Session: Museums & Prisons: An Unlikely Partnership

Sunday, April 6

1 - 2:30 PM

Location: Ithaca Downtown Conference Center

About: 

Together this panel represents a children’s museum, a science center, a historic house, and a museum at an active prison. Each of the museums gathered on this panel have a partnership with a prison. These partnerships each look different from one another and have different goals. However, what the museums have in common is that they are changing perceptions about people impacted by incarceration and improving access and inclusion in their organizations. Although for some members of the panel this type of partnership may seem like an unlikely one, it proves to be core to the mission of the organization.

Presenters:

Adreienne Testa, Director of Exhibits & Facilities, Sciencenter

Adrienne Testa began her work in the museum field almost 15 years ago as a science educator and is now the Director of Exhibits and Facilities at the Sciencenter. Adrienne has an MFA from the University of the Arts, Museum Exhibition Planning & Design program. For her graduate thesis, Adrienne redesigned a prison visiting room base to increase parent/child bonding. Since then, the Washington DOC has redesigned 3 prison visiting rooms based on Adrienne's research.

Suzy Mirvis, Director of School Programs & Outreach, Children's Museum of Manhattan

Suzy Mirvis, Director of School Programs & Community Outreach at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, is dedicated to equity in access to early childhood education and learning through play. She leads educational programming, develops curricula for diverse ages and abilities, and empowers parents and caregivers. Suzy’s work supports families in low-income housing and shelters, as well as those facing separation or seeking asylum. She holds a Master of Education from Harvard University.

Amy Hufnagel, Assistant Director, Sing Sing Prison Museum

Amy has previously served as the Director of Programs & Visitor Experience at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, CT and the Vice President of Interpretation & Engagement at OLANA in Hudson, NY. She was the Executive Director of The Alice Austen House Museum within the New York City Parks Department and the NYC Historic House Trust, and the Director of Programs and Education for the New York State Alliance for Arts Education (in partnership with NYS Department of Cultural Education) and headed up the Education Department at the New York Foundation for the Arts (in partnership with NYS Council on the Arts).

Dr. Jeffrey Ludwig, Director of Education, Seward House Museum

Jeffrey shapes the Seward House Museum’s interpretive and programmatic agendas. Most recently, he led a collaborative effort to explore the history of Auburn Correctional Facility-- the oldest operational prison in the U.S. The resulting exhibit, "Rooted in Reform," required navigating new partnerships, challenging audiences, and a new role in the community. Ludwig has recently facilitated numerous partnerships that have led to community-based prison monitoring visits and dialogic public programs around incarceration.

Noëlle Richardson, Artist Fellow, Sing Sing Prison Museum

Noëlle Richardson is a justice-impacted person and ARTavist focused on storytelling and art therapy as necessary tools for a true healing process. Her projects explore how art can evolve our neighborhoods into more empathetic and compassionate places. Together, Hufnagel & Richardson are designing new museum content at SSPM.