FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 287-7054, chefner@cincymuseum.org
Cincinnati Museum Center and Association of Midwest Museums announce pop-up conference April 11 & 12
Big Change Summit shares lessons from Union Terminal’s historic restoration and museum reopening
CINCINNATI – There is much other museums can learn from Cincinnati Museum Center’s two-and-a-half-year effort to move out, move back in, overhaul two museums and save a National Historic Landmark. So many, in fact, the Association of Midwest Museums (AMM) is partnering with CMC to host a conference to share those lessons with museum professionals from across the Midwest. The Big Change Summit will bring together museum professionals from eight states at Union Terminal on April 11 and 12. 
As they prepared for the monumental undertaking of restoring Union Terminal, CMC was tasked with the challenge of how to remain present and relevant in the Cincinnati community. How could CMC continue to make a meaningful impact? How could they continue to engage members and guests? And how would they tackle the logistical challenge of removing and storing millions of historic artifacts, collections pieces and exhibitry through the two-and-a-half year restoration?
These questions are not unique to CMC. Museums are constantly undergoing renovations, updating exhibits, removing beloved artifacts and raising funds to accomplish it all. The Big Change Summit is hoping to provide other museums answers to those questions, or at least inspiration to find their own answers.
“The restoration of Union Terminal was a challenging but revelatory moment for Cincinnati Museum Center,” says Whitney Owens, chief learning officer at Cincinnati Museum Center and president of the Association of Midwest Museums’ Board of Directors. “In the process of repairing and preserving our iconic home, we also redefined what it means to be a museum, enriching the guest experience and giving us a greater community impact. We’re excited to share some of those lessons with our colleagues.”
The Big Change Summit will feature sessions on how to pass a levy to fund your work and how to fund, plan and manage a major building restoration. Speakers will also discuss how to manage a full and partial building closure, including staffing, programming strategies and member and public relations. Several sessions will focus on the impact on the museum experience, including using digital technology to share and preserve historic details, staying relevant as a museum without walls and how to update galleries with new experiences while honoring what guests “love to love.”
“Cincinnati Museum Center is such a fascinating case study for reimagining and completely redesigning the museum experience and doing so on a massive scale,” says Charity Counts, executive director of the Association of Midwest Museums. “This is a great opportunity for other professionals to learn from their challenges and their many successes and to witness it firsthand in their gorgeous Art Deco building.”
The Summit will feature expected speakers from CMC, Turner Construction Company, GBBN Architects, Facility Management & Planning Services, John G. Waite Associates, Landor, community partners and exhibit design partners.
Participants will also have the opportunity to take behind-the-scenes tours of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Union Terminal’s impressive interior infrastructure and high steel.
Registration is now open. To register, visit midwestmuseums.org/cmc-summit.
Since its founding in 1927, the Association of Midwest Museums (AMM) has sought to connect museums across the eight-state region of the Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. It strengthens Midwest museums by providing nationally relevant, regionally specific programs, products and networking opportunities. Through its programs and activities, AMM encourages professional standards for all areas of museum administration and provides cutting-edge information and resources to museums and cultural institutions in the Midwest and the greater museum community.
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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of a select few museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.