WestMuse Blog

Here on the WestMuse Blog, you’ll find a variety of articles and resources to help guide you through this difficult time as we all stay home to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Check in every #WestMuseWednesday and Fridays for our latest blog posts discussing current topics from learning how to work from home to sharing social media best practices.

If you’re seeking information on a specific topic related to the museum industry or COVID-19, please feel free to reach out to us at blog@westmuse.org. Thanks!

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January 22, 2020
By Emmie Pappa Eddy - 2019 Wanda Chin Scholarship Recipient

     As the date of my trip to Boise approached I scoured the conference schedule, trying to figure out which talks I would most like to attend. After receiving the Wanda Chin Scholarship to help defray costs of attendance, I knew I had to make the most of my visit. It may come as no surprise that as a trans, mixed race person I am very...
January 8, 2020
By Kamalu du Preez - 2019 Wana Chin Scholarship Recipient
 
     In nearly twenty years of working within a professional setting at a museum institution, the 2019 conference was my first chance to attend WMA, which I found to be a wonderful, eye-opening, and important experience in helping me to develop skills and networks to support my position at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. From the very...
December 11, 2019
Halena Kapuni-Reynolds - 2019 Wanda Chin Scholarship Recipient
University of Hawaii at Mānoa

Acts of reclaiming native place on the streets of Boise.
 
     My first WMA conference, partially supported by the Wanda Chin Scholarship, turned out to be insightful and thought-provoking. I learned a lot about the organization and had a fantastic time meeting new colleagues and hearing about the...
December 9, 2019

Design thinking is a big buzzword these days, and is being applied in both corporate and not-for-profit settings. However, it is much more than simply thinking like a designer might. Indeed, design thinking is about combining analytical and creative methods to arrive at innovative solutions. Dana Mitroff Silvers, the Founder and Principal of the consulting practice Designing Insights and the...
December 9, 2019
Are you an advocate for yourself within your own workplace?
Ask yourself these questions: Is the senior staff and/or board at your museum aware of your impact on your organization? Do you feel truly valued? Are you able to effectively communicate with your coworkers about your position within the greater organization? Do you feel like you are being compensated appropriately? Are you comfortable...
December 4, 2019

By Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D.
Executive Director, High Desert Museum
Two hydrogens and an oxygen, water is vital to every living thing. Its power is immense, allowing it to carve the landscape over time. Yet it is so much a part of daily life that we often take it for granted.
So central to life and livelihoods in the American West, water posed a perfect subject for deeper exploration. On April 27,...
October 24, 2019
Hello,
My name is Drew Ulrich, I am a museum curator with the Department of Arkansas Heritage. I attended the WMA annual meeting in 2018 and was incredibly astounded by the caliber and excellence of its professional development sessions. They have inspired me to engineer one for next year’s meeting in Portland.
The initial title of this session is “Getting What You Need: the Curatorial Crunch.”...
October 22, 2019
Dear WMA 2019 Annual Meeting Volunteers,
On behalf of the Western Museums Association (WMA) Board of Directors, staff and members, I want to thank you for your work as a volunteer at the WMA 2019 Annual Meeting in Boise. WMA’s Annual Meeting provides museum professionals an opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices, network with colleagues, and learn more about museums in the Western...

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