Events

NEMA 2025

Local Contexts will join representatives from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, Wilson Museum, Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, and University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of a session at the New England Museum Association (NEMA) annual conference. 

The session, “Rethinking Indigenous Collections Stewardship: Incorporating Culturally Appropriate Care and Cultural Authority,” will introduce several resources to build museum capacity to center Indigenous values and rights in collections care, management, and use. 

Speakers include:

  • Julia Gray, Executive Director, Wilson Museum
  • Sara Restrepo, Program Coordinator, Stockbridge-Munsee Community
  • Ashley Rojas, Integration Specialist & Web Developer, Local Contexts
  • Marla Taylor, Curator of Collections, Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology
  • Julie Woods, Director of Repatriation/NAGPRA Coordinator, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This year, the NEMA annual conference will be held November 5-7, in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, with the theme “Wellness Check: A Holistic View of Museums in the First Quarter Century.”

More information about the conference is available on the NEMA website.

Upcoming Events

Biocultural & Sciences Working Group meeting

janvier 22, 2026
, 06:00 UTC
“Working Groups and Networks.” Text on decorative orange background.

The next Local Contexts Biocultural and Sciences Working Group (BSWG) will be held Thursday, January 22nd at 06:00 UTC.  For this meeting, we will focus on our collaborative Code of Conduct document, as well as opening the floor for share-outs from recent convenings such as Living Data and Climate Week. Current and invited members of the …

Cultural Institution Working Group meeting

janvier 14, 2026
, 19:00 UTC
“Working Groups and Networks.” Text on decorative orange background.

The next Local Contexts Cultural Institution Working Group meeting will be held January 14, 19:00 UTC. This meeting will host a presentation from Emily Johnson and Leomary Rodriguez of Catalyst Dance and their work on the Decolonization Rider. The Decolonization Rider is a powerful tool designed to advance decolonization processes within cultural institutions while protecting …