Dr. Porchia Moore and Nina Simon Headline Conversation about Museums and Community Baltimore, Md. (November 19, 2020) – The Maryland Center for History and Culture will host the fourth session in its Core Conversations Series on Thursday, December 10, 2020 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. With a focus on Community, this event will feature Dr. Porchia Moore, museum critical race theorist, and Nina Simon, designer, instigator, and advocate for community-driven institutions, as they join Katie Caljean, MCHC’s Vice President of Education & Strategic Engagement, in a discussion about how history museums can be relevant, responsive, and useful in today’s world. “Community and what it means to this institution is something we discuss here at the Maryland Center for History and Culture repeatedly,” said Mark Letzer, President & CEO, the Maryland Center for History and Culture. “Dr. Porchia Moore and Nina Simon have unparalleled experiences in the museum fields and engaging with the communities where museums ‘live.’ This conversation allows us to bring in the experts and invite our community to join in.” The Department Head and Assistant Professor of Museum Studies at the University of Florida’s School of Art + Art History, Dr. Porchia Moore is a Critical Race Scholar, interrogating the role and function of race in museums and cultural institutions. She is a Critical Race Futurist for The Incluseum, a Project Advisor for MASS Action (Museums as Site for Social Action) and the co-creator of The Visitors of Color project. Dr. Moore has partnered with museums nationally and internationally on education, training, and workshops on race and anti-racism in museums. Her most recent publication includes chapters in Editor Richard Sandell’s Museum Activism. Nina Simon is the founder of “OF/BY/FOR ALL,” a nonprofit that works to make civic and cultural organizations of, by and for everyone. The author of best-selling books The Participatory Museum and The Art of Relevance, Simon has given TEDx talks, and was previously Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. The Maryland Center for History and Culture reopened in September with a new brand identity. The Core Conversations Series was created to explore the institution’s core values—Community, Authenticity, Dialogue and Discovery. Previous programs have featured Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, discussing Discovery, and Baltimore-based journalist, author and television producer, David Simon, exploring Dialogue, and WYPR’s “Out of the Blocks” creators Aaron Henkin and Wendel Patrick. This virtual program is free and open to all audiences, however, registration is required. Those interested in registering can do so here. Once registered for the program, attendees will receive an automated confirmation email with connection instructions.
