History-related Consulting or Creative Services

A selected list

Soucy Insurance Agency, Inc.
In 2007, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, Soucy Insurance Agency, Inc. of Salem hired Bonnie to research and document the company's founding days and publicize their anniversary year. The results included a brochure, display panels for the agency's lobby, and several news stories -- all designed to inform existing customers and deepen those relationships, and attract new business.

Escapes North (North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau)
As the Escapes North Project Manager, and working under a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bonnie worked with colleagues at the Peabody Essex Museum, the North of Boston CVB, and independent writers and designers to develop online and in-print materials that would entice visitors to the North Shore. These materials included: themed trails on the subjects of art, literature, and architecture; themed hotel packages; advertisements; email blasts; a brochure; and a complete transformation of the Escapes North website. As part of her work for Escapes North, Bonnie also developed publicity materials for the North Shore's
17th Century Saturdays (a collaboration with Historic New England and the Essex National Heritage Commission) and helped publicize Celebrate Salem (a collaboration with all of Salem's cultural organizations).

Armory Memorial Park, Peabody Essex Museum
The PEM hired Bonnie to plan the opening events for this memorial park which was the first completed phase of the museum's celebrated expansion. Armory Memorial Park is is dedicated to veterans and civilians who have served our nation for almost 400 years, and to the founding of today's National Guard which traces its roots to 17th-century Salem.

Ipswich-to-Ipswich: History through Art
The project's steering committee, which is comprised of civic, business, and cultural community leaders and artists, hired Bonnie Hurd Smith to publicize this textile and embroidery exhibit from England which will appear in Ipswich, Mass., during the summer of 2007.

Ipswich Historical Society and Museum
Bonnie was hired to serve as interim executive director, and then asked to stay on as director. Today, she continues to advise the board president on public relations and interpretation.

Bowditch Bicentennial
Bonnie worked with the City of Salem, Salem community groups, and the U.S. Navy to plan events and create publications for the 200th anniversary of Nathaniel Bowditch's unsurpassed publication, The American Practical Navigator. She was also hired by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site (National Park Service) to
design a brochure of sites in Salem relating to Bowditch titled "Bowditch's Salem."

Boston Women's Heritage Trail
The former executive director of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail, Bonnie still provides graphic design, writing, and public relations services to the board. Most recently, she designed and contributed research to the new Boston Women's Heritage Trail Guidebook.

Emerson Bicentennial Exhibit and Companion Book
The Emerson Bicentennial Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association commissioned Bonnie to write and design an exhibit for Emerson's bicentennial year in 2003 titled The Living Legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Her work inspired them to publish the exhibit as a book. The exhibit appeared in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center and First Church in Boston, and in Salem, Mass., at the First Church in Salem.

Statehouse Project to Honor the Contributions of Women
As the director of external affairs for the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Bonnie researched and wrote publicity, fundraising, and event materials for this first-ever project at the Massachusetts Statehouse. She also planned and managed early fundraising campaign events throughout the state. Today, the text and sculpture memorial may be seen outside Doric Hall.

Judith Sargent Murray Society
Bonnie is a well known scholar, author, and speaker on the life of America's most important female essayist. Bonnie's most recent book on Judith Sargent Murray (1751-1820) is titled "
Mingling Souls Upon Paper," An Eighteenth-Century Love Story.

Salem Women's Heritage Trail
Bonnie worked with a group of researchers and independent scholars from Salem, Mass., to create a new walking trail for Salem. She wrote and designed the book, and worked with the Salem Chamber of Commerce to raise funds for its publication.

Sargent House Museum
Bonnie served as president of this historic house museum from 1992-6, the former home of Judith Sargent Murray and John Murray. Under her leadership, the museum engaged in its first-ever regular fundraising activities, received major public and private funds, significantly increased membership, and boosted its visibility in and importance to the community.


home / contact us