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 2015 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 2015 Auctions

View the Official Call For Auction Items

2014 Wanda Chin Scholarship recipients.

Here’s what WMA 2014 Scholarship recipients had to say:

“…I returned from the 2014 Annual Meeting inspired and armed to recommit to our institution’s initiative to become a beloved community museum that is welcoming and reflective of the local region and not only the state as a whole.”

—Molly Wilmoth

“This is why the WMA 2014 Annual Meeting is so valuable to me as a Museum Educator—it gives me the access to knowledge that would be unattainable under normal circumstances. If the saying “knowledge is power” is true, then the WMA Annual Meeting is a powerhouse.”

—Crystal Mason

“Overall, the 2014 Annual Meeting sessions offered great learning and professional development opportunities that allowed me to expand my views on museum education, leadership, and mobile engagement. I feel that it is only when we are able to assemble and discuss experiences collectively that we are able to effectively move the field into the future.”

—Alexa Beaman

“Last October, I was fortunate enough to attend the WMA 2014 Annual Meeting, in large part due to receiving the Wanda Chin Scholarship. As a recent graduate, I could not have afforded all the expenses of travelling to the conference without it. A huge thanks to the donors, the scholarship committee, and everyone who helped put on an amazing Annual Meeting.”

—Shannon Tara Kraichy

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

Below are suggestions for contributions that work well for the WMA Silent and Live Auctions. Please read through these ideas and get inspired, and do not be afraid to ask colleagues, artists, favorite merchants, or friends to donate to these fun events.

• Items representing San Jose or Phoenix (the location of the 2015 and 2016 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 Program Coordinator, Lauren Valone