THE DEBACLE UNFOLDS

THE TIPPING POINT:

Artist IBe' Crawley's planned residency cancelled by the Board with no explanation.

Mere days before IBe's planned residency in August was to begin, she was informed by the museum that her residency was cancelled. She asked to speak to Tracy Honn, Board President or other board members to learn why, and was told they did not want to speak to her at that time. She asked if she could pay the public fee to still print, and was told she could not print there at all. In an act of intervention, IBe' still went to the museum on the day her residency was to begin, and was turned away. Meanwhile, on that same day and in the follow weeks, another group and another artist were allowed to print in the museum.

Hear in IBe’s own words what happened

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IBe Crawley (@ibearted)

Programming Cancelled

In addition to IBe' Crawley's residency cancellation, other residencies and exhibits of artists were also cancelled without explanation. Years of staff dedication and community building destroyed overnight by opaque board decisions. Black artists disrespected and denied access to resources. LGBTQ+ and other initiatives terminated without warning or justification.

Wayzgoose Boycott

In an earnest attempt to understand what was happening, several community members met with and spoke with the Board President, Tracy Honn, and asked for the rationale for these decisions. She would not provide an explanation.

This resulted in speakers cancelling their participation in the upcoming Wayzgoose event (Nov. 7-9, 2025), demanding accountability. Community engagement grinded to a halt.

Below are some (among many) of the initial social media posts of people who announced their concerns and boycott of the museum and conference in protest of the Board's behavior:

Rachel Simmons
Julie Chen
Jenn Graves
Melissa Blount
Ben Blount
Sarah Matthews
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Brad Vetter
Desiree Aspiras

All eight keynote speakers cancelled participating due to the Board's actions.

Over 60% of presenters cancelled due to the Board's actions.

Many registered attendees asked for refunds, and many who planned to go stated they would boycott the event too. Subsequently, the Board was forced to cancel the event.

Board's insufficient and unacceptable responses

The Board of Directors has largely remained silent, and their statements thus far have only provided vague statements that fail to address the gravity of the community's questions and concerns. Their first public response to the community blamed what happened to IBe' Crawley on "a series of logistical mistakes." Their second public attempt at a response then blamed the staff. Comments from the community were then deleted by the Board on their Instagram (which were captured and saved HERE by community member Rob Miller).

The Board’s responses have lacked transparency, and failed to take accountability. What they have communicated shows a lack of commitment to resolving the issues and further erodes trust of the Board's ability to lead.

Board Overreach and Neglect of the museum's mission

On Hamilton's website, they state the following:

OUR MISSION:
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum preserves history for creative use today.

OUR VALUES
Welcoming: We want you to feel at home.
Community-minded: We like sharing and being connected.
Open: We are authentic and transparent.
Responsive: We listen and act.
Passionate: We love to tell our story.
Steadfast: We keep and make history.

OUR VISION
What do we see in place for HWT&PM in 2047, as a result of our collection action?
In 2047 we see… An inclusive and welcoming culture in a mission-supporting space (“A museum with walls built around it”) that is a community keystone with an infrastructure that provides comprehensive digitization for accessible experiences, and preservation and protection of the collection; [with] sustainable financial security: HWT&PM is a unique model for a vibrant working museum.

The Board of Directors have been managing the day-to-day operations since January 2025 (even though the previous Executive Director was still there). None of their observed actions or decisions align with the museum's stated mission, vision, or values. Their closed-door actions and opaque decision-making have undermined years of community trust and progress.

Zero Transparency

Decisions made behind closed doors without community input, staff consultation. or explanation of rationale for decisions when asked.

Staff Efforts and Community Relationships Undermined

Diligent work of dedicated staff in creating engaging program offerings and building strong business and vendor relationships in the Two Rivers community completely disregarded.

Neglect of the museum's collection

Hamilton’s wood type archive is a one-of-a-kind collection that deserves appropriate and consistent preservation and care. Community members and visitors have voiced concern that some storage conditions may be affecting parts of the collection and the spaces where materials are kept, and could pose risks to the collection and those who work with it.

These materials are not just historical artifacts; they are living tools of craft and teaching. Continued attention to conservation and safe storage practices will ensure that this irreplaceable resource remains accessible for generations to come.

Financial harm

The Museum's mission, programming, and important collections are endangered by the board's reckless operational decisions. Due to their problematic behavior and insufficient response to the community, the annual Wayzgoose conference - the museum's primary revenue-generating event - was boycotted and subsequently cancelled. According to the museum's last published annual report (2022), Wayzgoose accounts for 21% of the museum's annual revenue. This is a significant loss, and could have been avoided.

Loss of members, donors, and sponsors

In addition to the loss of revenue from the cancelled Wayzgoose event, many members, donors, and sponsors have stated they are re-considering whether they will renew their support.