Keynote + Symposium
April 28 – 29, 2026

Join us for a mini conference designed for professionals to engage in meaningful dialogue around ethical stewardship in museums and collecting institutions.

Day 1 – Opening Keynote and Q&A

Tamara Lanier | Champion for Truth and Justice and author of From These Roots: My Fight with Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy

Day 2 – Symposium

The symposium explores pressing questions facing museums and the publics they serve: What objects should museums collect? Where does a work most appropriately reside? What stories should be told and by whom? And who has the right to ownership?

The program will feature the following topics and speakers:

Morning Session: Repatriation + Reconciliation: Indigenous Perspectives

How can museums work together with Native American tribal communities toward the ethical return of cultural artifacts? How can they advocate for the visibility, understanding, and inclusivity of Indigenous voices and histories through collaboration and models for shared stewardship?

Moderator: Delaney O’Connell | PhD Student, Department of Indigenous Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo

Panelists:

• Melissa Parker Leonard | Founder, 7^th Gen Cultural Resources
• Mishuana Goeman | Professor and Chair, Department of Indigenous Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo
• David L. George-Shongo Jr. | Director, Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Seneca Nation of Indians

Mid-Morning Session: Collection Refinement: Museums + Deaccessioning

In what ways is deaccessioning a critical aspect of good collections stewardship? How can museums balance active collecting and deaccessioning? How can they ensure that their collections are meeting audience needs?

Moderator: Holly E. Hughes | Godin-Spaulding Curator for the Collection, Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Panelists:

• Amanda Massie | Senior Curator, New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
• Natalie DeQuarto | Deaccession Curator, New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic  Preservation
• Meg Hughes, | Acting Director and Deputy Director of Collections, The Valentine

Afternoon Session: Questions of Authenticity: Period Rooms + Historic Houses

How do period rooms differ from historic houses—particularly in the presentation of authenticity of place? How can immersive interiors shape our understanding of the past? How do they impact the museum visitor experience? And what role do they play today?

Moderator: Nancy Weekly | Burchfield Scholar, Burchfield Penney Art Center

Panelists:

• Caleb M. Pifer | President and CEO, Hagen History Center
• David Favaloro | Senior Director of Curatorial Affairs, Tenement Museum

Presented by M&T Bank and Wilmington Trust.