Virtual Conference

Wednesday, November 30

Welcome and Keynote: Talon Silverhorn

8:30–10:15am
Talon Silverhorn is a Citizen of The Eastern Shawnee Tribe and has been an interpreter in some form or another since 2007. He grew up on the Shawnee Reservation in Oklahoma and participated in traditional aspects of his culture such as ceremonies, hunting traditions, and material arts. His experiences with the intersection of race, culture, and nationality at an early age drove him to find a method of communication that did not rely on these things to be common, and so he found interpretation. He started to travel with other Tribal Citizens and give presentations at schools, historic sites, and community centers across the U.S. and Canada. From there he worked as an NAI Certified Interpretive Guide for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation from 2016 to 2021, where he discussed the formation of Early America and the intersection of identities that it brought. Talon Currently serves as the Cultural Programs Manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, overseeing American Indian historical content and interpretation in the States 75 parks, and is involved in developing a new Shawnee Cultural/interpretive Center in western Ohio.

Unintended Interpretation

10:30am–12:00pm
John Shafer
Be sure the messages you are giving are the ones you want to give. Review examples of practices & techniques to improve your messages using brain science and personal perspectives.

Writing for a Lasting Impression

3:00–4:20pm
Julie Gee
General principles of good writing can empower you to reach your audience in new ways. Learn how to write with interpretation in mind!


Thursday, December 1

Accessibility for Interpreters

8:30–9:20am
Arrye Rosser
What does programmatic accessibility look like? Using examples from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we’ll walk through accessibility issues at all stages of the visitor experience.

Leaders Aren’t Always Up Front

9:30–10:20am
Philip Smartt
Leadership is a skill we all have and can develop. This session will discuss the important points related to leadership and how we can become better practitioners.

Creating Inclusive Volunteer Opportunities

1:30–2:20pm
Liz Emerson
At the Toledo Zoo we created an in-house accommodation program for teen volunteers with disabilities. We’ll review the program and share training materials, templates, and more.

Shattered Notes: Musical Colonialism

2:30–3:20pm
Marisol Asselta
Explore the history, domination, rebellion, and assimilation inherent in Puerto Rico’s musical identity under colonization, and what it can teach us about equitable interpretation.


Friday, December 2

Interpreting Birds in Nature & Our Own Backyard

8:30–9:20am 
Alexandra Bradley
Want to get visitors into birds? Many seem to overlook these wonderful creatures but using fun facts and materials, you can lead participants to develop a deeper love for birds!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: The Joys, the Pitfalls, and the Opportunities

9:30–10:20am
John Goehrke
Join leaders of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Fan Engagement & Education staff as they share how they used the COVID pandemic shutdown to rethink the entire scope of the guest experience and education.

New Life for Heritage Interpretation

10:30am–12:00pm
Jacquie Gilson
Combine the best practices in Parks Canada’s Heritage Framework with holistic inspirational interpretation to craft bigger stories, address conflict, and emphasize more voices.

Backstage Pass: Rockin’ Event Planning

1:30–2:30pm
Jennifer McDowell, Richard Smart, & Noemi Navar
Take a backstage pass to learn behind-the-scenes tips and techniques for planning rocking events that are mission-based, revenue-generating, or both.

Closing Keynote: Sarah Lohman

3:00–4:30pm
Sarah Lohman is originally from Hinckley, Ohio where she began working as an interpreter in a museum at the age of 16, cooking historical food over a wood-burning stove. She graduated with a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2005. For her undergraduate thesis, she opened a temporary restaurant/installation that reinterpreted food of the Colonial era for a modern audience. Lohman moved to New York City in 2006 and worked as Video Producer forNew York magazine’s foodblog, Grub Street. She chronicled her personal explorations in culinary history on her blog, Four  Pounds Flour, from 2008-2018. Lohman’s first book, Eight  Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine, was released by Simon & Schuster in December 2016.

She focuses on the history of food as a way to  access the stories of diverse Americans. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York  Times, and NPR. She has presented across the country, from the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, DC to The Culinary Historians of Southern California. Her current project, Endangered Eating: Exploring America’s Vanishing Cuisine will be released with W.W. Norton & Co. in January 2023.