Stateline Small Museums Conference
About US
The Stateline Small Museums Conference (SMMC) strives to unite small museums across the Wisconsin-Illinois stateline in support of professional development, collaboration, and advancement of regional networks.
The SSMC is an annual conference developed by a volunteer committee. The committee is co-chaired by Nicolette B. Meister (Director, Logan Museum of Anthropology; Instructor in Museum Studies & Faculty Director, Center for Collections Care at Beloit College, Beloit WI) and Sharon Welton (Director of the Stephenson County Historical Museum, Freeport IL). The website and registration process is overseen by Krista Barry (Director of Development & Communication, Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village, Brownington VT).
The SSMC is not affiliated with any professional organization and is entirely volunteer-managed. The target audience is the staff and volunteers (including board members) of small museums and historical societies and sites in need of low-cost professional development in all areas of museum operations.
Fun fact! The location of the conference alternates each year between Wisconsin and Illinois.
Our HISTORY
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2024
SSMC returns to Highland Community College in Freeport, IL on Saturday, May 4! The conference was cancelled due to low registration.
2023
This year we are back with a new format in partnership with Beloit College Career Channels. A Friday workshop, hosted by the Logan Museum of Anthropology, taught participants how to make photo corners for mounting and hinging works on paper with methyl cellulose. The day long conference on Saturday was held at the Powerhouse. April 21-22, 2023.
2022
The conference was paused by the Covid-19 pandemic and did not meet in 2020 or 2021. We returned in 2022 with a full day box making workshop! A change from our previous format, but welcomed by the Beloit Historical Society in Beloit, WI on Friday, April 29th.
2019
The 3rd annual conference was held Friday, May 17th at Blackhawk Technical College, Central Campus, in Janesville, WI.
2018
The 2018 SSMC was held Friday, May 18th at Highland Community College in Freeport, IL.
2017
The inaugural Stateline Small Museums Conference was hosted by Beloit College in Beloit, WI on Saturday, May 20th.
ORIGINS
The Stateline Small Museums Conference grew out of the Lee County Small Museums Conference, which was established in 2014 to serve small museums and historical societies in Lee County, IL. Due to the success of the Lee County conference, this conference was expanded north to encompass the stateline area and renamed the SSMC.
