Event Details

Danielle Benden served as the Senior Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2007-2016. In 2017, she launched Driftless Pathways, LLC, a museum consulting business.  As owner of Driftless Pathways, she develops collections assessments, provides guidance on collections planning and rehabilitation projects, and offers professional development training for small museums and historical societies.  She has taught Archaeological Curation and Field Methods courses at the university level for over ten years. In addition, Ms. Benden has instructed a variety of professional development trainings including SAA online seminars for archaeologists, and tailored curatorial programs for small museum staff. She has more than 15 years of archaeological fieldwork experience, ten of which have been directing field projects.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Master of Science in Museum and Field Studies with an archaeology emphasis from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

She is the current Chair of SAA’s Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation and serves on the Archaeological Collections Consortium. This work puts her at the forefront of the most current issues involving archaeological curation.

Orphaned collections affect every sector of archaeology. This seminar will provide guidance for working through the process of remedying orphaned collections by offering a framework by which to understand what they are and how they became orphaned, so as to prevent similar circumstances in the future. A resource guide is offered to participants, outlining specific criteria and procedures for determining appropriate methods to resolve issues associated with orphaned collections. This seminar will be beneficial for students nearing graduation, CRM employees, academics, and government personnel.

1. Provide attendees with a framework by which to understand, discuss, and remedy problems associated with orphaned archaeological collections.
2. Teach participants about their roles, responsibilities, and rights as they relate to orphaned collections.
3. Offer solutions and resources to those who would like to resolve issues and concerns associated with orphaned collections.