ANNA L. WEISSMAN, PHD

Bienvenue! Witam! Welcome!

ABOUT ME

I am a social historian, researcher, and writer, currently Curator of Domestic Life at History Colorado in Denver, CO.

Public history has become a true passion. I've worked in curation, research, and exhibit development at the Matheson History Museum (Gainesville, FL), the Panama Canal Museum Collection (Gainesville, FL), the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.), the Historic Barker Mansion (Michigan City, IN), History Colorado (the Colorado State History Museum in Denver) and in historic preservation with the City of La Porte.

I have a doctorate from the University of Florida and 10 years of experience in advanced curriculum development, scholarly research, and post-secondary education as an instructor at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. I’ve published with Oxford University Press, Routledge, and in several peer-reviewed academic journals.

For more specifics on my background, expertise, and experience, check out my resume.

Resume

Legacy of Freight Permanent Exhibit

EXPERIENCE

Roles & Responsibilities

HISTORY COLORADO CENTER, Denver, CO

January 2024 -

As Associate Curator of Domestic Life, I manage and work to develop a very large collection, serve as content expert for media, public programming, exhibitions, and community outreach.

Intellectually manage, process, and meaningfully build Domestic Life collections as a part of the larger HC Collection through the pursuit of a intentional acquisition and deaccession program
Conduct original research, making results available to the public through access, outreach, exhibitions, public programming, and publications
Serve as curatorial resource to 10 History Colorado community museums and historic sites for collection development, exhibition consultation, public programming, and education
Partner with communities, including through community advisory groups, community engagement, collecting initiatives, exhibitions, online platforms, and public programs

HISTORY COLORADO CENTER, Denver, CO

June 2023-December 2023

I managed History Colorado’s exhibition development program, serving as the interpretative content expert for History Colorado's core, traveling, temporary, and regional exhibits within cross-divisional exhibit teams

Lead History Colorado exhibit projects through all phases of exhibit development ensuring that cross-departmental exhibit development teams meet the needs of exhibit projects, producing 8 exhibits annually
Help define main messages and themes, sets audience experience goals, generate storyboard, historical writing, interpretation, and exhibit script
Provide expertise on pedagogy and technique as primary translator of research and intellectual content into creative, engaging, evocative, audience-focused exhibits
Coordinate with colleagues across History Colorado, including curatorial services, collections access, publications, philanthropy, membership, marketing, and communications and design and production to ensure clear communication and coordination for exhibition planning

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF LA PORTE, IN

September 2021 - May 2023

Chair
- Lead commission in planning and executing public education and outreach events, revenue-building enterprises, and community engagement for the advancement of La Porte's significant structures and historic districts
- Lead annual planning, budget management, and ordinance compliance
- Spearheaded original research on historic districts and individual historic sites for local designation Produced 75-page orientation manual and training for new commission members
- Produced marketing and promotional materials (Guide to Local Designation; Six Reasons why Historic Preservation is Good for our Community)
- Liaised with representatives from the department of Community Development and Planning, Code Enforcement, La Porte Common Council, and the office of the Mayor to ensure ordinance compliance
- Liaised with representatives from Preserve Historic La Porte and Indiana Landmarks to coordinate on key initiatives and outreach events

HISTORIC BARKER MANSION, Michigan City, IN

July 2020 - April 2022

Restoration Project Management
- Managed $4.5-million-dollar site improvements and development projects, structural repairs, and restoration of a 165-year-old building
- Managed $50,000 historic garden restoration (fall 2020-fall 2021)
- Provided weekly project updates with guided presentations and design input for Board of Directors
- Procured conservators for specialty work
Exhibits & Digital Content Design
- Planned and implemented all temporary and permanent exhibits, including Legacy of Freight (1,200-square-foot, multi-room permanent exhibit on historic Haskell & Barker Car Factory, opens December 2022)
- Managed $300,000 exhibit budget
- Managed and collaborated on exhibit design with contracted graphic designer and illustrator
- Managed exhibit fabrication and installation timeline with Ravenswood Studio, major Chicago exhibit house
- Worked with Purdue-Northwest engineering students and faculty advisors in design and implementation of scale model of factory for inclusion in permanent exhibit
- Provided digital content including monthly newsletters, social media campaigns, curatorial presentations, photography, and videography
- Planned and implemented temporary pop-up exhibits
Collection & Archive
- Managed $2-million-dollar historical collection, digital archive, and physical archive
- Overhauled digital database and performed comprehensive inventory on entire collection (~2,000 items)
- Planned restructuring and reorganization of archive
- Supervised volunteers and part-time curatorial staff

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY (NMAH), Washington, D.C.

