The M Files Podcast

To end our second season, Patti, Val, and John spend a little time with several of the attendees at the Colorado Wyoming Association of Museums. Ranging from students to career professionals, we hear their take on the CWAM conference and some of the issues facing smaller museums in the Rocky Mountain West. So strap in as we open the cabinet of curiosities for one more time this season.

On this edition of The M Files, Patti, Val, and John are joined by Dee Harris. Dee is museum studies professor at Wichita State University and worked for the National Archives branch in Kansas City, Missouri. Our conversation focuses on the role of museum studies and how best to prepare students for careers in the museum field.  

This week the M Files journey's (figuratively) to the Midwest to chat with Susan Baley. Susan is the director of the Grinnell College Museum of Art. Our conversation touches on several different subjects, including some of the challenges and benefits of academic art museums. We also learn about Susan's strangest experiences in a museum. Just a hint...it involves bubble wrap. To tune in as we open up the cabinet of curiosities and learn more about the museum world.

Interested in learning about daily life in the Old West? Join us this week as John and Patti talk with Julie Hodges. Julie is the Helen DeVitt Jones Director of Education at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. Julie talks about her work in preserving the lifeways of the Old West, especially during the Heritage Center's Annual "Ranch Day." Listen in as talk about an institution that combines museum collections with a sprawling museum campus filled with historic buildings.

On this edition of The M Files we have a fun conversation with Kallie Moore. Kallie is the collections manager at the University of Montana's Paleontology Center. She's also a co-host of PBS's Eons. Eons explores different topics related to the history of life on earth. John, Patti, and Kallie talk about her experiences as a fossil librarian and her work with Eons. Listen in as we open the cabinet of curiosities a little wider...

Have you ever found a live bull in your museum? Listen in as we share a fantastic conversation with Erin Anderson, Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. Erin is based at New Mexico Junior College, in Hobbs, New Mexico. Besides learning more about the bull in the museum, Erin, Patti, Val, and John discuss a wide range of topics including learning more about the Western Heritage Museum, eastern New Mexico, and museum disaster planning. At the end we're join by Oscar the cat, our special co-host.

On this edition of The M Files, Patti, Val, and John chat with our friend Delaynna Trim. Delaynna is the Curator of Collections at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Besides learning about her strangest experience in a museum, we talk about museum disaster planning and non-profit fundraising. 

Steve Whittington from the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum joins John and Patti for this episode. Steve is a past President of the Mountain Plains Museum Association with over thirty years. He has been a museum director for most of his career. Our conversation touches on his experiences and a brief look at the NMHF. Our interview also touches a little on retirement as Steve will be retiring in a few months.

Happy Holidays from the M Files team! This week our team sits down for a roundtable discussion on the Great Resignation. As with other industries, museums are seeing an upheaval as professional staff, especially administrators, begin departing their institutions. John, Patti, and Val discuss how these departures affect museums and some of the reasons behind them.

We're going a little above and beyond for this edition of the M Files. From the Space Coast of Florida we are speaking with Madeline Calise. Madeline is registrar at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center in Florida. Our conversation with Madeline explores some of the difficulties working in Florida, including climate, weather, and wildlife.

For this edition of the M Files, Patti, Val, and John chat with their good friend and long-time colleague, Dan Brosz. Dan is Arts and Community Director for the North Carolina Arts Council. He previously worked as the Curator of Collections for the South Dakota State Historical Society. He also work with the Association of South Dakota Museums (ASDM).Dan joins us to talk about his experiences in the museum field and transitioning to the arts community in North Carolina. 

This edition of the M Files gathers around in John's kitchen...quite literally...to talk with Steve Schnell. Steve is the executive director of The Science Zone in Casper, Wyoming. Our discussion with Steve looks at various topics, including the pitfalls of moving, how to engage a non-traditional audience, and how museums of different disciplines can partner with science and technology institutions.So pull up a chair and listen as Patti, Val, John, and Steve talk about the Science Zone.

Happy Halloween from the M Files Crew!Eric Wimmer is our guest on this edition of the M Files. He is a long-standing friend and professional colleague. A native of New Mexico, his professional journey has taken him through several states in the Rocky Mountain region. He has worked in a range of museums, including history, art, military, and a spooky historic home. Listen in as we learn more about his career, discuss the importance of Dia de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), and examine how museums can introduce visitors to new and different cultural experiences.

The M Files crew went on the road to Sioux Falls, South Dakota last week for the 2021 Mountain Plains Museum Association's annual conference. In between sessions, we interviewed several conference attendees. This group included several seasoned museum professionals, conference vendors, and museum studies students. Listen in each interviewee shares their view of the museum world and their experiences with MPMA!

Welcome back to Season 2 of The M Files Podcast!To kick off our second season, we're joined by Heather Coffman. Heather is the museum registrar at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma. As usual, we start our conversation by asking Heather about her strangest experience in a museum. Then we dive right in to learn more about her work at the CNM and the recent ICOM museum survey. 

Six months and fifteen episodes later we've come to end of the first season of "The M Files." Listen in as John, Valerie, and Patti talk about some lessons learned about podcasting and how the pandemic has affected the museum world.Don't worry, this isn't the last hurray for our fearless podcasters! They'll be back in October 2021 with more news, reviews, and interviews from the museum world. In the meantime keep watching our Facebook page for news and maybe a special event or two!

