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.

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August 12, 2014
By: Suzanne Hilser-Wiles
So many museums suffer what some might consider a “happy problem”—generous support from board members and a robust membership program, but very little philanthropic activity between the two. While board support and a broad-based membership effort are important for the current financial stability of your organization, success in these areas might, in fact, be masking a...
July 28, 2014
By Marjorie Schwarzer
A first glance at the Western Museums Association 2014 Annual Meeting Program
My husband and I put it off as long as we could. But after our beloved house’s gutters leaked a greenish slime that was seeping into the wooden supporting beams, we bit the bullet, canceled plans, tightened our belts and ponied up for a new roof. Although the sudden financial bite was large; the...
July 24, 2014
Dear Colleagues,
 
I am excited to welcome you to my home city of Las Vegas for the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting. Nevada is celebrating its Sesquicentennial anniversary this year, and as I reflect upon where we’ve been, it brings to mind all that is new here in Las Vegas. This year’s theme, “Expect the Unexpected,” is certainly apropos!
 
We all know Las Vegas as an...
July 22, 2014
The Western Museums Association (WMA) supports museum professionals around the Western region (and beyond!). One way we strengthen the field is providing scholarships, a vital component of WMA’s mission, and we need your help! The Wanda Chin Scholarship program funds participation and travel to the Annual Meeting by professionals who might otherwise not be able to attend. Support learning and...
July 17, 2014
Dear Colleagues,
It is no secret that Las Vegas has experienced some pretty extreme growing pains. The population exploded from 45,000 to 2 million in an unprecedented rate of growth over the last 60 years. Since the economic slowdown in 2008, the population has been holding steady bringing Las Vegas out of an infancy fueled by the motto bigger, newer, faster to a more contemplative, adolescent...
July 15, 2014
The Lost City consists of a series of archaeological sites that run for 25 miles along the Muddy River Valley near the town of Overton in the Moapa Valley of Southern Nevada. In 1924, brothers John and Fay Perkins from Overton, informed Nevada Governor James Scrugham of the Native American ruins. Governor Scrugham then enlisted the help of archaeologist M. R. Harrington who was at that time...
July 10, 2014
By Lauren Valone
With his more than 35 years of experience in the museum field, Mark Hall-Patton will certainly have stories to share during his Keynote Address at the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting. In addition to 14 years as a Board member of the Nevada Museums Association where he served as President from 2000–2002 and 2008–2010, he has also served on the California...
July 8, 2014
By Joseph Govednik
The Washington Museum Association’s (WaMA) 2014 Annual Conference was in beautiful Port Townsend, a waterfront town known for its Victorian architecture, artistic influences, and maritime heritage. The meeting was held at the Fort Worden State Park conference center. Fort Worden is a former U.S. artillery garrison with a commanding view of Puget Sound and surrounding majestic...

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