, creates engaging visitor experiences, and assists the collections department in collection management and digitization, as well as exhibit design to connect diverse audiences with President and Mrs. Carter’s legacy. With over seven years of museum experience, he has worked at institutions across three states within our region, in both the nonprofit and federal sectors. His background spans education, public programs, visitor services, collections, and exhibit design, reflecting a deep commitment to making museums accessible, engaging, and community-focused. Patrick also serves the Southeastern Museums Conference as the Emerging Museum Professionals Co-Chair and the 2025 Program Committee Co-Chair.

As SEMC Program Committee Co-Chair, Mr. Martin went beyond simply assisting in session selections for the Annual Meeting program. He played a pivotal leadership role in shaping a schedule that was inclusive, diverse, and thoughtfully balanced. Over long hours of spirited discussion during the Mid-Year meeting, he demonstrated exceptional leadership, professionalism, and composure, skillfully guiding conversations toward consensus. His ability to listen, synthesize differing perspectives, and offer reasoned direction ensured that decisions were made purposefully and impartially, resulting in a well-rounded program that reflected the needs and voices of our museum community. Productive committee work requires a leader who can guide discussions with confidence yet humility, offering thoughtful critique that uplifts rather than undermines. Mr. Martin exemplified these qualities and more, fostering an environment of collaboration, respect, and shared purpose. Patrick stands out not just for his accomplishments, but for his character. He is a generous colleague, an attentive listener, and a trusted collaborator. He leads with humility and purpose, always looking for ways to learn, improve, and support others in their growth. Whether working on exhibitions, interpretive content, or professional initiatives like SEMC, he consistently exemplifies what it means to be a thoughtful and impactful museum professional. When he is approached with a request to lead, organize, or provide input, his answer is always, unhesitatingly, “yes.”

Washington, DC, where he served two terms, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, and Board member of the St. Vincent East Health Foundation and the 16th Street Foundation. Additionally, Ted serves as an advisor on Consumer Affairs for four national organizations. Excerpts from Ted Debro’s nomination letters:

Distinguised Contributor Award

Theodore (Ted) R. Debro, Jr.

Retired Deputy Director of the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Established in 1999, this award recognizes nonmuseum professionals who, over 20+ years, have provided exceptional leadership, financial support, or collections support, moving institutions or the field to new levels of excellence. Theodore R. Debro, Jr. has dedicated his career to higher education, serving at four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and as Deputy Director of the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO) in Birmingham, AL. His passion for his church is evident through his leadership in the restoration and strategic planning for the 16th Street Baptist Church. As Chair of the Board and Founding Member of the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium, Ted has played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting civil rights heritage. Ted is a proud graduate of Morehouse College, the Interdenominational Theological Center, and the University of Maine. He identifies as a connector and facilitator of people, places, and things. His extensive board service includes roles such as Chairman of the Board of the National Consumers League in

What distinguishes Mr. Debro’s involvement is not only its longevity but its depth. His leadership has helped guide permanent exhibitions, raise money for expansion and community-oriented projects, and served as a beacon of what could be for other historic sites in Alabama and beyond, setting a tone of vision and excellence that continues to shape the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium’s work today. His leadership has allowed our team to think bigger, serve more broadly, and act with greater confidence in our goals. Though he is not a museum professional by title (though certainly by commitment), Ted Debro exemplifies the spirit of stewardship and public service that defines our field at its best. His passion for the value of museums as places of education, culture, and connection has been evident in every facet of his involvement. For more than two decades, Ted Debro has been a transformative figure in the preservation and elevation of Civil Rights heritage in Birmingham, Alabama. I knew him as a powerhouse in Alabama long before I moved here to work in public history. His leadership and vision have been instrumental in positioning Sixteenth Street Baptist Church not only as a national landmark of profound historical significance and many accolades, but also as a dynamic center for education, community engagement, and cultural tourism. Mr. Debro’s impact is both measurable and deeply meaningful. Through his efforts, millions of dollars have been raised to support preservation and interpretation initiatives. His guidance has helped shape permanent exhibitions, community-focused programming, and expansion projects that continue to serve Birmingham residents and global visitors alike. He is a community figure, in the best way, but he understands that he is only as successful as his team. I have seen Mr. Debro lead the Consortium from project to nonprofit as our Board Chair, as a source of support for the community, and as someone who always knows when a situation calls for a little levity. 49

Each year, SEMC is proud to celebrate museums and museum professionals who demonstrate resilience, creativity, courage, scholarship, and innovation. From forward-thinking, inclusive exhibitions to beautifully crafted publications and scroll-stopping social media campaigns, the 2025 competition winners exemplify the very best of our field.

Gold: Moundville Archaeological Park’s Learning from the Ancestors.

SEMC’s 2025 Exhibition Competition Winners UNDER $10,000 BUDGET

Gold: Learning from the Ancestors: Historical Influences on Contemporary Native Art, Moundville Archaeological Park Silver: Choose Your Own Adventure, Longwood Center for the Visual Arts Bronze: Excavating Erasure: Jefferson Davis Jackson, Alabama Museum of Natural History UNDER $25,000 BUDGET

Gold: Heat and Hardship: The Hidden Labor of Enslaved Cooks, Historic Columbia Silver: Unknown Sitters, The Historic New Orleans Collection Bronze: A Picture, Unbroken, Shadows-on-the-Teche Honorable Mention: Heat and Hardship: The Hidden Labor of Enslaved Cooks, Affectionate Anarchy:

Gold: Historic Columbia’s Heat and Hardship.

Creating with Jim Henson OVER $25,000 BUDGET

Gold: At the Table, Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum Silver: The Hard Edge & The Soft Line: A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood, Blowing Rock Art and History Museum Bronze: Save One Life: Resistance During the Holocaust, Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University Honorable Mention: Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South, Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience OVER $100,000 BUDGET

Gold: Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum’s At the Table.

SEMC’s 2025 Publication Competition Winners BEST IN SHOW School and tour programs, The Mint Museum Gold: The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Captive State.

Gold: Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration, The Historic New Orleans Collection Silver: Chattahoochee Rhythms, The Columbus Museum Bronze: Entangled in the Mangroves: Florida Everglades Through Installation, Artis–Naples Honorable Mention: Southern/Modern: Rediscovering Southern Art from the First Half of the Twentieth Century, The Mint Museum Thank you to the 2025 Exhibition Competition Chair and Jurors: Michelle Schulte (Chair), Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, LSU Museum of Art at the Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA; Natalie Mault Mead, Chief Curator, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL; Barbara McClendon, Curator of Exhibitions, McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Knoxville, TN; Raka Nandi, Director of Exhibitions and Collections, Memphis Museum of Science and History, Memphis, TN; and Chase Tomlin, Associate Curator, The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA.

