Community Development

By Kristen Mihalko
One of the toughest things about a new job is becoming familiar with colleagues and building relationships in the office. When I started working with the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, I knew that my challenge wasn’t just getting to know my internal coworkers but getting to know my colleagues throughout our 1,200 acre urban cultural park. Luckily, I entered an organization...
By Molly Wilmoth
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin Scholarship to attend the 2014 Annual Meeting
First and foremost, I would like to commend the staff and board of the Western Museums Association (WMA) for producing an Annual Meeting that so embodies the organization’s core values. As a first time attendee, it was clear WMA values fostering collegiality, inclusion, and trust...
By Irene Rodríguez
The Palm Springs Art Museum’s (PSAM) entrance has been transformed with marigold petals to guide the spirits to the altars to be with the living for the day. Papel picado is suspended from the rails. Altars honoring loved ones are displayed throughout the Museum. Azteca Dancers inaugurated the Museum's Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, October 25, 2014...
By Nicole Brabant
This summer at the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA), public tours commenced for a bold new exhibition called Claiming Space: Voices of Urban Aboriginal Youth. Curated by Pam Brown, Claiming Space features contemporary art by young Indigenous artists from around the world. It opened on June 1, 2014. This summer, museum visitors had opportunities to tour the exhibition with six...
By Suzanne Fischer
What does cosplay have to do with training the next generation of museum professionals? In the Oakland Museum of California’s (OMCA) What’s Happening California series college students become the heroes of the exhibit development process.
The What's Happening California series is an ongoing collaboration between OMCA and California State University (CSU) campuses across the...
By Nancy Cutler
Mutual Engagement: Museums and Communities was the theme for the 32nd Annual Conference of the Museum Association of Arizona (MAA), held May 1st and 2nd, 2014 in the fun mountain town of Flagstaff, AZ, “Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” Centered at the Northern Arizona University’s duBois Conference Center and hosted by Museum of Northern Arizona and the Arizona Historical Society,...
By Jessica Horowitz
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin Scholarship to attended the 2013 Annual Meeting
Jessica Horowitz


Every year, the Western Museum Association (WMA) 2013 Annual Meeting provides valuable learning experiences through its sessions and events. For me, this conference provides the chance to step back and observe the overall field and gain a greater...
By Heather Diamond
At a recent symposium panel about interpreting contentious histories—a topic with which curators in Hawaii are quite familiar—I spoke about the early planning process for several new exhibits in Iolani Palace, and an overview of a 3-day retreat we held with five advisory scholars, a design team, and a consultant. I explained that I wanted our visitors to get beyond the emotions...
By Cheryl Hinton
As we experience the great American traditions of Super Bowl and the World Series this season, we may not think immediately of American Indians. Yet, most sports fans know about ancient Indian sports, such as lacrosse, as well as about contemporary Native American sports heroes in baseball, track and football. This slice of American life runs deep in Native America. Sports are...
By Angela Fisher
The Church History Museum had a tremendous opportunity this past year as we collaborated with the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas to bring 23 original Norman Rockwell paintings to Salt Lake City in the exhibit American Originals: Norman Rockwell and Scouting. Not only was this a tremendous opportunity in terms of bringing new visitors into the museum and building...

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