January 2020 - June 2020 (closure due to Covid-19)

Curatorial team, African American Social Justice History
- Designed research on acquisition history, documentation, curatorial notes, exhibits pertaining to African American history 1963-1979; developed and implemented organizational methodology of division records
- Spearheaded new collections initiative across divisions regarding responsible, community-focused collection practices, African American and Native communities
- Helped manage $40,000 for auction
Exhibition team, “Girlhood: It’s Complicated” exhibit (5,000 sq. foot gallery, June 12, 2020- January 2, 2022) and traveling exhibit (2023-2025)
Collection team, “New Paths to Change: Undocumented Immigrant Activism, 2000 to Present,” with the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
Researcher and copywriter for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Center for Restorative History

MATHESON HISTORY MUSEUM, Gainesville, FL

Dec 2018 - Aug 2019

“McCarthy Moment: The Johns Committee at the University of Florida (1958-59),” Feb 2020 -Aug 2020
- Planned exhibit and generated theme, storyboard, and content
- Historical writing and interpretation and exhibition script, catalogues, and media for temporary exhibition
- Included collections and curatorial work
- Spearheaded microfiche research in local newspapers for inclusion as featured exhibition objects
- Coordinated with local LGBTQ organizations to cultivate partnerships for objects donations and partnerships in public and on-site museum programming
“Trailblazers: 150 Years of Alachua County Women,” March 2020, for Celebrate Women 2020
- City-wide celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment
- Generated content and storyboarding
- Communicated with local experts and organizations for exhibit development and programming partnership

PANAMA CANAL MUSEUM COLLECTION, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, GEORGE A. SMATHERS LIBRARIES, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, Gainesville, FL

Feb 2018 - Aug 2019

Guest curator of temporary exhibit “Fog of War? WWII Propaganda in the Panama Canal Zone,” March 2020
- Researched, developed, and curated exhibition for 15 large cases
- Created object list, curator’s statement, all interpretive text, exhibit layout, and exhibit press release
- Worked with Curation and Collections Management teams in the Panama Canal Museum Collection and the Latin American and Caribbean Collection
- Presented proposal to exhibit stakeholders for final stage approval
Collections management
- Inventory for objects and developed and implemented new organizational system based on medium for objects of the Panama Canal Museum Collection
- Coordinated projects in consultation with Head of Special Collections

EDUCATION

PH.D., POLITICAL SCIENCE,

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2019

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE, WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES,

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2015

M.A., POLITICAL SCIENCE,

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2014

B.A., INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,

LAKE FOREST COLLEGE (LAKE FOREST, IL)

2010

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

curriculum development and instruction

INSTRUCTOR UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2018 - 2019

Department of Political Science

Politics of Eastern Europe (CPO 3614/EUS 3930; Fall 2018)

Designed new 17-week upper-level course including all pedagogical materials, student learning outcomes, exam assessments, and weekly assignments

Designed and managed course's web-based learning management system

INSTRUCTOR, SANTA FE COLLEGE (GAINESVILLE, FL)

2015 - 2019

Department of Behavioral Sciences

Introduction to American Politics (POS 2041; Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2017, Fall 2017)

Introduction to Global Politics (INR 2001; Spring 2017 - three sections)

Designed new 16-week general education courses including all pedagogical materials, student learning outcomes, exam assessments, and weekly assignments
Designed and managed courses' web-based learning management system

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Department of Political Science

Introduction to International Relations (INR 2001; Fall 2014, Spring 2015, online Summer 2015)

Politics of World Economy (INR 3034; Spring 2012)

Designed and managed all course assessments and web-based learning management systems
Designed, wrote, and filmed 10 presentations for INR course offered online via Camtasia

2012 - 2015