October | 2025 | Engaging Places
5 posts published by Mary A. van Balgooy and Max van Balgooy during October 2025| Engaging Places
5 posts published by Mary A. van Balgooy and Max van Balgooy during October 2025| Engaging Places
Photo by El Jundi on Pexels.com When was the last time you opened your board manual? For many nonprofits, that thick binder (or increasingly, PDF) sits quietly on a shelf until a new member joins o…| Engaging Places
2 posts published by Max van Balgooy during August 2025| Engaging Places
The Jenrette Foundation’s State of American Historic Preservation Education (September 2025) lands like a wake-up call for our field. At more than 25 pages, it’s not just a summary of trends in preservation education—it’s a challenge to rethink what we mean by “historic preservation” altogether. Although the report focuses on universities and training programs, its […]| Engaging Places
The timeline is one of the most familiar tools in our interpretive toolkit. It helps us organize facts, identify turning points, and connect events over time. Yet the decision of what to include or exclude shapes the story we tell. Most timelines highlight wars, political milestones, or technological achievements. For many women, those events barely […]| Engaging Places
Although the federal government shutdown has started, the Smithsonian museums will remain open at least through Monday, October 6. Despite the media’s attention on 12:01 am on October 1, shutdowns don’t happen immediately because stopping a huge bureaucracy takes time, plus each agency has to determine who will be furloughed and who is essential—that’s why […]| Engaging Places
“My name is my identity and must not be lost,” declared abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone. Her words remind us that names are more than just labels. They tell stories, carry history, and hold cultural significance. They shape how we see ourselves and how others see us. The act of naming—whether giving, changing, or choosing […]| Engaging Places
I attended a timely and thought-provoking session at this year’s AASLH Annual Meeting called Bridging Divides: Navigating Challenging Histories Through Community Engagement on September 13. It gathered five panelists—Angela O’Neal, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH; Rebecca Asmo, Ohio Humanities, Columbus, OH; Jason Crabill, Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Lancaster, OH; Kaitlyn Donaldson, Lorain Historical Society, […]| Engaging Places
One of the most common challenges for nonprofit organizations—whether museums, historic sites, or community groups—is understanding who does what when it comes to decision-making, planning, and day-to-day operations. Board members sometimes worry they are getting too involved in management or don’t know enough about what’s going on. Staff members, on the other hand, can feel their authority […]| Engaging Places
On a recent trip to Europe, I encountered one of the most durable yet inexpensive approaches to outdoor signage I’ve seen: printed sheet vinyl applied to thin aluminum laminate panels, typically 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. These signs can be cut into custom shapes, mounted to walls or posts, and grouped together to present text […]| Engaging Places
This week I’m heading to Cincinnati for the American Association for State and Local History’s Annual Meeting—and I couldn’t be more excited. After a couple of years of scheduling conflicts that kept me away, I’m very much looking forward to reconnecting with colleagues and friends from across the country. If you’ll be there, I hope […]| Engaging Places
This fall, the Museum Studies Program at George Washington University is joining forces again with the History and Art History Departments to offer a Museums+ Internship Fair. Now in its second year, the fair connects undergraduate and graduate students with a wide range of museum and history internship opportunities in the DC area. For a […]| Engaging Places
House museums across the country are confronting difficult questions about relevance, sustainability, and meaning in the 21st century. What worked twenty years ago—traditional tours, decorative art…| Engaging Places
Strategies and ideas to connect people with historic places| Engaging Places
On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Woodrow Wilson Center at the Smithsonian Instit…| Engaging Places