ANNUAL REPORTS Gold: Scott Family Amazeum Silver: The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts at Auburn University Bronze: Alexandria Museum of Art BOOKS & CATALOGUES Gold: Of Salt and Spirit, Mississippi Museum of Art Silver: Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention, North Carolina Museum of Art Bronze: A Walk on the Wildside: ’70s New York in the Norman E. Fisher Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville BROCHURES & RACK CARDS Gold: Exhibition brochures, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center Silver: Feel the Beat rack card, Georgia Museum of Art Bronze: Where y'all get its Chutzpah, The Breman Museum

Best in Show and Gold, mailers & calendars of events: School and Tour Programs, The Mint Museum.

Gold, annual reports: Scott Family Amazeum.

Gold, books & catalogues: Of Salt and Spirit, Mississippi Museum of Art.

Gold, brochures & rack cards: Exhibition brochures, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center.

Gold, campaigns: The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts at Auburn University’s 5th Annual Director’s Dinner.

CAMPAIGNS Gold: 5th Annual Director’s Dinner, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts at Auburn University Silver: Terrace at Twilight Campaign, Hunter Museum of American Art Bronze: Georgia Museum of Art rebranding, Georgia Museum of Art Bronze: Geaux See Art - Museum Geauxer Campaign, LSU Museum of Art

Gold, gallery guides: City as Canvas, Hunter Museum of American Art.

GALLERY GUIDES Gold: City as Canvas Family Guide, Hunter Museum of American Art Silver: Walk This Way Family Guide, Hunter Museum of American Art Bronze: Women of Land and Smoke Exhibition Booklet, The Mint Museum INVITATIONS Gold: New Exhibits: Reception bundle, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Silver: Coveted Couture Gala, The Mint Museum Bronze: Saturday Night Fever: A Disco Extravaganza, The Marco Island Historical Society

Gold, invitations: New Exhibits: Reception bundle, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.

MAGAZINES & NEWSLETTERS Gold: Facet Newsletter, Georgia Museum of Art Silver: Art Talk Newsletter, LSU Museum of Art Bronze: Inspired: The Mint Museum Magazine, The Mint Museum MAILERS & CALENDARS OF EVENTS Gold: School and tour programs, The Mint Museum Silver: Appeal mailer, Drayton Hall Preservation Trust Bronze: Sundays at 3:00, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center

Gold, magazines & newsletters: Facet Newsletter, The Georgia Museum of Art.

POSTERS Gold: Juneteenth poster, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Silver: Makers Fest 2025, Mississippi Department of Archives and History Bronze: Snowflake special poster, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Thank you to the 2025 Publications Competition Chair and Jurors: Christian Edwards (Chair), Assistant Keeper, NC Collection Gallery, UNC, Raleigh; Linda Jacobson, Keeper, NC Collection Gallery, UNC; Rachel Reynolds, Exhibitions Coordinator, Wilson Library, UNC; Annika Dunja, UNC Senior, Media & Journalism / Business Administration Major; and Claire Scott Stevens, UNC Senior, Public Policy.

Gold, posters: Juneteenth Poster, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.

Gold, digital marketing: Rockin’ Clarksville Development Campaign, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.

SEMC’s 2025 Technology Competition Winners DIGITAL EDUCATION $1,001–$4,999 BUDGET

Gold: Making Volunteer Training More Accessible, The National WWII Museum

Gold, digital marketing: Blog, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. OVER $10,000 BUDGET

Gold, digital education: Making Volunteer Training More Accessible, The National WWII Museum.

DIGITAL MARKETING

Gold: The Historic New Orleans Collection Website Redesign, The Historic New Orleans Collection Silver: The Mint Museum Store Website, The Mint Museum Bronze: Pop the Bubbly at Flying High 2025 Development Campaign, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

UNDER $1,000 BUDGET

Silver: Invisible Art for April Fool’s Day, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center $1,001–$4,999 BUDGET

Gold: Rockin’ Clarksville Development Campaign, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Silver: Art in Bloom E-vite, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center $5,000–$9,999 BUDGET

Gold: Blog, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center

Gold, digital marketing: The Historic New Orleans Collection Website Redesign, The Historic New Orleans Collection

Gold, gallery installations: Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans Oral History Table, The Historic New Orleans Collection.

Gold, gallery installations: Mansion Porch Interactive, Hunter Museum of American Art.

GALLERY INSTALLATIONS

Gold, media production: Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans Lantern Video Projection, The Historic New Orleans Collection.

Gold, media production: Annual Director’s Dinner Video Presentation: Artist Binh Danh, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at Auburn University.

MEDIA PRODUCTION UNDER $1,000 BUDGET

Silver: Noel Night Digital Sign, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

Silver: A Deliberate Retreat: New Orleans’ Shifting Jails Video, The Historic New Orleans Collection

$1,001–$4,999 BUDGET

Gold: Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans Oral History Table, The Historic New Orleans Collection Silver: Art in Bloom Digital Sign, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

Gold: Making It Home: From Vietnam to New Orleans Lantern Video Projection, The Historic New Orleans Collection Silver: A Day in the Life Video, Hunter Museum of American Art Bronze: Spectrum Sponsor Introductions, Hunter Museum of American Art

UNDER $1,000 BUDGET

OVER $10,000 BUDGET

Gold: Mansion Porch Interactive, Hunter Museum of American Art Silver: Flying High: The Museum at 40 Digital Sign, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

$5,000–$9,999 BUDGET

Gold: Annual Director’s Dinner Video Presentation: Artist Binh Danh, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at Auburn University 56

Gold, virtual media: Freedom Summer Shorts Campaign, Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Gold, media production: Under Yazoo Clay Podcast, Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Silver: The Hard Edge & The Soft Line: A Retrospective of Maud Gatewood Digital Catalog, Blowing Rock Museum of Art and History OVER $10,000 BUDGET

Gold: Under Yazoo Clay Podcast, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Gold, virtual media: In Their Words: Captive State Incarceration Testimonials, The Historic New Orleans Collection.

VIRTUAL MEDIA UNDER $1,000 BUDGET

Gold: Freedom Summer Shorts Campaign, Mississippi Department of Archives and History Silver: What’s On The Menu: Destination Dining Instagram Reel, The Wolfsonian-Florida International University Bronze: Instagram Slideshows, Georgia Museum of Art $1,001–$4,999 BUDGET

Gold: In Their Words: Captive State Incarceration Testimonials, The Historic New Orleans Collection Silver: Pham-Vu Family Journey: How One Family Made It Home, The Historic New Orleans Collection Bronze: Southern/Modern Exhibition Social Media Campaign, The Mint Museum OVER $10,000 BUDGET

Gold: New Hunter Museum Website, Hunter Museum of American Art Silver: “The Curious” Student Awareness Campaign, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University

Gold, virtual media: New Hunter Museum Website, Hunter Museum of American Art.

