History Center staff  Ben Sandberg, Cindy Kjellander-Cantu, and Zoë Van Nostrand attended the Museum Association of New York's  Annual Conference in Syracuse NY (Onǫdagehó:nǫˀ Territory (Onondaga)). This years theme was 'Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement'. It included a range of panels and speakers that mirrored and inspired reflection on the work we've been doing at The History Center to prioritize highlighting and including previously under-represented histories and communities. We were excited to make connections with more than 500 museum professionals from across New York State, and discover many of them have visited in recent years and have been following the growth of the HistoryForge project!

Our staff also loved discovering Tompkins County history connections as they explored Syracuse. From the 'Jerry Rescue' monument in Clinton Square featuring Jermain Loguen, who was one of the first pastors at the Ithaca St. James AME Zion Church, to noticing that the Everson Museum of Art building shared a striking resemblance to our own Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, because they were both designed by architect I.M.Pei in the late 1960's!

Our thanks to MANY for curating such a powerful and inspiring conference!

Some of our favorite panels and experiences included: 
- Reimagining Public History with the Reframing History Toolkit @ Erie Canal Museum (Our staff HIGHLY recommend their new guided tours! Especially Pathway of Resistance)
- The Northern Slavery Collective; How Museums and Historic Sites are Joining Forces to Collaborate on Interpreting the History of Enslavement (Video of panel)
- Towards Inclusive Metadata (Publicly Accessible Toolkit)
- Breaking Museum Rules to Create and Experience Participatory Democracy @ The Matilda Joslyn Gage Center (MJG loaned us their 'Haudenosaunee Influence on Women's Rights' exhibit in 2021 for Breaking Barriers; well worth a drive to Fayetteville to visit their museum!)