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Milton Historical Society announces new administrators

December 6, 2018

The Milton Historical Society announced the newest members of the MHS Family, Mary Knight, director, and Heidi Nasstrom Evans, Ph.D, the first MHS chief curator.

“Mary Knight and Heidi Nasstrom Evans are an exceptional duo,” said Marie Mayor, board president. “The MHS Board of Trustees is pleased with the experience and talent these two individuals bring to the museum and to Milton. Great things are coming!”

Knight resides in Milton, and has a diverse background in marketing, social media, outreach, business and nonprofit management. She is a former entrepreneur and former operations director for a clean water advocacy nonprofit. Knight is an avid volunteer, and has extensive collaborating on development programs with corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

In her role as MHS director, Knight will provide leadership and vision to the board, staff and its stakeholders, making the Lydia B. Cannon Museum a destination for residents, students and visitors in southern Delaware. Through increased outreach and fundraising efforts the museum will be able to provide enhanced programming and exhibits for all who enter her doors.

“This is a time for growth in our community and the trustees have made a strategic decision to have both a director and chief curator. This is the first step toward long-term growth and planning - planning for future generations,” said Knight.

Nasstrom Evans has hit the ground running as Milton Historical Society’s first chief curator at the Lydia B. Cannon Museum. In this new position, her focus will be on the museum’s collections - care, acquisitions, research, publications, exhibitions and education.

Nasstrom Evans said, “Plans are underway for an exhibit on Milton’s hometown hero Bryan Stevenson opening in May 2019. Stevenson, a graduate of Cape Henlopen High School, went on to study law at Harvard and dedicate his career to protecting the rights of the most vulnerable people in our society. Just last month, he was presented the 2018 E! People’s Champion Award. We are collaborating with his family to create a dynamic exhibit that celebrates Stevenson’s life work. The show is for all ages but especially seeks to inspire local students through Stevenson’s powerful example.”

Nasstrom Evans is a full-time resident of Rehoboth Beach. She brings extensive museum experience to her role at the Lydia B. Cannon Museum at MHS, having curated and contributed to exhibits at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin and the Albany Institute of History and Art in New York.

She is also a professor of humanities at University of Maryland, University College. Nasstrom Evans has worked in academia for more than 20 years as both a university administrator and professor of decorative arts and design history at a program she helped found at the Smithsonian offered by the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, and in the Department of American Studies at University of Maryland, College Park.

For more information about the Milton Historical Society’s programs, visit the Lydia B. Cannon Museum at 204 Union St., Milton from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, go to www.historicmilton.org or call 302-684-1010.

 

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