Current Projects
Courtesy of Proun Design.
Marblehead Museum – Lee Mansion and Slave Quarters
Exhibit Development and Visitor Experience Plan
Kristin is working with Marblehead Museum staff and Proun Design to develop a new exhibit on the history of slavery in Marblehead in the rehabilitated slave quarters. She is also creating a comprehensive reinterpretation of the mansion, quarters, and grounds. The quarters building served as a detached kitchen, unusual in Colonial New England, coach house, and living quarters for Lee’s four enslaved individuals, making it only one of three extant detached slave quarters in New England.
Courtesy of SHM.
Surratt House Museum
Education Program Development
In consultation with community activists, local educators, child psychologists, and public historians, Kristin is developing a comprehensive and conscientious 2nd-grade school program based on Maryland’s state standards of learning. The program focuses on the life of Nathan Simms, a young Black boy who was enslaved on this antebellum Maryland plantation. Surratt House Museum – home of convicted Lincoln-conspirator Mary Surratt, her family, and the eight people she enslaved – is a historic property of The Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
Courtesy of RWU.
Roger Williams University – Honors College
Course Development and Teaching
Kristin is developing a new course, titled “Legacies of Race and Slavery in Our World,” for RWU’s Honor College. Students will explore how race and the legacy of chattel slavery continue to play a central role in our world, from our identities and lived experiences to disparities in wealth, education, health, home ownership, transportation, the judicial system, even sports and media.
Past Projects
Courtesy of GVPS.
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
Strategic Planning and Curriculum Development
Kristin, in partnership with Danielle Harrison of Mission, Faith, Equity Consulting, brought together Visi’s staff, board, alumna, and students to accomplish their goals of “Learning, Reflecting, and Teaching” about the school/monastery’s history of enslavement and the lives of people enslaved at Visitation. Together, they reached a deeper understanding of how this history impacts their community; found opportunities for reflection and reconciliation; and identified ways to make their community more inclusive. Kristin also collaborated with the staff to integrate the history and related social justice content into their curricular and co-curricular offerings.
Courtesy of ARHO.
Arlington House National Memorial,
National Capital Area Office
Interpretive and Strategic Planning
In a series of projects, Kristin worked with the Arlington House staff to develop values, non-negotiables, and preferred language for interpreting the history of enslavement at the property. Following this, she facilitated the development of the “In Conversation” rubric to help National Capital Area Park Service units develop comprehensive and conscientious interpretations of slavery and connect with their communities.
Courtesy of MUSE.
King’s Chapel – Text Panels
Development and Writing
This collaborative effort, with Every Museum a Civic Museum and Heirloom Consulting, resulted in the redevelopment of the self-guided exhibit in Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. Kristin co-wrote the text to help revitalize the visitor experience in this masterpiece of Georgian architecture – site of revolutions in religious thought and American ideals.
Courtesy of ONI.
Old North Illuminated – Unearthing Childhood: 300 Years of North End Kids Exhibit
Co-curator
With ONI staff, Kristin co-curated the family-friendly exhibit which explores the lives of seven real children of diverse backgrounds who lived in Boston’s North End in the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s. This multimedia exhibit includes archaeological artifacts on loan from the City of Boston, videos, and activities.
Courtesy of AASLH.
AASLH’s 250th Anniversary Program Handbook
Content Developer and Writer
In collaboration with the American Association for State and Local History’s staff and project advisors, Kristin developed and wrote the “250th Anniversary Program Handbook.” The handbook offers history organizations simple,
sustainable ideas to inspire planning for the Semiquincentennial.
Courtesy of Belle Grove Historic Plantation.
Cedar Creek & Belle Grove
Staff Professional Development Workshops
Contracted by the National Park Service, in multiple years, to deliver professional development workshops for NPS rangers and staff/volunteers at partner site, Belle Grove Historic Plantation. Sessions included: how race and identity affect the giving/receiving of interpretive narratives; developing comprehensive interpretive narratives; and using cultural resources and the built environment to tell the stories of enslaved people, with a focus on the Civil War.
Courtesy of Old North Illuminated.
Old North Illuminated
Interpretive Planning and Staff Training
Kristin collaborated with consultant Nicole Moore to convene historians, public historians, and community members to develop an interpretive plan for Old North Church Historic Site, with a focus on the Church’s economic complicity in slavery/slave trade and enslaved congregants. Together, they prepared and delivered a comprehensive staff training plan (train the trainer model) that ONI staff can implement with new cohorts of front line staff.
Courtesy of LOWE.
Unbroken Bonds: The Meaning of Slavery and Abolition in a Northern Textile City
Content Developer and Writer
This collection of documents and short essays, developed by Kristin, shows the antislavery movement in Lowell, Massachusetts from multiple perspectives – economic and political, radical and moderate, Black and white – to help students build understandings of how everyday people responded to the injustices of slavery.
Courtesy of USSCM
USS Constitution Museum – “All Hands on Deck: A Sailor’s Life in 1812” Exhibit
Educator
Kristin was a core member of the team that developed the themes, text, and interactives for the prototype exhibit. The exhibit was part of a multi-year project, funded by NEH and IMLS, to examine how families learn together in unfacilitated history museum exhibits.
Courtesy of SAMA.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Visitor Experience Planning
After convening historians and public history professionals, Kristin led the SAMA team to refine their interpretive themes; develop essential questions and interpretive values; identify desired visitor experience for multiple audiences; and prioritize education, curatorial, and interpretive tasks to enhance the visitor experience. She repeated this process with SAMA’s sister site, Saugus Ironworks National Historic Site.
Courtesy of MHS
Montana Historical Society – Hands-on History Footlockers
Project Manager, Developer, Writer
A favorite resource of history teachers across the state of Montana, Kristin redeveloped existing titles and created new titles for the hands-on history kits. The Footlockers are thematic traveling trucks that contain reproduction clothing, tools, everyday objects, maps, photographs, and documents. The user guides include historical narratives for educators and students, lesson plans, and biographies.
Courtesy of TIHC.
Tsongas Industrial History Center – Remote Learning Modules
Content Developer, Writer, Designer
Kristin designed TIHC’s Remote Learning Modules to align with state and national social studies and/or science standards. Each module addresses a topic related to the Industrial Revolution and consists of primary documents, secondary sources, photographs, videos, questions, and writing prompts.