Hey museum fans, this week we have a fantastic episode featuring Danny Bills. Danny is the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art in Wichita Falls, Texas. As both an artist and museum professional, Danny has a unique view of the museum world. During the Museum Wire, Danny joins John, Val, and Patti to discuss fundraising. During our interview, we learn more about Danny's twenty-plus-year museum career.Here's how you can learn more about the Wichita Falls Museum of ArtWeb -  https://wfma.msutexas.edu/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/www.wfma.msutexas.edu/Instagram - @wfmamsuTwitter - @wfmamsuYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1a81XCbXyDB__2is1Ylxw

This week the M Files team welcomes an old friend to the program, Dave Kennedy. Dave is the curator of collections for the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Before his time with the USMM, Dave worked in small museums across the West in places like Cody, Wyoming. He brings a wealth of museum experience, including within the realm of historic firearms. During our episode, we have a lively discussion on metrics and data during the Museum Wire. Later in the interview segment, Dave discusses his work at the USMM and how he's contributed to building a brand new museum.Check out the United States Marshals Museum online and through social media:Web -  https://usmmuseum.org/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/marshalsmuseumInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/marshalsmuseum/Twitter - https://twitter.com/marshalsmuseum?lang=enYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEWTTOunMN7iYtf0lSirHvA

This week the M Files goes to the east coast to speak with Cyrus Green. Cyrus is a Curatorial Assistant at The Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Founded in 1859 by zoologist Louis Agassiz, the MCZ has over twenty million specimens in its collections. Cyrus joins us for the museum wire to discuss antiquated/older collections techniques before jumping into the interview. Cyrus describes his work at the MCZ and how university museums connect with research and in the classroom.Special thanks to the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for making this episode possible. To learn more about the MCZ, check out their website or on social media via the MCZ's Facebook, the MCZ Instagram account, or their various MCZ Twitter accounts.

This week we journey to California for a special interview with an old friend. Benjamin Clark's museum career includes almost two decades of experiences. His current position allows him to work closely with the history and legacy of comic strip artist Charles M. Schulz. Schulz is the creator of the Peanuts comic strip along characters like Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Woodstock. Join John, Patti, and Val as we talk to Benj about his museum career and experiences working at the Schulz Museum.

Educator, curator, graphic designer, historian, and published author, this week's guest has worn a lot of different museum "hats." Join us in welcoming Lauren Hunley to The M Files. Lauren is the community historian with the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana. Listen in as she shares her experiences working in museums across the United States.

History museums often preserve and interpret the stories of areas, people, or specific events. Our guest this week on The M Files leads an institution describing a little known movement in American history, the orphan trains. Shaley George has led the National Orphan Train Complex for over six years. Her institution shares the stories of thousands of children relocated to the American Midwest from eastern cities. Listen in as Shaley shares her experiences working at the National Orphan Train Complex and their unique story. 

Happy New Year!We're kicking off 2021 with a new episode of "The M Files." Listen in as John, Patti, Val pull another topic out of the magic hat for the "Museum Wire." Later in the program we interview our friend Casey Seger. Casey is the museum registrar at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Besides sharing his insights on the museum world, Casey discusses the role of Center of Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his role in working with emerging museum professionals.

Join us for our last episode of 2020! In this episode listen in as John Patti, and Val pull another topic out of the hat for a brief round table discussion during the Museum Wire. Late we share our interview with Michael Williams. Michael is the registrar and assistant curator at the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library in Guthrie, Oklahoma.  Michael shares his museum experiences including a ghost hunting experience at a local bed and breakfast.

This week we welcome our good friend Nathan Doerr to the program. Nathan is the Willis McDonald IV Curator of Natual Science at the Draper Natural History Museum. The Draper is part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.In addition to our interview Nathan, join us for the Museum Wire as we discuss the roles and need for local museum organizations.

This week we discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on museums followed by an interview with Lisa Hatchadoorian from the Museum of Art Fort Collins  in Fort Collins, Colorado.In our "Museum Wire" segment, we discuss recent news articles highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on the museum community. These articles include a much discussed piece on museum closures by National Public Radio.  Check below to links for all four articles.https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/22/894049653/one-third-of-u-s-museums-may-not-survive-the-year-survey-findshttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/arts/design/nyc-museums-covid-capacity.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-will-covid-19-change-way-future-museums-are-built-180975022/https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/at-work/education/what-we-lose-when-we-lose-museums?fbclid=IwAR2N2KYVTNVKY3qi0pz_FnfJ2dvu10xg1aNnlaayxnprw5GJ4E4N11PLX3g

This week we explore the ethical dilemma of selling museum collections followed by an interview with Andrew Dunehoo from The Indian Museum of North America at the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota.In our "Museum Wire" segment, we discuss a pair of news articles concerning the sale of museum collections. The first article explores the recent sale of artwork by the Brooklyn Museum, while the second looks at the sale of "Stan the T-Rex" by Christie's Auction House.https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/a-closer-look-at-what-the-brooklyn-museum-is-jettisoninghttps://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/stan-t-rex-sells-record-32-million-auctionThis week, our guest is Andrew Dunehoo, the Museum Curator and Director of Cultural Affairs at The Indian Museum of North America in South Dakota. Andrew shares insights into his museum's mission and activities and how they've changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The M Files is bringing out its first bonus episode. Recently the Mountain Plains Museum Association held a virtual conference. One of six regional museum associations in the United States, MPMA, planned an annual in-person meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. However, MPMA moved the conference online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Join Val, Patti, and John for their interview with MPMA President Heidi Vaughn as she recaps the 2020 MPMA Annual Conference.

On this week's edition of The M Files, Val, Patti, and John are back for another round of museum podcasting. This week we're joined by Rick Young. Rick is the director of the Fort Caspar Museum in Casper, Wyoming. Rick will be sharing some of his experiences as a veteran museum administrator with over 30 years in the field. And as we're moving into the spooky season He'll be sharing some of spooky museum experiences.

Join Valerie, Patti, and John as we introduce ourselves, our background as museum professionals, and our reasons for jumping into the podcast universe.