Beyond the Exhibition: A Virtual Conversation on The Declaration in Progress
Date
Thursday, October 1, 2026 | 12 pm
Location
Tickets
Free with advance Zoom registration
Join us for a virtual conversation on the exhibition The Declaration in Progress. Uncover the compelling stories behind the featured objects and see how individual actions have continually shaped our nation's history. Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we will examine how these historic pieces interact with one another and highlight how ordinary citizens have consistently advocated to broaden rights for others throughout our 250-year history. Designed to inspire, this interactive event invites audience participation and places a spotlight on the Calls to Action highlighted in the physical exhibition.
Join History Curator Gaila Sims and a panel of experts from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. Hear from Exhibition Developer Lauren Cooper, Designer Danelle Rubio, and Senior Collections Manager Beth Werling as they discuss their experiences bringing this exhibition to life and share their hopes for future visitors.
Meet the Speakers
Gaila Sims – Moderator, Assistant Curator of History
Dr. Gaila Sims is the Assistant Curator of History at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Originally from Riverside, California, she received her BA in History and African American Studies from Oberlin College and her MA and PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Sims has held positions at several museums, archives, and cultural institutions, including the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, the Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Harry Ransom Center, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
From 2022-2025, she served as the inaugural Curator of African American History at the Fredericksburg Area Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Lauren Cooper – Panelist, Exhibition Developer
Lauren Cooper joined the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County as an Exhibition Developer in 2023. A storyteller with nearly twelve years of museum experience, she works with curators and designers to create engaging and accessible exhibition narratives for our visitors. She previously held similar roles at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Philadelphia), the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia), and the Huntington (San Marino, CA). Lauren also has extensive experience managing small press and digital publications, and is an Editorial Advisor for the American Alliance of Museums’ Exhibition journal.
Danelle Rubio - Panelist, Exhibition Designer
Danelle Rubio joined the NHM Exhibit Design team in 2022 as a designer for the Mobile Museum, Tar Pits edition and has since led design for several exhibitions including the NHM Commons’ Why We Collect and Unearthed, earning her a Senior Designer position. Danelle holds a B. Arch from Woodbury University and Masters of Architecture degree from Syracuse University. Her professional experience prior to NHM includes set design, art direction and technical fabrication design for themed entertainment attractions, children’s play spaces and science institutions.
Beth Werling – Senior Collections Manager, History Department, NHMLAC
Beth Werling is the Senior Collections Manager in the History Department at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. She is responsible for overseeing the three-dimensional artifacts—everything from jewelry and can openers to a 1915 race car and the first plane to circumnavigate the globe. Her area of specialty is film history, of which the Natural History Museum has a world-renowned collection of artifacts, including movie costumes. In addition to her work at the Natural History Museum, Beth is also involved with several history organizations and committees.
This program is presented as part of the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute (EMSI) LA2026 project, supported in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