Thank you to the 2025 Technology Competition Committee: Scott Warren (Chair), Historic Site Manager II, President James K. Polk State Historic Site, Pineville, NC; Scotty Almany (Jury Foreman), Deputy Director of Operations and Project Management, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA; Isabelle Britto (Juror), Associate Curator, International African American Museum, Charleston, SC; Faith Plazarin (Juror), Archivist and Records Manager, Jekyll Island Museum, Jekyll Island, GA; and Joshua Watson (Juror), Chief Information Officer, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MS. 57

SEMC’s 2025 SWIM Competition Winners University students throughout our region are engaged in challenging and important work in southeastern museums. They are doing research, producing exhibits, conducting oral history interviews, creating content for websites, and developing public programs. SEMC is committed to recognizing and rewarding excellence in museum work done by students through the annual Spotlight on Student Work in Museums (SWIM) competition.

The Cost of Education: An Analysis of Financial Transactions of Enslavement at the University of Alabama Ansel Smith Gorgas House Museum, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Changing Stations: The Multidisciplinary Nature of Work in a Small Museum Gloria Sipper The SIGNALS, University of Alabama, Hunstville The Jule (Taylor’s Version) Eleanor Hickman Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art, Auburn, Alabama Rural Economic Accessibility in Museum Spaces Paige Perrymen Old Town Alabama, Auburn, Alabama Reclaiming Context: Teaching Collections, Machine Gaze, and Curatorial Justice Daniela Rivera University Galleries, FAU, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida

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SEMC 2025 ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

SEMC’s 2025 Annual Meeting Scholarship Recipients Congratulations to all 2025 travel scholarship and fund recipients! Scholarship recipients were recognized at the Annual Awards Luncheon at SEMC2025. SEMC Travel Scholarships are made possible through the SEMC Alderson Endowment, individual donations, and proceeds from annual meeting walking and running tours. The 2025 SEMC Scholarship Committee was chaired by Deborah Van Horn. SEMC extends special thanks to the following individuals for their additional 2025 scholarship support: Scott Warren and Alicia Franck (General Scholarship Fund) and Calinda Lee (President’s Scholarship). SEMC 2025 TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS African American Museum Professional Clarke Brown, Special Projects Curator, Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, Atlanta, GA Emerging Museum Professional Ellyn Howell, Visitors Services and Administrative Assistant, Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Quincy, FL Catie Atkinson, Site Manager, Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough, NC General Museum Professional Rebecca Woodruff, Curator of History, Historic Columbia Foundation, Columbia, SC Sandra Bilbo, Director of Arts and Environmental Education, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS Student Valeria Eadler, Student, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN

Small Museum Professional Christene Proctor, Executive Director, The Rapides Exploratory Education House, Inc (Treehouse Children’s Museum), Alexandria, LA Liz Malone, Program Coordinator, The Root House Museum/Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Marietta, GA Seasoned Museum Professional Katrina Lashley, Research Coordinator Center for Community and Environment, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, Washington, DC 2025 PRESIDENT’S SCHOLARSHIP Erinn Townsend, Museum Education Outreach Assistant, Moundville Archaeological Park and Jones Museum, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL SEMC2025 SMITHSONIAN CONFERENCE FUNDS ISSUED in partnership with the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative and federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino were provided to: Amanda Briede, Senior Curator of Exhibitions, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, KY Alice Fabela, Digital Collections Librarian, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, Hillsborough, FL Mei Mendez, Assistant Director for Strategic Engagement, Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Greensboro, NC Onyx Montes, Manager of Fellowships and Programs, Gilcrease Museum’s Helmerich Center for American Research, Tulsa, OK

Scholarship Recipient Reflections What was your favorite part of the 2025 Annual Meeting?

Catie Atkinson, Site Manager Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough, NC My favorite SEMC2025 memory was getting the chance to both strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones. Whether casually at one of the receptions, or more formally at the networking sessions, being able to pick the brains of the brightest minds in the museum world was invaluable. I received career advice, tips for educational programming, and the simple reassurance that we are not alone in the struggles we face in this field.

Sanrda Bilbo, Director of Arts and Environmental Education, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS A big takeaway from SEMC is that there is a strong emphasis in being intentional about “community.” Who are they? Who do they represent? How do we bring them to the kitchen at the beginning of designing a space, exhibition, or program? What does community engagement look like,

and will you listen to them? From the special places we saw to the home-grown heroes in Montgomery, there are so many stories to be told and still so much listening we have to do. I took some of these takeaways and presented them to staff at my museum, hoping to encourage everyone to think about intentionality and the relationships we have with our local partners, community members, and visiting guests. Thanks to the presenters at SEMC for the meaningful messages!

Amanda Briede Senior Curator of Exhibitions, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, KY My favorite memories from SEMC 2025 were the evening events. I find it such a valuable opportunity to be able to visit museums and other cultural sites to see how they do things, especially while surrounded by other museum professionals, and with representatives from those museums available to answer any questions. The evening events always provide a relaxed and fun atmosphere, which encourages me to slow down, enjoy the museums, and remember why I love them so much in the first place.

Ellyn Howell, Visitors Services and Administrative Assistant, Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Quincy, FL Attending SEMC in Montgomery this year was nothing short of extraordinary. Having entered the museum field 65

only six months earlier, and with this being my very first conference, I arrived unsure about my place in the profession and uncertain whether I wanted to pursue development, education, or curatorial work. SEMC changed that. The conference allowed me to explore each path in depth, learn from some of the most accomplished professionals in the field, and connect with people who immediately made me feel welcomed and valued. After attending several sessions, my favorite being Once Upon a Grant: Storytelling in Grant Proposals, I began to feel a real sense of direction. Conversations with attendees who had extensive development experience helped me realize that this was the work I truly wanted to pursue long-term. My SEMC experience transformed the way I see my future, and I am deeply grateful for the clarity, encouragement, and community it provided.

Liz Malone, Program Coordinator, The Root House Museum/ Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Marietta, GA I attended SEMC 2025 in Montgomery as a travel scholarship recipient. As a first-time attendee, I was initially nervous about going alone and not knowing anyone. But everyone I met was warm, welcoming, and genuinely supportive. I never found myself sitting alone at any social

event, and I had the opportunity to meet many new colleagues from a wide range of museum backgrounds and locations. Coming from a small organization, this was an invaluable experience in helping me expand my professional network and collaborate with others. The sessions were both informative and inspiring, and I returned home with so many new ideas to try to implement at my own museum. Some of my personal highlights included an early-morning run through beautiful, historic Montgomery and visiting all three sites of the Legacy Museum. The experience was powerful and deeply affecting and a great reminder of the importance of our work and the stories we tell to help shape a better world.

Rebecca Woodruff, Curator of History, Historic Columbia, Columbia, SC The annual meeting was full of practical and cross-departmental advice that is so rarely taught in a classroom. From inspiring examples of museum installations that balance the visitor and rental experience to in-depth suggestions on updating emergency response protocols and crafting a collections development plan, session leaders offered actionable steps to improve the way museums—both small and large—function. Since October, I have found myself continuing to reflect on insights from SEMC, and it has been exciting to see my team run with these new ideas.

