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SEMC2025 Pre-conference Workshop


Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past
Reckoning & Reimagining: Building the Future Through the Lens of 250 years

Workshop dates: 

Workshop times: 

  • Saturday October 18 - Reception/Dinner: 5PM-8PMCST (times TBC)
  • Sunday October 19 - Workshop: 8AM-4PM CST

Workshop location: 

  • Renaissance Montgomery Hotel, Montgomery, Alabama 

Workshop Overview  

Introduction

Sponsored by the pan Smithsonian initiative Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past, the Reckoning & Reimagining: Building the Future Through the Lens of 250 years is a one-day pre-conference workshop to be held on October 19, 2025. It is designed for museum and cultural institution professionals interested in hosting program(s) for the upcoming U.S. semiquincentennial anniversary to contemplate and reflect on local legacies of race and racism. This workshop will be held prior to the 2025 Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) in Montgomery, Alabama from October 20-22, 2025. Afterwards, workshop participants are invited to apply for a funding award to implement their semiquincentennial program. The workshop will be free for all participants.

Background

Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past (RWORP) emerges from both centuries of systemic racism and its urgent, present-day reality. The initiative seeks to build a more equitable future through interdisciplinary scholarship, creative partnerships, dialogue, and engagement. The upcoming semiquincentennial of the United States offers an opportunity for the initiative to further collaborate on programs that reflect on the last 250 years and inform how museums and cultural institutions can be a part of the future building of the next 250 years.

Overview of the Reckoning and Imagining Pre-Conference Workshop

On October 19, 2025, we will convene two representatives from ten Southeastern museums and cultural institutions for an immersive, forward-looking workshop. This workshop invites participants to examine how the ideals of freedom, democracy, and belonging are interwoven with the legacies of race and racism over America’s first 250 years. This exercise will guide a creative brainstorm on shaping a program plan for your museum. Renowned museum field experts will join as thought partners, guiding small‐group explorations across a broad array of topics.

By day’s end, attendees will depart with:

  • Deeper insights for semiquincentennial programming at their institution that interweaves RWORP’s key pillars.
  • Dedicated time with experts in the field to ideate, plan, and identify potential programming plans for the semiquincentennial and beyond.
  • Identifying potential collaborating partners in the region.
  • Learning from experts in the field who have experience working with sensitive subject matter in a public forum. 
  • Strengthened network(s) of Southeastern colleagues ready to collaborate on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
  • Being able to incorporate pillar learnings into future programming or connections with audiences.

Workshop Framing Device

The workshop is anchored by Reckoning with Our Racial Past’s key race pillars guiding participants as they craft their programs. They were specifically designed to make systemic racism feel identifiable, feel relevant to our lives, and most importantly, feel changeable. These lenses will also help teams pinpoint target audiences and strategic opportunities while inviting a critical reflection on the American project.

The pillars are:

  • Race and Wealth
  • Race and Place
  • Race and Wellness
  • Race, Art, and Aesthetics
  • Race, Policy and Ethics
  • Race Outside the U.S.

Find more information on the pillars here: Our Pillars | Reckoning With Our Racial Past | Smithsonian

Award Opportunities

In November 2025, all workshop participants will be invited to submit their semiquincentennial  programming proposals. Each proposal should outline a public program for local audiences that integrates two or more of the pillars.

  • Eligibility: one submission per institution
  • Award amount: up to $7,500 per project
  • Purpose: supplemental funding for semiquincentennial institutional program budgets

More information on the application process and evaluation criteria will be provided during the October workshop.

Who can apply:  

All museums and cultural organizations based in the Southeastern region as defined by SEMC-including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands- are invited to apply for the pre-conference workshop. This workshop is designed to help institutions deepen their engagement with the Southeastern Museums Conference and strengthen regional collaborations. Submissions from SEMC member institutions of a variety of sizes (budget, staff, content, etc.) will be prioritized. We warmly encourage institutions that are not yet SEMC members to also apply. If selected, their participation in the pre-conference workshop can serve as a meaningful step toward future membership.

Team Composition Requirements:

To maximize impact, we require applying institutions to send a team of 2 individuals.

Individual team members should:

  • Be actively involved in community engagement, public programming, or related initiatives at their institution.
  • Have the capacity and institutional backing to implement workshop ideas back home.

Executive Sponsor Statement:

Each application must include a brief statement from your executive sponsor (CEO,  Executive Director, President, or equivalent) that:

  • Affirms understanding of the workshop’s goals.
  • Commits institutional support for staff attendance and participation.
  • Empowers the team to develop and propose a semiquincentennial public program.

What is included: 

Conference registration for SEMC 2025 (both participating individuals)

  • If already registered, participant will receive credit for SEMC2026 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. No refunds for 2025 registration will be issued.
Hotel Lodging from October 18-22, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama
  •    Lodging will be at or near the conference hotel

Roundtrip Travel

  • Transportation funds will take into consideration the distance needed to travel to and from Montgomery, AL. Transportation is inclusive of economy airfare, taxis to and from airport and hotel, or personal vehicle use, gas to and from Montgomery, and hotel parking for October 18-22, 2025. 

Meals

  • Each participant will receive funds for October 18-22 in line with the federal meal per diem. Amount takes into consideration the reception on October 18, lunch on October 19.  

All other costs not listed above will be the participant's responsibility.

How to apply:

Each institution interested in applying should submit 1 application form (via link below - coming soon).

Timeline

  • Application Opens: August 6, 2025
  • Application Closes: August 15, 2025
  • Notifications Sent by August 29, 2025

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Saturday October 18, 2025: Participants are required to attend the workshop opening reception/dinner (Saturday 10/18); we will use our time together for a workshop orientation and as a meet and greet for the cohort at or near the Renaissance Hotel.

More details forthcoming.

Sunday October 19, 2025: Workshop will run from 8 AM to 4PM Central Time

Breakfast (provided)

Morning Session will focus on:

  • Reviewing framework pillars and participant share out their institution's relationship with U.S. semiquincentennial programming.
  • Identifying the audience(s) that your institution has a working relationship or wants to begin relationship building.
  • Introduction of guest speakers.
Lunch (provided)
 
Afternoon Session will focus on:
  • Obstacles and challenges brainstorming with guest speakers.
  • Dedicated time to plan out program with team member.
  • How to apply for the future funding award.
 
Monday October 20-Tuesday October 21, 2025: RWORP will host open hours throughout the SEMC conference for the cohort to further share ideas and connect to potential collaborators. More details forthcoming.

November 2025: Award application opens for semiquincetennial programming. Workshop participants may apply to receive up to $7,500 funding award to implement a program focusing on semiquincetennial programming that touches on the legacies of race and racism.

December – March 2026: Selected applications will receive notifications of their approved programming. Awards will be directly distributed by the Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative by March.

April – September 2026: Suggested timeline of when the approved program should occur. The project manager will host check-in sessions with each institution to see connections and potential collaboration regional collaborations across participants.

September 1- November 1, 2026: Final report of program is due. 

Application Link (coming soon)