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In collaboration with museum educator Beth Maloney, the Homewood Museum of the Johns Hopkins University and the university archives, students from the Program in Museums and Society recently developed temporary interpretive signage on the university’s Charles Village campus (Homewood) that considered the stories of the people who lived and worked on the land in the past.

Students mostly focused on the nineteenth century occupants of the property, i.e.: before the university acquired it in 1902. Among ten signs, one interprets the site of now lost slave quarters. The interpretive work of this particular sign became a focus of conversations that revealed what can happen when a painful tale from the past touches upon more recent and present concerns about equality, race, and very wide ranging issues of social justice.

In light of this experience, we’d like to hear of other examples where working with the past brought to the foreground, present tensions and concerns within our communities. How did the project address the ways historic interpretation resonated in the present? What worked, what didn’t work, and what you would do differently? Were there any surprises? How do you characterize our responsibility to the present as public interpreters of the past? How might our work with interpretation serve to improve existing conflicts within our communities?

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Registration is now open for THATCamp Games 2014: NASAGA Edition! Join the unconference for workshops, games, conversations, debates, writing, game jams, making, and play! This edition of THATCamp Games will include sessions, workshops, and social events on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12. On Sunday, we are excited to co-host the Bmore Historic Game Jam! Participants from THATCamp Games and Bmore Historic will come together with a group of Baltimore-DC area museums, archives and other nonprofits to work on game concepts, solve real problems, and brainstorm new ways to reach diverse audiences. Partners for this first Bmore Historic Game Jam include:

If you’d like to propose a workshop or organized reflective play session at THATCamp Games, contact Anastasia Salter at anastasia.salter [@] gmail.com. You do not need to register for NASAGA 2014 to attend any of the unconference.

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The Bmore Historic Happy Hour is back for our second annual get-together at one of Mt. Vernon’s most unique historic venues — the Hamilton Street Club. Join us to enjoy generous horderves, complimentary punch bowl, and a chance to win tickets to the Hamilton Street Club’s Mint Julep party or new Baltimore history books published from the Johns Hopkins Press. Learn more and register with Baltimore Heritage.

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We are excited to share an exciting new partnership with THATCamp Games and NASAGA for Bmore Historic 2014 offering a unique opportunity to local historians who want to learn more about games and education:

  • On Saturday, October 11, (the day after Bmore Historic) you are invited to attend THATCamp Games, a themed humanities and technology unconference embracing games and learning of all kinds. THATCamp Games begins accepting registrations on June 1, 2014. Applications will be accepted until no space remains!
  • On Sunday, October 12, Bmore Historic and THATCamp Games are teaming up for a local history game jam where local historians, educators and game developers can collaborate on creating new fun approaches to learning about Baltimore history. And running alongside the game jam is a half-day of short workshops on game design skills and tools!

If you’re interested in learning more about games and game design in the humanities, as part of research, or in relation to pedagogy and learning, THATCamp Games is for you. No matter how much knowledge of games in the humanities you have coming in, you’ll leave with new skills and new ideas. You can learn more about previous THATCamp Games conferences from their 2012 and 2013 conference websites.

If you’d like to help plan THATCamp Games, or if you would like to lead a workshop, contact Anastasia Salter. For announcements, follow along on Twitter: @THATCampGames

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Thanks to the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore, we all know 2014 is a monumental year for public history and preservation in Baltimore. We may not be saving the city from the British but our Bmore Historic is winning the fight to bring together a community of people who care about heritage and preservation across the region!

Please mark your calendars to join us on Friday, October 10, 2014 for our fourth annual unconference on public history, historic preservation and cultural heritage.

We are always interested in hearing your comments and suggestions on how to improve the experience at Bmore Historic for new-comers and experienced attendees alike. If you have an idea you’d like to share or a comment about your experience in 2013, please to let us know!