PRD stands for Planning, Research, and Design. Our guiding principle is: We help people think differently about the world they live in, explore the history that shaped it, and recognize their own agency in shaping its future. PRD congratulates the Alabama Department of Archives and History on the opening of Phase 3 of the Museum of Alabama! We are proud to have collaborated with them on this project for more than twenty years.

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THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 EXHIBITORS, SPONSORS, AND HOSTS

SEMC IS GRATEFUL TO OUR SPONSORS OF THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

SEMC 2025 Sponsors and Committees PLATINUM SPONSORS National Museum of African American History and Culture–Office of Strategic Partnerships Smithsonian Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past Southern Poverty Law Center GOLD SPONSORS 1220 Exhibits Experience Montgomery Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau Risk Strategies Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino SILVER SPONSORS Alabama State House of Representatives Alabama State Senate Atelier 4 Bonsai Fine Arts Compass Group Humanitru Our Fundraising Search Solid Light

BRONZE SPONSORS Collector Systems Conserv ERCO Lighting, Inc. Friesens Gropen Monadnock Relative Scale The PRD Group 2025 ANNUAL MEETING SUPPORTERS Alabama Department of Archives and History City of Montgomery County of Montgomery Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Southeastern Registrars Association LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE Montgomery, Alabama Host Committee Co-Chairs Alex Colvin, Alabama Department of Archives and History Erik London, Alabama Department of Archives and History Montgomery, Alabama Host Committee Sarah Graves, Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts Steve Murray, Alabama Department of Archives and History

Richard Trammel, Alabama Department of Archives and History Eleanor Cunningham, Alabama Historical Commission Stacey Mills, Alabama Historical Commission Alexander Strickland, Alabama Historical Commission, Freedom Rides Museum Amy Jenkins, Alabama State Council of the Arts Elliot Knight, Alabama State Council of the Arts Howard Robinson, Alabama State University Meredith Knight, Alabama State University Janice Franklin, Alabama State University Beth Petty, Hank Williams Museum Collier Neeley, Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery Wanda Battle, Legendary Tours Aquan Robinson, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce Kate Porter, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Emily Thomas, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Michelle Browder, More Than Tours McKenzie Walker, Rosa Parks Museum Donna Beisel, Rosa Parks Museum Tafeni English-Relf, Southern Poverty Law Center Lauren Blanding, Southern Poverty Law Center Thomas Rains, The Johnson Institute Joyia Davis, The Johnson Institute Alaina Doten, The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum

Annual meeting logo: Lashanda L. Gaines, Senior Manager, Graphics and Brand Engagement for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Annual meeting program: Nathan Moehlmann, Goosepen Studio & Press Annual meeting signage: Erin Banks, Banks Creative Annual meeting event coordination: Hutchinson Design Group

SEMC 2025 Evening Event, Off-Site Tour, and Workshop Hosts Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium Alabama Department of Archives and History Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church Civil Rights Memorial Center Civil Rights Memorial Park Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church Parsonage Downtown Montgomery Walking Tour – Richard Trammell Freedom Rides Museum Foot Soldiers Park Harriott II Riverboat 74

Holt Street Baptist Church Live Oak Cemetery Montgomery Museums of Fine Arts My Montgomery Tour – Wanda Battle Rosa Parks Apartment Rosa Parks Museum Old Alabama Town: Ordeman-Shaw House Selma to Montgomery Tour – Wanda Battle Tabernacle Baptist Church The Ben Moore Hotel The Fourth Campsite (City of S. Jude) The Harris House The Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr Institute The Legacy Sites Viola Liuzzo Memorial Site

SEMC Expo Hall Industry Partners 1220 Exhibits (Gold Sponsor) Art Display Essentials, a 10-31 Company Arthur J. Gallagher and Co. A4A Art2Art Circulating Exhibitions Atelier 4 (Silver Sponsor) BSM Museum CatalogIt Collector Systems, LLC (Bronze Sponsor)

Conserv (Bronze Sponsor) CPH Architecture and Engineering CSR/PlanPerfect dmdg2 Delta Designs Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc. Downtown FabWorks, LLC ERCO Lighting, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor) Experience Montgomery (Gold Sponsor) Explus Friesens (Bronze Sponsor) Gaylord Archival Goosepen Studio & Press Gropen, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor) HealyKohler Design Hollinger Metal Edge, Inc. Humanitru (Silver Sponsor) Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau (Gold Sponsor) Interactive Knowledge MBA Design and Display Products, Inc. Muse Software Museum Photography and Digitization Northeast Document Conservation Center Patterson Pope Picturae Radical Optimist Collective Relative Scale (Bronze Sponsor)

Riggs Ward Design Risk Strategies (Gold Sponsor) Roto RPK Fundraising Consulting and Graphic Design Safeguard SAQA Global Exhibitions Solid Light, Inc. (Silver Sponsor) Southern Custom Exhibits StoryFile Tennessee Association of Museums

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Help Spark Thoughtful Inquiry The Smithsonian's Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past explores the history and legacy of race and racism in the United States and beyond. We foster collaboration, reflective practice, and thoughtful inquiry to provide communities with resources they need to build our shared future. Join us to better understand what was and create what can be. Learn more, watch past programs and find upcoming events at

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SEMC 2025 MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, IN PHOTOGRAPHS

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Museums That Pull You In Learn more at

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A SPECIAL THANKS SEMC Endowment Contributions Many thanks to our endowment contributors this year (January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025) for investing in the future of SEMC! When you are thinking of honoring or remembering someone, please consider a contribution to the SEMC endowment. For more information, contact Executive Director Zinnia Willits at 404.814.2048 or zwillits@semcdirect.net.

THE PAST PRESIDENTS CIRCLE Members of the Past Presidents Circle contribute $150 annually for at least two years to the endowment fund: George Bassi Sharon Bennett David Butler Charles “Tom” Butler Tamra Sindler Carboni Matt Davis Micheal A. Hudson Darcie MacMahon Douglas Noble Robert Rathburn Graig D. Shaak Robert Sullivan Heather Marie Wells

Zinnia Willits Kristen Miller Zohn

THE WILLIAM T. AND SYLVIA F. ALDERSON ENDOWMENT FELLOWS Many SEMC supporters have made commitments of distinction as Alderson Fellows. Their investment of at least $1,000 each is a significant leadership gift, reflective of a personal commitment to the professional association that has meant so much to each of them. Platinum Alderson Fellows (minimum $5,000) Sylvia F. Alderson Bob Rathburn Graig D. Shaak Nancy & Robert Sullivan Medallion Alderson Fellows (minimum $2,500) George Bassi Sharon Bennett David Butler Tamra Sindler Carboni William U. Eiland Martha Battle Jackson Pamela Meister Richard Waterhouse

The current SEMC Vice President Ahmad Ward and Past President Matthew Davis at the 2024 annual meeting.

