Collections Curation, Management & Assessment

Projects

  • Museum and archival collections management and policy development

  • Preservation assessments for cultural heritage materials, including manuscripts, objects, and electronic records

  • Historic furnishings plans

  • Curation and interpretation of historic sites and museums

  • Manuscript arrangement and description

Clients

Erica has led and collaborated on curatorial, collections management, exhibitions, and publications projects for museums, archives, historic sites, historical societies, libraries, individuals, and companies in New England and beyond since 1999.

About

A graduate of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture (now American Material Culture), Erica provides short-term and long-term consulting services and has expertise working with a wide range of collections sizes and budgets. 

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Recommendations

“Erica’s guidance on ethically deaccessioning collections from the Vermont Marble Museum proved invaluable. She is an excellent listener, deeply knowledgeable, and understands that details matter. I would not hesitate to recommend her to archival organizations or museums in need of specialized assistance.” - Ben Doyle, Executive Director, Preservation Trust of Vermont

“Our experience collaborating with Erica Donnis had a profound impact on the museum's ability to share the stories of our community history to a broader audience. Her expertise in exhibition design, an ability to respectfully navigate competing priorities and perspectives, and her proficiency in project management allowed SAM to 'bring history to life' with this full-room renovation project. Erica's capacity to ask insightful questions, to promote meaningful compromise, and to guide our staff and volunteers towards a vision that respected both our mission and our budget was invaluable. She also ensured that we maintained the appropriate conservation and accessibility standards with thoughtful care. The impact of this project will certainly become a part of SAM's legacy for the next generation - and a model for future exhibition and collections management efforts.” -Alex Lehning - Saint Albans Museum