Menu
Log in
Log in

OMA blog

  • 26 May 2025 12:00 PM | Oregon Museums Association (Administrator)

    About the author: Julia Triezenberg is the Education Supervisor at Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. She oversees the museum's adult education programming and the Volunteer Program.

    June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and there are many ways your organization can honor the experiences of Queer people in your community through collections work, education programs, and staff training.

    It’s a good idea to periodically inventory your organization’s collection to look for any gaps in representation. Some collections can focus heavily on some topics while missing key chapters in a community’s story. Whose experiences are not being fully depicted through the objects you care for?

    These missing links could also be in your institution’s database. For example, what verbiage does the database use to search for these communities?

    Some phrases referring to LGBTQ+ people can be outdated or euphemisms - like “transgendered” instead of “transgender,” or “effeminate,” “fruity,” or “butch.” It’s possible that some of these stories are hidden because of the language used to track them down in the database.

    For educational programs, take time to evaluate what your organization currently offers. Do you have programming intended for the LGBTQ+ community? If the answer is no, why not?

    If you do offer programming that focuses on Queer experiences, when do you typically schedule it? A common dynamic among public history institutions is to only offer LGBTQ-related programs during June because of its designation as Pride Month.

    Unfortunately, this can make Queer people feel like they are being tokenized or are a box to “check off” for the sake of representation. If you’re thinking about organizing new programming, consider offering it outside the window of Pride celebrations. Affirming that the LGBTQ+ community deserves to be proud all year long builds trust in your commitment to the cause.



    OMA member Museum of Natural and Cultural History's exhibit
    Transgressors, about now and future Indigiqueer ancestors, is on view now through January 4 of next year. The museum also collaborated with their University of Oregon colleagues on an exhibit about the history of Eugene's lesbian community, Outliers and Outlaws, which will be on view at OMA member Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education June 8 - October 26.

     
    OMA members Coos History Museum and Columbia River Maritime Museum have partnered with local LGBTQ+ advocacy and support groups for Pride Month activities.


    Think about how your organization’s mission statement can expand to include more of the communities whose stories might be as well represented. Many areas across Oregon have local LGBTQ+ advocacy and support groups who are also working to expand safe spaces for Queer people. This could be a great opportunity to connect with each other and collaborate to share resources.

    Local advocacy groups can also be a source for staff training to build your organization’s capacity to serve LGBTQ+ people in a safe and affirming way. With staff and volunteers coming from all different walks of life, it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page with using updated language when referring to the Queer community. This also can help any LGBTQ+ staff feel more supported, whether they are “out” or not.

    Aside from trainings, are there any professional development or enrichment opportunities you can offer that lift up Queer voices? Rather than a mandatory training being staff and volunteers’ only exposure to LGBTQ-related content, try to plan for regular opportunities that show you are prioritizing Queer voices. Consistent, good-faith efforts to make your organization a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people is key for the long-term health of these relationships.

    There are a variety of organizations in Oregon already working to provide LGBTQ+ resources to their community. These are just a few:

  • 11 Feb 2025 12:00 PM | Oregon Museums Association (Administrator)

    About the author: Julia Triezenberg is the Education Supervisor at Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria. She oversees the museum's adult education programming and the Volunteer Program.

    Our team at Columbia River Maritime Museum (CRMM) in Astoria was inspired to be more intentional in the way we welcome visitors to the museum after attending a conference session on accessibility with the Council of American Maritime Museums in 2021.

    We formed a Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) committee in April of that year that included representatives from each department: Administration, External Engagement, Education, Curatorial, Guest and Retail Services, and Facilities.

    First, we evaluated offerings that were already intended to make the museum a more welcoming environment. For example, CRMM already participated in Museums For All, which provides reduced admission for all visitors with an EBT card (eventually expanded to EBT and WIC). We highlighted where accessible parking was located, firmed up our service animal policy, and took note of the wheelchairs we had available for complementary use.

    Our next step was to identify what access items we could accomplish given that our budget had already been set for 2021. We started with more affordable projects like creating a social narrative, which gives a preview of the museum experience to visitors. The narrative highlights where the front doors, admissions desk, and restrooms are located as well as other sensory or wayfinding information that may be important to our visitors’ time at CRMM.

    Over the last couple years, the DEAI committee has slowly built up the museum’s access offerings - but until recently, we had no good place to store them. Education Department representatives offered to look at options for mobile cart storage in early 2024 with a goal to test-run the system over spring break. This would give us time to troubleshoot and see what questions were most common before heading into peak season over the summer.

    The cart contains two pairs of Enchroma color-blindness correcting glasses; two sensory backpacks featuring a salmon stuffed animal, fidgets, noise-dampening headphones, a verbal communication card, and access map; three sets of noise-dampening headphones; freebies from the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program; six audio tour devices for a Spanish translation of two of the museum’s largest galleries; and disposable handheld magnifiers that visitors can take with them after their visit.


    This image assists CRMM staff and volunteers with the locations of each item in the Comfort Cart.


    Staff fill out a half sheet outlining the checkout procedure for each of these offerings, which are free to use. Some items, like the audio tour devices, require an I.D. or credit card as collateral. Others, like the magnifiers, can be handed out without worrying about their return.


    The checkout procedure for Comfort Cart items involves filling out a half sheet and sometimes giving staff a form of collateral. 


    Not only were our guests excited to learn about the newly-dubbed “Comfort Cart” and its offerings, but this became a great opportunity for staff to answer more general interest and wayfinding questions that may be lingering during their time at CRMM.


    The Comfort Cart's grand introduction!


    The Comfort Cart is regularly out for 1-2 hour shifts during the museum’s peak season, but the items inside are available for use year-round. To learn more about Columbia River Maritime Museum’s access offerings, visit our website at https://www.crmm.org/accessibility.html or email accessbility@crmm.org.

    Use these links to learn about the some of the vendors we use:


Mailing Address: PO Box 8604, Portland, OR 97207
Contact: connect@oregonmuseums.org 
Subscribe to our newsletter

Copyright 2025 - Oregon Museums Association

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software