Alderson Fellows (minimum $1,000) Alexander Benitez T. Patrick Brennan Michael Brothers W. James Burns Matthew Davis Alicia Franck Horace Harmon Brian Hicks Pamela Hisey Deborah Van Horn Micheal Hudson Kathleen Hutton Rick Jackson Andrew Ladis John Lancaster Elise LeCompte Allyn Lord Michael Anne Lynn R. Andrew Maass Darcie MacMahon Rosalind Martin Nathan Moehlmann Susan Perry Robin Seage Person Robin Reed Allison Reid Steve Rucker Michelle Schulte Ahmad Ward Michael Scott Warren Heather Marie Wells Zinnia Willits Kristen Miller Zohn

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SEMC Contributions (Jan 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025)

SEMC ENDOWMENT Tamra Carboni Elise LeCompte Patrick Martin Susan Perry

ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS Matthew Davis

ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS Matthew Davis Alicia Franck Danielle Hatch Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino Heather Nowak

Ashleigh Oatts Smithsonian, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past State of Louisiana/ Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Michael (Scott) Warren

GENERAL OPERATING Scott Alvey Anonymous donation in honor of the hardworking SEMC staff Eboni Belton Bonsai Fine Art Rebecca Bush David Butler in Honor of Zinnia Willits California Association of Museums India Crawford Anonymous Donation in Memory of Mr. Eddie Davis in honor of his son, Matthew Davis Matthew Davis

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Jay Ferguson Friesens Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation ERCO Lighting R. Alan Hoff Hutchinson Design Group Tamara Herring Kyle Hutchinson and John Parker Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Vicky Kruckeberg and Carl R. Nold Calinda Lee Katy Malone Christa McCay Nathan Moehlmann Heather Nowak Our Fundraising Search Lauren Pacheco Catherine Pears Susan Perry Patterson Pope Joy Tahan Ruddell

Michelle Schulte Michael Scott Pattie Smith Robert and Nancy Sullivan Melissa Swindell Deborah Van Horn Ahmad Ward Heather Marie Wells Lance Wheeler Zinnia Willits Crystal Wimer

2025 JEKYLL ISLAND MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Arkansas Museum Association Georgia Council for the Arts North Carolina Museums Council South Carolina Federation of Museums Mississippi Museums Association Robin E. Reed

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LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

LAPAGLIA FUND

Association of African American Museums Tafeni English National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships Susan Perry Smithsonian, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past Lance Wheeler

Elise LeCompte Carolyn Reams

MARTHA BATTLE JACKSON JIMI FUND Angie Albright Anonymous donation in memory of Emma Delean Taylor in honor of her daughter Deitrah Taylor

HANDUMY JEAN TAHAN INTERNSHIP FUND Rebecca Bush Elise LeCompte Tricia Miller Joy Tahan Ruddell Joshua Whitfield

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SEMC Active Memberships SEMC thanks all our active members, including those who have recently joined (in bold). Without your support and participation, we could not provide region wide services such as our awards, and scholarship programs, as well as our outstanding Annual Meetings and nationally acclaimed Jekyll Island Management Institute. If you are an individual member and your museum is not an institutional member, please encourage them to join. For information on memberships and benefits visit semcdirect.net, email memberservices@semcdirect.net, or call 404.814.2047. For your convenience, the last page of this newsletter is a membership application.

STUDENT ($35) Matt Alford, Charleston, SC Halie Beard, Charleston, SC Jessica Brooks, Atlanta, GA Noah Broude Camara Brown, Atlanta, GA Sarah Campbell, Greensboro, NC

Jackson Cantrell, Mandeville, LA Kelly Conway, Richmond, VA Catherine Duffy, Savannah, GA Cassandra Erb, New Orleans, LA Anita Funston, Asheville, NC Parker Hilley, Decatur, GA Lillian Hipp Zoe Hume, Tallahassee, FL Audrey Jacobs, Tallahassee, FL Kailey Jones Charla Laney, Starkville, MS Alyssa Lawnhorn, Mechanicsville, VA Candice Lawrie, Atlanta, GA Lauren Lyle, Atlanta, GA Mirella Maria, Madison, WI Rebecca Marine, Oak Grove, KY Katherine McGovern, Atlanta, GA Madison, Mead, Palm Coast, FL Abigail Miller, Decatur, GA Jessica Oliver, Jacksonville, FL Logan Powers, Sarasota, FL Sharon Ramirez, Charleston, SC 109

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Emery Rosenbaum Patricka Ryan, FL Gloria Sipper, Hazel Green, AL Ashley Smith, Birmingham, AL Alex Tolle Eileen Tomczuk, New Orleans, LA Tippy Trombley Camille Turner, Elkmont, AL Ashley Williams, Tallahassee, FL Kirsten Williams, Mount Pleasant, SC

INDIVIDUAL ($70) Uswa Ahmed, Harpers Ferry, WV Paula Allen, Slidell, LA Jessica Ambler, Roanoke, VA Christian Anderson, Columbia, SC Katie Andril, Baltimore, MD Susan Asbury, Madison, GA Blake Batten, Spartanburg, SC Shirley Baxter, Wetumpka, AL Eboni Belton, Columbia, SC Rex Bennett, Cookeville, TN Steven Blashfield, Richmond, VA Amanda Briede, Louisville, KY

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Makenzee Brown, MD Margaret Brown, Durham, NC Terrence Brown, Birmingham, AL Rebecca Bush, Columbus, GA Jade Buteaux, New Iberia, LA Melody Caban, Dallas, TX Alex Campbell, Oneonta, AL Jordan Cao, Holly Springs, NC Jennie Carlisle, Boone, NC Emily Catherman-Fryar, Raleigh, NC Staci Catron, Atlanta, Georgia Jennifer Cicero, Marco Island, FL Margaret Clair, Arlington, VA Celia Clarijs, Woodstock, GA Maggie Claytor, Charleston, SC Melanie Corcoran, Santa Fe, NM Sharon Corey, Pawleys Island, SC Renea Dauntes, Lexington, SC Matthew Davis, Lexington, VA Natalie De La Torre Salas, St. Petersburg, FL Dean DeBolt, Pensacola, FL Patty Dees, Cartersville, GA Catherine DeSilvey, Lexington, VA Kathryn Dixson, Atlanta, GA 110

Madison Dillard, West End, NC Kathryn Dixon, Atlanta, GA Anne Duquennois Christian Edwards, Pittsboro, NC Youmi Efurd, Spartanburg, SC William Eiland, Athens, GA Siera Erazo, Charlotte, NC Bernadette Floresca, New Orleans, LA Nisa Floyd, Atlanta, GA Meghan Forest, Asheville, NC Mandy Gibson, Hendersonville, NC David Goist, Asheville, NC Kelly Goodner, Metairie, LA Sabra Gossett, Anniston, AL Carolyn Grosch, Asheville, NC Dawn Hammatt, Abilene, KS Keith Hardison, Antioch, TN Jill Harris, Martinsville, VA Kirk Henderson, Atlanta, GA Ben Hickey, Amherst, NY Kelsey Horn, Golden, MS Marian Inabinett, High Point, NC

