Desert Dialogues: Place-Based Learning in Rural Communities

ID: WMA2026_605

Track:

Rural museums are uniquely positioned to connect communities to place — but how do you build programs rooted in local knowledge, relationships, and landscape? This session introduces Desert Dialogues, a community of practice led by the High Desert Museum, with two pathways: culturally sustaining place-based family programs and dialogue-based approaches about key community issues. Participants experience hands-on activities and leave with practical tools to apply at their own sites — and a path to get involved.

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: Two proven pathways, one free toolkit, and hands-on activities that model what place-based community engagement looks like in practice.

Objectives: Objective 1: Understand Desert Dialogues and the research behind place-based learning in museum contexts. Participants will be able to describe the Desert Dialogues community of practice, its two pathways, and the research findings that inform the program’s design. They will understand how culturally sustaining approaches to family programming and dialogue-based approaches can deepen a museum’s connection to the people and landscapes it serves. Objective 2: Experience place-based learning firsthand and reflect on its application to their own practice. By participating in hands-on activities drawn from both Desert Dialogues pathways, attendees will move from abstract understanding to embodied experience. A structured debrief will help them identify specific ways the methodology could be adapted and applied in their own communities, regardless of institution size, type, or budget. Objective 3: Access a freely available toolkit and leave with a concrete path forward. Participants will leave with direct access to a toolkit — including adaptable activities, facilitation guides, and lessons learned from the program. They will also understand how to get involved with Desert Dialogues and what participation looks like, giving them multiple entry points for bringing this work back to their own organizations.

Engagement: Participants begin with a brief opening prompt to share their community context. Presenters share what Desert Dialogues looks like in practice and research findings from the program. Participants then experience hands-on activities from both pathways — place-based family programming and dialogue-based approaches. Discussion connects the experience to participants' own work. A freely accessible toolkit is shared for immediate use.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Curators/Scientists/Historians Other 

Professional Level: All levels 

Scalability:

Desert Dialogues was designed from the ground up to be adaptable. The two pathways — culturally sustaining family programming and dialogue-based approaches — are built around principles that translate across organization type and size. A small historic site, a Tribal cultural center, a nature center, and a large natural history museum can all find an entry point, because the methodology centers local knowledge, community relationships, and landscape rather than budget or infrastructure. The freely accessible toolkit removes financial barriers to adoption entirely, and session examples will draw from Desert Dialogues participants across a range of institution types and regions.

Museum educators, community engagement staff, curators, and leadership will each find relevant takeaways — whether they are looking to launch a new community program, deepen an existing one, or simply explore what place-based practice could look like at their institution. Attendees do not need to join Desert Dialogues to benefit; the toolkit and methodology are freely available to anyone who walks through the door.

Participants