Name: QuickTakes from the Field
Start: 2026-10-07T15:30:00-0400
End: 2026-10-07T16:45:00-0400

Wednesday October 7, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

QuickTakes feature a series of brief presentations from multiple speakers, each sharing an innovative idea, project, case study, or practical lesson. This rapid-fire format allows attendees to hear a variety of perspectives and leave with actionable ideas in just one session.

Franklin’s Spark: Reimagining a Historic Rotunda Through Immersive Storytelling, Brad Baer, Founder and CEO, Crafted Action: How do museums activate iconic architecture while honoring history, scholarship, and visitor expectations? This session explores the creation of Franklin’s Spark at the Franklin Institute—an immersive projection experience celebrating Benjamin Franklin’s 320th birthday and launching the nation’s Semiquincentennial. Attendees will learn how a cross-disciplinary team transformed a beloved rotunda into a dynamic storytelling environment using light, sound, and narrative design without permanent construction. The session shares practical strategies for balancing preservation with innovation, engaging new audiences, and delivering high-impact experiences within real-world museum constraints.
Making Your Web Content Findable: Case Studies in Improving Content Search and Findability, Erin Carty, Web Producer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Visitors don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for the resources or information they need, so how do you ensure they can find what they need quickly? The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was running into this exact problem. Our main website had a frustrating user experience when searching for resources and information, so we needed to improve it. This presentation will go over two case studies that helped make resources easier to find on www.ushmm.org, data on how visitors access our resources, and what’s next for improving content findability.
The White Gloves Gang Past, Present, and Future: Increasing Hands-On Support and Networking for Collections Projects, Nancy Beatrice Bateman, Senior Registrar and Director of Collections, National Building Museum: Is your museum’s collection in need of care that you don’t have the staff, supplies, or expertise to provide? White Gloves Gang is a MAAM initiative that supports small and mid-sized museums with collections projects through a day of hands-on service near the Annual Meeting. After decades of bringing together the museum community through professional volunteerism, MAAM plans to grow the program by increasing the number and scope of events through like-minded partnerships. Join us for a discussion on WGG’s past & present, learn how to request & offer support, and help brainstorm ways to expand moving forward.
Beyond the Frame – Everything Paper: Methods, Materials & Techniques, Jonathan Schoff, Head Preparator, Delaware Art Museum: Everything Paper – Methods, Materials & Techniques represents an important opportunity for the field of collections care. By addressing immediate challenges in the handling and conservation of works of art on paper, while also building a long-term resource for professionals worldwide, this workshop initiative has the potential to advance both practice and sustainability. With the support of PACCIN, partner institutions and sponsors, it will serve as a model for how collaboration and shared expertise can strengthen the stewardship of collections for the future. Attendees will learn about this new, U.S.-wide initiative during this Quick Take presentation.
Big Dreams: Building the Aerospace Workforce within a Museum, Jennifer Elliott, Manager, Youth Leadership and Alumni Programs, Intrepid Museum: Museums are known for showcasing artifacts from the past, but what if they could also be used to help build the future? In a world where women make up less than 20% of the aerospace workforce, the Intrepid Museum aims to show young women in New York City what real opportunities are available to them in the aerospace field. Hear how this museum uses the collections, content, partners and programming to help build out a diverse workforce in a bold new era of aerospace and STEM careers.

Speakers

Brad Baer

Founder and CEO, Crafted Action

An architect, designer, and entrepreneur, Brad Baer has spent more than two decades helping organizations transform ambitious ideas into experiences worth building. His work has been trusted by nine Fortune 100 companies, leading cultural institutions, universities, and nonprofits... Read More →

Erin Carty

Web Producer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Erin Carty is a web producer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), in the Museum Experience and Digital Media (MEDM) division. She owns the main Museum website, www.ushmm.org, where she develops content, oversees maintenance and improvements with developers, trains... Read More →

Nancy Beatrice Bateman

Senior Registrar and Director of Collections, National Building Museum

Nancy Bateman is the Senior Registrar and Director of Collections at the National Building Museum. She manages five full-time collections specialists, oversees 30,000 square feet of gallery space, and is responsible for the Museum’s permanent collection of over 600,000 artifacts... Read More →

Jonathan Schoff

Head Preparator, Delaware Art Museum

Jonathan Schoff has been Head Preparator at the Delaware Art Museum since 2008. He oversees installations, gallery construction, lighting design, and the coordination of exhibition design and graphics for both permanent and rotating exhibitions. Working with a diverse collection... Read More →

Jennifer Elliott

Manager, Youth Leadership and Alumni Programs, Intrepid Museum

Jennifer Elliott has been at the Intrepid Museum for over a decade now working in various education roles with K-12 students and teachers, and most recently working with teens. Born and raised in Florida she has Bachelor’s degrees in both theater and astronomy from the University... Read More →

Wednesday October 7, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
TBA 100 George St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Type 3

MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

Brad Baer

Erin Carty

Nancy Beatrice Bateman

Jonathan Schoff

Jennifer Elliott

Get help with the event

MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

Brad Baer

Erin Carty

Nancy Beatrice Bateman

Jonathan Schoff

Jennifer Elliott

Log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!

Get help with the event