Laura Jowdy, Mount Pleasant, SC Diane Karlson, Little Rock, AR Rachel Katz, New York, NY Martha Katz-Hyman, Newport News, VA Julie Kemper Valarie Kinkade, Fort Lauderdale, FL Adam Knight, Fort Myers, FL Ashley Latta Post, Durham, NC Karol Lawson, Lynchburg, VA Elise LeCompte, Gainesville, FL Calinda Lee, Atlanta, GA Ellen Lofaro, Knoxville, TN Liz Malone, Marietta, GA Ty Malugani, Birmingham, AL Patrick Martin, Atlanta, GA Joe McGill Kali Mercy, Dallas, TX Tricia Miller, Athens, GA William Miller, Myrtle Beach, SC Kristin Miller-Zohn, Columbus, GA Rachel Mohr, Tuscaloosa, AL Kate Moore, Marietta, GA

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Charity Muhammad, Springhill, LA Margaret Murdock, Gulfport, MS Michael Nagy, Atlanta, GA Laura Nemmers, Gainesville, FL Heather Otis, Marco Island, FL Robin Person, Natchez, MS Leroy Pettyjohn, Memphis, TN Keith Post, St. Mary’s, GA Fiona Rainwater, Powder Springs, GA Akela Reason, Watkinsville, GA Damon Reaves, Washington, DC Mary Ann Redding, Boone, NC A.J. Rhodes, Arden, NC Phillip Rhodes, Birmingham, AL Corrinne Roth, Atlanta, GA Ann Rowson Love, Tallahassee, FL Tania Sammons, Savannah, GA Sam Scalph, Winchester, VA Melissa Schreck, Louisville, KY Darcy Schuller, St. Petersburg, FL Marsha Semmel, Arlington, VA Catherine Shteynberg, Knoxville, TN Christy Sinksen, Athens, GA Amanda Smith, Sandy Springs, GA Laura Smith, Huntsville, AL Sarah Soleim, Wake Forest, NC SSG Gary Spencer, Raleigh, NC Kaylynn Stooksbury, Rutledge, GA

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Dorothy Svgdik, Cordova, TN Deitrah Taylor, Perry, GA Misty Taylor, Lafayette, LA Alice Taylor-Colbert, Greenwood, SC Kimberly Terbush, Greensboro, NC Megan Tewell, Johnson City, TN Nina Thomas, Atlanta, GA Austin Vallejos-Coleman, Atlanta, GA Maria Vann, Raleigh, NC Robin von Seldeneck, Staunton, VA Heather Waldroup, Boone, NC Dave Walker, New Orleans, LA Andrea Wellnitz, Athens, GA Mary Beth Williams, Louisville, KY Tifferney White, New Orleans, LA Crystal Wimer, Morgantown, WV

INDIVIDUAL PREMIUM ($120) Felicia Abrams, Williamsburg, VA Donna Beisel, Montgomery, AL Sharon Campbell, Travelers Rest, SC Jamie Credle, Savannah, GA Angie Dodson, Montgomery, AL Jennifer Foster, Lexington, KY Rachel Gibson, Nashville, TN Claudio Gomex, Knoxville, TN Tamara Herring, Ridgeland, SC

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LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP ($750) George Bassi, Laurel, MS Bryan Fair, Tuscaloosa, AL Deborah Mack, Ridgeland, SC La Ruchala Murphy, Columbia, SC Lauren Pacheco, Greensboro, NC Robin Reed, Fort Monroe, VA Michelle Schulte, Baton Rouge, LA Michael Scott, Burlington, NC Deborah Van Horn, Lake Buena Vista, FL

RETIRED ($50) Colleen Callahan, Henrico, VA Jan Durr, Monroe, NC Anna Fariello, Cullowhee, NC Sheila Flanagan, Daphne, AL Joyce Ice, Santa Fe, NM Vicky Kruckeberg, Chapel Hill, NC Darcie MacMahon, Gainesville, FL Annelies Mondi, Athens, GA Debbie Moore, Montgomery, AL Jeanne Niccolls, Round Hill, VA Carl Nold, Chapel Hill, NC Georgia Pribanic, Jacksonville, FL Charles Roberts, Atlanta, GA James Shepp, Winter Park, FL Ida Tomlin, Meridian, MS

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INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS (Category 1: $150 ) 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Louisville, KY Altama Museum, Vidalia, GA Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, FL Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL Belton Area Museum Association, Belton, SC Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance, Branford, CT Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC City of Winterville, Winterville, GA Clemson University, Clemson, SC Clemson University’s Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson, SC Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, Louisville, KY Doral Contemporary Art Museum, Doral, FL Doris Ulmann Galleries and Berea College Art Collection, Brea, KY Drayton Hall, Charleston, SC Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, Roanoke, VA Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL

Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, NC Georgia Writers Museum, Eatonton, GA Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA Hapeville Depot Museum, Hapeville, GA Historic Augusta, Inc., Augusta, GA Historic Cane Hill, Inc., Cane Hill, AR Historic Dumfries Virginia & The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries, VA HistoryMiami, Miami, FL International Arts Center, Troy, AL KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY Lam Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC Lexington County Museum, Lexington, SC Louisiana State University Textile & Costume Museum, Baton Rouge, LA Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL Maier Museum of Art, Randolph College, Lynchburg, VA Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, Jacksonville, FL Marine Corps Museum Parris Island, Parris Island, SC Maritime Museum Louisiana, Madisonville, LA Mather Museum & Interpretive Center, Beaufort, SC Mountain Heritage Center, Cullowhee, NC 114

Museum of Design Atlanta, Atlanta, GA Museum of Durham History, Durham, NC Museum of Medical History, Jackson, MS Museums at W&L, Lexington, VA Oconee History Museum, Walhalla, SC Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA), Atlanta, GA Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Brookneal, VA Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Mount Pleasant, SC Paul R. Jones Museum- University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Savannah, GA Savannah River Site Museum, Aiken, SC SC Confederate Relic Room & Museum, Columbia, SC Shelby County Historical Society, Shelbyville, KY Southern University at New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA SQT Museum, Carrollton, GA Swannanoa Valley Museum, Black Mountain, NC T.R.E.E. House Children’s Museum, Alexandria, LA Tennessee River Museum, Savannah, TN

The Museum, Greenwood, SC The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL The Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture, Knoxville, TN The Guntersville Museum, Guntersville, AL The O’Bryant Museum, Dunbar, WV The Parthenon, Nashville, TN Town of Farragut, Farragut, TN Union County Heritage Museum, New Albany, MS Woodville Rosenwald School, Gloucester, VA (Category 2: $200 ) African American Military History Museum, Hattiesburg, MS Aiken County Historical Museum, Aiken, SC Anderson County Museum, Anderson, SC Andrew Low House Museum, Savannah, GA Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM), Memphis, TN Asheville Museum of History, Asheville, NC Bartow History Museum, Cartersville, GA Beaches Museum, Jacksonville Beach, FL Burritt on the Mountain, Huntsville, AL Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, AL

