Keynote Speakers
In addition to outstanding sessions, AMM features distinguished speakers at the annual conference. In past years, the speakers have included John Bacon
(a writer), Hedy Epstein (a Holocaust survivor), John Hope Franklin (a historian), Joseph Pine (a management consultant), and Stephen Weil (museum scholar).
The keynote speakers provide unique and macro perspective of emerging trends and critical issues in the museum field.
The keynote presentations are held at general sessions for ALL conference attendees and are one of the most visible events at the AMM conference. Corporations are invited to sponsor the keynote presentations - these key sponsorships provide corporations with an excellent opportunity to gain significant exposure at one of the most visible events at the annual conference. For more information about a keynote sponsorship, contact Brian Bray at (314) 746-4557.
Jonathan Katz
Jonathan Katz, CEO of National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), will serve as the opening keynote speaker. His presentation, The Public Value of Museums, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2008. Previously, Katz was awarded tenure as professor of public policy and administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield, where he directed the graduate program in arts administration and established the Sangamon Institute in Arts Administration. Before then, Katz was Executive Director of the Kansas Arts Commission, one of the first state arts agencies to focus its resources on the development of a local arts agency network. He has taught communication, literature and creative writing at universities in Indiana, Ohio and Kansas.
Jonathan Katz, CEO of National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), will serve as the opening keynote speaker. His presentation, The Public Value of Museums, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2008. Previously, Katz was awarded tenure as professor of public policy and administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield, where he directed the graduate program in arts administration and established the Sangamon Institute in Arts Administration. Before then, Katz was Executive Director of the Kansas Arts Commission, one of the first state arts agencies to focus its resources on the development of a local arts agency network. He has taught communication, literature and creative writing at universities in Indiana, Ohio and Kansas.
Katz has also consulted extensively in cultural policy planning, organizational development, leadership and management training, and has authored numerous articles, plans and consultant reports. His presentations on the policies, issues and trends that affect participation in cultural activities are a frequent feature at national and state conferences, and at state arts agency planning sessions. Recently appointed to the U.S. National Commission on UNESCO, he advises the board of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA) and has conducted planning and professional development sessions for cultural agencies in five cities in Mexico for the U.S. government.
In addition to his keynote presentation, Katz will serve on a panel presentation focusing on museum advocacy.
Jim Loewen
Jim Loewen, a historian and author, is scheduled to speak on Friday, October 24, 2008. His presentation is titled Lies Our Museums Tell Us. His book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, has sold than 1,000,000 copies and continues to inspire students to challenge, rather than memorize, textbooks.
Jim Loewen, a historian and author, is scheduled to speak on Friday, October 24, 2008. His presentation is titled Lies Our Museums Tell Us. His book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, has sold than 1,000,000 copies and continues to inspire students to challenge, rather than memorize, textbooks.
Loewen taught race relations for twenty years at the University of Vermont. Previously he taught at Tougaloo College, a predominantly black college in Mississippi. He now lives in Washington, D.C., continuing his research on how Americans remember their past.
Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong came out in 1999. The Gustavus Myers Foundation named his new book, Sundown Towns, a "Distinguished Book of 2005."
His other books include Mississippi: Conflict and Change (co-authored), which won the Lillian Smith Award for Best Southern Nonfiction but was rejected for public school text use by the State of Mississippi, leading to the path breaking First Amendment lawsuit, Loewen et al. v. Turnipseed, et al. He also wrote The Mississippi Chinese: Between Black and White, Social Science in the Courtroom, and The Truth About Columbus.
Loewen has been an expert witness in more than 50 civil rights, voting rights, and employment cases. His awards include the First Annual Spivack Award of the American Sociological Association for "sociological research applied to the field of intergroup relations," the American Book Award (for Lies My Teacher Told Me), and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship. He is also Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians.
In addition to his remarks, Loewen will present a conference session titled Interpreting the Racial History of Your Community.