2020 has certainly been a year like no other. For the Western Museums Association (WMA), this year has meant the postponement of the 2020 Annual Meeting, which was to be held in Portland, Oregon from October 8^th-11^th.

We realize, although we won’t be gathering in-person this fall, there are still various ways in which we – the WMA and greater museum community – can collectively come together and virtually communicate, share ideas, and support one another while we continue to stay safely apart.

This being said, we introduce to you #WestMuseMail!

Inspired by the ongoing community mail art project PostSecret, originally created back in 2005 by artist Frank Warren, WMA’s social media campaign #WestMuseMail asks you to write and send in personalized postcards!

Sure, postcards may seem like relics of the snail-mail age, but they can still provide a sense of encouragement and happiness in an affordable and highly personal way. As one of the most thoughtful and easiest methods of communication, postcards are a great way to bring joy to all of us who are still homebound, isolated, or far away from our family and friends. Beyond this, postcards have the ability to document our individual COVID-19 experiences – connecting us between handwritten messages and creating a society where we no longer feel six feet apart.

It’s super simple!

1. Find a postcard or two from your local museum, post office, stationary store, or desk drawer. You can even download and print out one of our WMA postcards!
2. Write out a positive note, share bright hopes for the future of the museum field, shout-out to your loved ones, reflect on your personal experience, or make a fun drawing! Be creative!
3. Mail your postcard to WMA P.O. Box 4738, Tulsa, OK 74159, or capture a photo of your postcard and share it with us on Instagram, Facebook,  or Twitter using #WestMuseMail

Every week, selected postcards will be shared on our social media pages creating an online, visual exhibition of our 2020 experiences. So, be sure to follow WMA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

What will your postcard say about you? What would you like to share with the museum community? We want to hear from YOU!

Join WMA in bringing the museum community together and share the reminder that a brighter future awaits.

See what people are sharing by visiting #WestMuseMail or heading over to the WestMuse Blog.

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