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Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte, NC Civil Rights Memorial Center/Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL Dade Heritage Trust, Miami, FL East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville, TN ECU Country Doctor Museum, Bailey, NC Gone With the Wind Museum, Marietta, GA Historic Natchez Foundation, Natchez, MS Historic Paris Bourbon County Hopewell Museum, Paris, KY Historical Society of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA Horry County Museum, Conway, SC Kennesaw State University - Museums, Archives & Rare Books, Kennesaw, GA Kentucky Department of Parks, Frankfort, KY LaGrange Art Museum, LaGrange, GA Lake Wales History Museum, Lake Wales, FL Louisiana Prison Museum and Cultural Center, Angola, LA Louisville Water Tower / Louisville Water, Louisville, KY Marietta Museum of History, Marietta, GA Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Little Rock, AR Museum of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood, MS Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center, Opelousas, LA

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Bluffton Gullah Cultural Heritage Center, Bluffton, SC City of Raleigh - Historic Resources & Museum Program, Raleigh, NC Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, Atlanta, GA Department of Community Services, Cultural & Historic Interpretive Resources, Lawrenceville, GA Department of Historic Museums, Georgia College, Milledgeville, GA Earl Scruggs Center, Shelby, NC Edisto Island Open Land Trust, Edisto Island, SC Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Quincy, FFL Georgia Southern University Museum, Statesboro, GA Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh, NC Historical Association of Catawba Co., Newton, NC History Cherokee, Canton, GA LSU Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge, LA Magnolia Mound Plantation, Baton Rouge, LA Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA Matheson History Museum, Gainesville, FL Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, FL Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN

Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland, SC Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC Museum Center at 5ive Points, Cleveland, TN Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, Watkinsville, GA Old State House Museum, Little Rock, AR River Discovery Center, Paducah, KY Spelman College, Atlanta, GA Sumter County Museum, Sumter, SC Thomas County Historical Society, Thomasville, GA University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum, Wilson, NC Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, NC Weatherspoon Art Museum UNCG, Greensboro, NC West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, LA Windgate Museum of Art at Hendrix College, Conway, AR Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL

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(Category 4: $500 ) Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium, Birmingham, AL Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Mobile, AL Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA Anniston Museum of Natural History, Anniston, AL Augusta Museum of History, Augusta, GA Baton Rouge Gallery - Center for Contemporary Art, Baton Rouge, LA Biblical History Center, LaGrange, GA Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, GA Children’s Hands on Museum, Tuscaloosa, AL Colquitt County Arts Council, Inc, Moultrie, GA Cook Museum of Natural Science, Decatur, AL DeKalb History Center, Decatur, GA Florence Arts and Museums, Florence, AL FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, SC Hampton Roads Naval Museum, Norfolk, VA Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC

Hidden River Cave & the American Cave Museum, Horse Cave, KY High Point Museum, High Point, NC Hills & Dales Estate, LaGrange, GA Historic Locust Grove, Inc., Louisville, KY Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, SC Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center, Naples, FL Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS Longue Vue House and Gardens, New Orleans, LA McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, Roswell, GA Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, Jackson, MS Mound House, Fort Myers Beach, FL Museum of Art – DeLand, DeLand, FL Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, New Orleans, LA Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA Office of Historic Alexandria, Alexandria, VA Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, FL 118

Portsmouth Museums, Portsmouth, VA Rogers Historical Museum, Rogers, AR The Charleston Museum, Charleston, SC The Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, Farmville, VA Torggler Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA Tubman Museum, Macon, GA Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC Virginia Beach History Museums, Virginia Beach, VA (Category 5: $600 ) Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts/ AEIVA, Birmingham, AL Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, AL Alabama Historical Commission, Montgomery, AL Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources, Smackover, AR Arkansas State Parks, Little Rock, AR Artis--Naples, The Baker Museum, Naples, FL Art Bridges, Bentonville, AR Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC

Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL Boyle County Public Library, Danville, KY Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington, NC Catawba Science Center, Hickory, NC Cheekwood, Nashville, TN Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH Coastal Georgia Historical Society, St. Simons Island, GA Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville, TN Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR Culture & Heritage Museums, Rock Hill, SC Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Clarksville, TN Discovery Park of America, Inc., Union City, TN Equal Justice Initiative, Montgomery, AL Florence County Museum, Florence, SC

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Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL Foot Soldiers Park, Selma, AL Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR Historic Columbia, Columbia, SC Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, LA Historic Oakland Foundation, Atlanta, GA History Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL International African American Museum, Charleston, SC Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, Auburn AL Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Jupiter, FL Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, KY Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN Landmarks Foundation, Montgomery, AL

Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LA Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge, LA Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, LA Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, Baton Rouge, LA McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Knoxville TN Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Atlanta, GA Middleton Place Foundation, Charleston, SC Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, Meridian, MS Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MS Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, MS Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL MOCA Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park, FL Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, Jekyll Island, GA Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, VA 120

Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon, GA Museum of Science & History, Jacksonville, FL Museum of the Cherokee People, Cherokee, NC National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, GA National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA National Sporting Library & Museum, Middleburg, VA NC African American Heritage Commission, Raleigh, NC NC Division of State Historic Sites and Properties, Kinston, NC New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC Orlando Museum of Art, Inc, Orlando, FL Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC Schiele Museum, Gastonia, NC Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Springdale, AR South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa, FL Tampa Museum of Art, Inc., Tampa, FL

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Haizlip Studio, Memphis, TN HealyKohler Design, Washington, DC HW Exhibits, Mt. Pleasant, SC Interactive Knowledge, Inc., Charlotte, NC MBA Design & Display Products Corporation, Exton, PA Monadnock Media, Inc., Hatfield, MA Muse Software, Newark, DE Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA Our Fundraising Search, Atlanta, GA Patterson Pope, Inc., Norcross, GA Picturae, Washington, DC Relative Scale, Raleigh, NC Riggs Ward Design, Richmond, VA Roto, Dublin, OH SAQA Global Exhibitions, Beavercreek, OH Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations, Washington, DC Solid Light, Inc, Louisville, KY

Story File, Los Angeles, CA The PRD Group LLC, Fairfax, VA Tour-Mate Systems, Toronto Canada Transport Consultants International, Lithia, FL Travelers, Alpharetta, GA Universal Fiber Optic Lighting USA, LLC., Sarasota, FL U.S.Art Company Inc., Randolph, MA Warner Museums, Birmingham, AL WTW/Willis - Fine Art, Jewelry & Specie, Potomac, MD Corporate Partner ($2,100) Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Charleston, SC National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution-Office of Strategic Partnerships, Washington, DC Smithsonian Institution/Reckoning with Our Racial Past, Silver Spring, MD

WA R N E R M U S E U M S . C O M

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Celebrating 75 Years of SEMC: Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future

