By Margaret Kadoyama
What does it mean to truly listen? And how does the answer to that question relate to our lives as museum professionals?
The theme of Western Museums Association 2015 Annual Meeting is Listen • Learn • Lead. It’s no coincidence that the first word in the theme is listen. Truly listening is at the core of our work with our internal and external communities. But what does this...
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September 1, 2015
By Brenda Salguero
I grew up ashamed of who I was.
It wasn’t until recently I even realized that I had felt this way. That is the insidious nature of systemic racism—you never realize how much you hate yourself or even why.
Like all Americans, I grew up surrounded by a white dominant media, but the communities I lived in never reflected what I saw on TV. Additionally, the majority of my teachers...
I grew up ashamed of who I was.
It wasn’t until recently I even realized that I had felt this way. That is the insidious nature of systemic racism—you never realize how much you hate yourself or even why.
Like all Americans, I grew up surrounded by a white dominant media, but the communities I lived in never reflected what I saw on TV. Additionally, the majority of my teachers...
August 27, 2015
By Lindsey Kouvaris
As museums, our charge is to care. We take possession of historical objects, cultural artifacts, and works of art. We commit to exhibiting them, caring for them, and preserving their place in history. And, we adopt institutional missions, collections policies, and collecting goals to help guide us through the process.
But, what about the objects that don’t seem to fit our...
As museums, our charge is to care. We take possession of historical objects, cultural artifacts, and works of art. We commit to exhibiting them, caring for them, and preserving their place in history. And, we adopt institutional missions, collections policies, and collecting goals to help guide us through the process.
But, what about the objects that don’t seem to fit our...
August 25, 2015
By Molly Billows
The Native Youth Program (NYP), currently in its 36th year, is the longest running Aboriginal public program at the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology (MOA). Each summer the program brings together six urban Aboriginal youths from the Greater Vancouver area to develop and lead public tours in the museum.
This year the youths are giving tours of c̓əsnaʔəm: the...
The Native Youth Program (NYP), currently in its 36th year, is the longest running Aboriginal public program at the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology (MOA). Each summer the program brings together six urban Aboriginal youths from the Greater Vancouver area to develop and lead public tours in the museum.
This year the youths are giving tours of c̓əsnaʔəm: the...
August 20, 2015
By Dawn Barraclough
Hosting the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting was a great catalyst for the Las Vegas cultural community, bringing us together and into the future as a united force. It all began in 2012 when, with local museum consultant Art Wolf at the helm, Las Vegas museum directors met to prepare a bid to host the 2014 WMA Annual Meeting. This campaign included a...
Hosting the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting was a great catalyst for the Las Vegas cultural community, bringing us together and into the future as a united force. It all began in 2012 when, with local museum consultant Art Wolf at the helm, Las Vegas museum directors met to prepare a bid to host the 2014 WMA Annual Meeting. This campaign included a...
August 18, 2015
By Katelyn Foley
Artist-In-Residence programs, in the traditional sense, exist to give time and space for artists to focus on creative enterprises. While many programs of this type continue to provide this opportunity for artists, museums and other cultural organizations are looking at the model as an audience engagement or educational outreach opportunity. I have had the opportunity to work on a...
Artist-In-Residence programs, in the traditional sense, exist to give time and space for artists to focus on creative enterprises. While many programs of this type continue to provide this opportunity for artists, museums and other cultural organizations are looking at the model as an audience engagement or educational outreach opportunity. I have had the opportunity to work on a...
August 11, 2015
By Reed Redman
The Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) Remix is a popular event which takes place at our downtown location twice a year, and the Olympic Sculpture Park every summer. With humble beginnings, the event started with a grant from the Wallace Foundation to explore and engage audiences ages 18–34. The aim was to produce a program that shifted the audience’s experience of an art institution and...
The Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) Remix is a popular event which takes place at our downtown location twice a year, and the Olympic Sculpture Park every summer. With humble beginnings, the event started with a grant from the Wallace Foundation to explore and engage audiences ages 18–34. The aim was to produce a program that shifted the audience’s experience of an art institution and...
July 28, 2015
By Lauren Valone
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, former Head of Online Services at the San Francisco Museum of...
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, former Head of Online Services at the San Francisco Museum of...
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