Call for Pop-Ups

The National Council on Public History is soliciting proposals for pop-up exhibits, activities, and skills labs to set up in the exhibit hall over the course of the 2025 Annual Meeting in Montréal, Québec, Canada. We introduced this pop-up proposal process in 2017 and found that attendees appreciated the opportunity to take part in less formal programming while spending time in the exhibit hall. At the same time, this is a great opportunity for presenters to get on the program in Montréal and share their work or knowledge with fellow NCPH attendees in a casual, visual, and interactive way.

Propose a pop-up: https://ncph.org/conference/2025-annual-meeting/cfps/call-for-pop-ups/pop-up-proposal-form/
Deadline: November 15, 2024
Questions before you submit a pop-up proposal? Email Program Manager Meghan Hillman at [email protected].
Learn more about NCPH pop-ups from this History@Work blog post.

GUIDELINES

The pop-up format is, by nature, flexible and spontaneous. NCPH welcomes a wide variety of proposals and has few specific expectations in terms of materials or content. The proposal form will ask you to consider some of the basics of your pop-up. We do ask that your pop-up fit loosely into one of the following categories:

An exhibit: This should be distinct from a poster presentation in that the level of visual interest and interactivity should be bumped up a notch. Whether it’s via exhibit panels or objects on display, attendees should have the chance to take a deeper dive into your topic and ask questions.

Examples: In 2017, exhibit panels for the local exhibit “Kahn Tailoring: The Story of an Immigrant Business in Indianapolis” set up in the exhibit hall for a couple of hours.

2017’s pop-up “Made in the USA: Prison Labor and the Invisible Foundation of Philadelphia” displayed objects made by prison labor to spark conversation about how Americans unknowingly benefit from the carceral state.

2019’s pop-up exhibit “A Home Away from Home: Greater Hartford’s West Indian Diaspora” explored the rich tapestry of West Indiana immigration narratives through oral histories and local community archives.

An activity: This might have elements of an exhibit, but take it a step farther by asking attendees to participate, offer feedback, or bring their own experiences to the table.

Examples: 2015’s pop-up “The Lost Museum Collections Annex” resurrected the Jenks Museum, a natural history collection that once existed at Brown University. Participants learned about the museum and helped recreate lost museum specimens in miniature.

In 2017’s pop-up “Come Together: Mural Making as Record-Taking,”
attendees were invited to work together to create a visual record of their conference experience by drawing something they learned or felt while at the conference while reflecting on the importance of public and community art.

In 2018’s pop-up “Remembrance and Healing in the Mexican Ofrenda,” University of Nevada, Las Vegas students and staff built an ofrenda for those who lost their lives at the previous fall’s Route 91 Harvest Festival and invited attendees to add to the ofrenda.

A skills lab: We’re looking for people who have a specific skill to share with attendees and can spend 30 minutes leading a brief, informal crash course about it. Whether it’s crafting an excellent exhibit label, building a basic budget in Excel, or mounting a panel on a wall, we know that public historians amass a lot of specific skill-based knowledge—and attendees will relish the opportunity to get practical, introductory exposure to some tools from a professional. We ask that you keep these relatively low-tech and flexible.

Example: In 2018, the skills lab “Prints & Photos at the Library of Congress” walked attendees through activities designed to teach visual literacy and get participants thinking about image as primary documents and gave tips for finding rights-free images.

In 2019’s “TV Time! Are You Ready to Go ‘Public’ When News Producers Call?” participants learned best practices for sharing information on televisions news, radio, or podcast interviews and how to be media-ready when the call comes.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT HALL IN MONTREAL

Pop-ups will be given two six-foot tables with chairs in the exhibit hall, and additional space (including round tables) will be available in the Commons gathering space where attendees can interact with the pop-up or sit to take part in a skills lab. NCPH may be able to provide some materials for the pop-up (such as electrical service and easels) if given sufficient notice.

Exhibit hall hours are as follows:
Thursday, March 27, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, March 28, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday, March 29, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

While filling out the proposal form, please indicate which days will work best for you, and we’ll make every effort to accommodate you should your proposal be accepted. If you don’t think the exhibit hall is the right space for your activity, just let us know—if it’s feasible we’ll happily work with you to explore using other common spaces or session rooms.