On May 29, 1951, a meeting was called by Mr. John Davis in Norfolk, Virginia, to establish the Southeastern Museums Conference. It was agreed that the organization should include the entire area within the United States south of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers east of the Mississippi, which is the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. The next meeting was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 31, 1951. After the officers and dues were established, the first order of business was to appoint a committee to work toward having the Southeast be part of a movement underway in Congress to appropriate money to provide places of safekeeping for museum objects in case of war. The Southeast had not been included in the original bill. As we look ahead into 2026, SEMC is honored to celebrate a remarkable milestone, our 75th anniversary. Since 1951, the Southeastern Museums Conference

has grown from a small network of dedicated museum professionals into a dynamic, region-wide community committed to collaboration, learning, advocacy, and innovation. This anniversary year offers us a moment to reflect on the people, partnerships, and shared values that have shaped SEMC for three-quarters of a century, and to envision the future we are building together. Throughout 2026, we will honor our history, spotlight the many contributions of our member institutions and colleagues, and celebrate the impact museums continue to have across the Southeast. We look forward to commemorating this milestone with you, culminating at the SEMC2026 Annual Meeting, where we will gather as a community to recognize our past, celebrate our present, and chart an exciting path forward for the next 75 years. 125

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SAVE THE DATE for SEMC2026 SEPTEMBER 28–30 WINTSON-SALEM, NC

Get ready to celebrate SEMC’s 75th anniversary in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a city that embodies the spirit of creativity, collaboration, and community that has defined the Southeastern Museums Conference for decades. Known as the “City of Arts and Innovation,” Winston-Salem offers a vibrant blend of historic charm and irresistible cultural energy, making it the perfect home for this upcoming milestone year. From its deep Moravian roots and rich history of industry and philanthropy to its nationally recognized arts institutions, dynamic makers’ scene, and welcoming downtown, Winston-Salem sets the stage for an unforgettable SEMC2026. As we gather to learn, connect, and honor 75 years of Southeastern museum leadership, the city invites you to explore inspiring museums, bold contemporary art, distinctive historic sites, and a lively culinary and cultural landscape.

Centered around the theme, Forged in Culture – Focused on the Future, SEMC2026 will celebrate the deep cultural and artistic roots that have shaped Winston-Salem and the Southeast, while also looking ahead to how museums and cultural institutions can evolve with purpose, creativity, and resilience. This theme invites us to honor the cultural legacies that define our communities, strengthen connections between art, history, and innovation and envision the future of museums as inclusive, adaptive spaces that lead with intention. We invite you to celebrate 75 years of SEMC in Winston-Salem — a city where art, history, and industry have long intertwined — to explore how collaboration, creativity, and cultural identity can forge a shared future for museums across the Southeast!

Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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Holly Wait.

Deborah Gray.

Holly Wait and Deborah Gray: Titans in the World of Southern Museums David Towry ,

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In Memoriam It is a rare gift and a true blessing to work in the museum world, rarer still when clients become cherished friends. For more than a decade, I was fortunate to call Deborah Gray and Holly Wait exactly that: friends.

Deborah Gray, Director of the Tuskegee History Center and daughter of legendary Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray, moved through the world with quiet determination. She saw every encounter as a potential opportunity for “The Center,” always thinking of how best to serve its mission and preserve its legacy. 131

Holly Wait, equally small in stature, had a presence that could fill any room. Director of the National Civil War Naval Museum, she was known for her boundless energy, sharp wit, and her love for history, as well as any excuse to fire the museum’s cannon across the Chattahoochee River. As different as they were from one another, both Deborah and Holly were passionate, visionary leaders devoted to telling our shared history with integrity and heart. Their absence leaves a void not only in the

institutions they built, but in the lives of all who had the honor of knowing them. They will be deeply missed. Deborah Gray Obituary: https://www.articobits .com/obituaries/rossclayton-funeral-home-inc/ ms-deborah-r-gray-obituary Holly Wait Obituary: https://www.milesodum funeralhome.com/obituary/holly-wait

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IMPORTANT DATES The deadline for the Summer edition of Inside SEMC is June 30, 2026. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact Zinnia Willits (zwillits@semcdirect.net) or Carla Phillips (cphillips@semcdirect.net).

SEMC SEMC2026 Session Proposals Due .................................................. February 6, 2026 Inside SEMC Summer 2026 submissions deadline.......................... June 30, 2026 State Georgia Association of Museums Annual Meeting........................ February 4–6, 2026, Cobb County, GA Tennessee Association of Museums Annual Meeting................... March 11–13, 2026, Union City, TN Virginia Association of Museums Annual Meeting........................ March 14–17, 2026, Williamsburg, VA Arkansas Museum Association Annual Meeting............................ March 30 – April 2, 2026, Newport, AR North Carolina Museums Council Annual Meeting....................... April 11–13, 2026, Greenville, NC National Small Museums Association Annual Meeting................................. February 16–18, 2026, York, PA Museums Advocacy Day..................................................................... February 23–24, 2026, Washington, DC American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting........................... May 20–23, 2026, Philadelphia, PA Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Annual Meeting....................................................... June 9–12, 2026, Iowa City, IA Association of African American Museums Annual Meeting................................................................................ August 19–21, 2026, Philadelphia, PA

job forum

get social

SEMC Job Forum offers employers and job seekers the ability to search and post jobs on SEMC’s website. SEMC Job Postings are now self-serve and free for members. For non-members, there is a flat fee of $20 each job description, regardless of the word count. SEMC Member Institutions may now post jobs for free on the SEMC jobs page at www.semcdirect.net/listing. Please Note: ALL SEMC job board postings must include the following in accordance with administrative best practices: job title; location; description of the position and organization; and numerical salary or salary range.

Want to receive regular updates about SEMC benefits, events, membership, and much, much more? Subscribe to our weekly e-News. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook. Join our LinkedIn Group. Follow us on Instagram.

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MEMBERSHIP Name _________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Position_______________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Institution _____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________ City__________ State_______ Zip ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone _____________________________ Fax ________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Email Address __________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Individual Membership  Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35

$_______

 Retired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50

$_______

 Individual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $70

$_______

 Individual Premium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $120

$_______

Includes 2-year membership (+ discounts on workshops, additional discount on conference registration, companion pass)

 Lifetime Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $750

$_______

Institutional Membership (based on annual budget)  Category 1: Below $150,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150

$_______

 Category 2: $150,000 - $300,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $200

$_______

 Category 3: $300,000 - $500,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $300

$_______

 Category 4: $500,000 - $1 million . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500

$_______

 Category 5: Over $1 million . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $600

$_______

Corporate Membership  Business Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $400

$_______

 Corporate Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,500

$_______

 Corporate Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,100

$_______

A special gift of $_________ is enclosed to help support SEMC’s endowment. ___ Check enclosed (payable to SEMC) ___ I wish to pay with a credit card MasterCard Exp. Date ___________ |

 Visa

 AMEX

Credit Card #_____________________________________

Signature (required for all credit card charges): _____________________________________________

mail to: SEMC/PO Box 550746/Atlanta, GA 30355 | or fax to: 404.814.2031 | SEMC FEIN #54-1042825

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