Providing scholarships is a vital component of the WMA’s mission—and we need your help!

The WMA Annual Meeting features a Silent Auction in the Exhibit Hall and a spirited Live Auction during an Evening Event. Proceeds from the auctions directly fund the Wanda Chin Scholarship program, which helps to subsidize participation in the Annual Meeting for professionals who might otherwise not be able to attend.

What better way to support your peers than donating an item to the WMA 2016 Wanda Chin Scholarship Fund auction? The WMA needs you, the WMA community, to help keep attendance to the Annual Meetings available for all museum professionals.

Learn more about the WMA 2016 Auctions

View the Official Call For Auction Items

Here’s what WMA 2015 Scholarship recipients had to say:

“The conference created a professional forum, with a diverse lineup of panelists, who shared about their own experience navigating these changes in their home institutions. I attended WMA this year for the first time, and was grateful for the opportunity to attend as a Wanda Chin Scholarship Recipient. The support from the WMA Scholarship program allowed me to invest my time and energy into preparing and fully participating during the Annual Meeting.“

—Kelsey Clark

“Attending the Western Museums Association Annual Meeting has expanded my views in ways that museums and museum professionals can use their resources and privilege to collaborate with and empower underrepresented communities and communities of color.”

—Monica Moncada

I left the 2015 Annual Meeting with an even deeper appreciation for the positive impact that museums can have in their communities and the leaders who help pave the way for museums to be more relevant than ever before. I’m honored and humbled to be a part of this “museum world.”

—Cathy Morris

To donate, please fill this this Donation Form and return it to WMA’s Communications & Program Coordinator.

• Items representing Phoenix or Edmonton (the location of the 2016 and 2017 Annual Meetings, respectively) generate enthusiasm for the host city, and give incentives to extend visits.
• Items that highlight a specific locale are desirable because attendees come from all over the West. Suggested items include local food and wine (and tastings), passes and accommodations to local resorts and sites, and Native American pieces.
• Exhibition catalogs and other promotional objects are great donation items.
• Museum store collectibles such as jewelry, decorative items, scarves, prints, books, 
videos, and any other miscellaneous item are well received.
• Theme baskets are great donations for the Silent Auction. Suggested fillers include 
museum store items, and can be focused on foods, exhibits, or children, etc.
• Memberships and special behind-the-scenes tours of museums are always popular 
among attendees. Consider also offering a meal in the museum’s café.
• Consultants and businesses can extend their services to a museum for a specified period 
or reduced fee.
• Vacation homes packages make for fantastic Live Auction offerings.
• Original artworks from private collections are great for the Live Auction.
• The best auction items are generally objects, experiences, opportunities that cannot be 
purchased, are not commonly available, and are truly “priceless.” These types of items generate enthusiasm and generate high bids. 

If you have questions, please contact Communications & Program Coordinator, Kate Skelly