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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April 18, 2016
By Kate Skelly 
Sandra Harris is the Executive Director of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum (DCWM). Founded in 1960, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum is located in Wickenburg, Arizona, an hour drive from downtown Phoenix. The mission of the DCWM is to “welcome and enrich diverse audiences by inspiring an appreciation of the art and history of the American West through creative exhibitions...
April 11, 2016
Professional conferences are a fantastic arena to learn and grow through attending sessions, networking with peers, and exposure to organizational, theoretical, and geographical perspectives. However, taking advantage of this type of opportunity often is a matter of finances.
The Western Museums Association (WMA) offers the Wanda Chin Scholarship to assist member’s financial needs and ultimately...
April 6, 2016
By Emily Turner
As educators we are often combating misperceptions about what it is that we do and what skills we bring to the table, from visitors and colleagues alike. These misunderstandings interact with a variety of larger systematic forces that result in a rather hostile working environment for a considerable proportion of emerging museum educators. Overworked and underpaid with little job...
April 1, 2016
WMA is looking to up-and-coming museum professionals and requesting submissions for the 2016 Poster Session.
The goal of the Poster Session is to showcase how CHANGE—the theme of WMA 2016—impacts the museum field. This Poster Session is an opportunity to obtain new insights, share ideas and projects, as well as network with museum colleagues in an informal setting.

WMA Board Member, Lorie...
March 10, 2016
By Cathy Morris
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin scholarship to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting.
You know the saying, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone?” Well, that’s something I learned a little more than a year ago, when I left the museum world, almost as quickly as I had entered it.
I should mention that working for a museum was never on my radar. I earned my...
February 16, 2016
By Monica Moncada
Growing up in a predominately working-class, Mexican community, I had never truly understood the power that history and awareness can hold. I grew up hearing stories about my family, my community, and my culture, but I did not realize how much power my family’s stories had. Going through grade school none of the knowledge that I learned from my parents was ever validated during...
February 1, 2016
By Kate Skelly
Arizona Science Center is located in Heritage and Science Park in the heart of downtown Phoenix. The Center serves over a half million guests annually, nearly 140,000 of which are school children. To accomplish its mission to, “Inspire, educate, and engage curious minds through science”, Arizona Science Center utilizes an informal, hands-on approach to science exploration and...
January 26, 2016
By Kelsey Clark
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin Scholarship to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting.
The San Francisco Bay Area is booming. The population in the entire region is growing, new industries are taking root and cities are struggling to keep up with the pace of change. Museums in the area - and across the Western United States - are coming to terms with new audiences,...

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