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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March 5, 2014
By Barbara Larson When I first started working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, I thought energy efficiency was all about major building retrofits and new facility designs. While such projects can take advantage of new technologies and may result in large energy savings, there are many simpler steps that result in energy savings that can be implemented at little...
February 26, 2014
By Cheryl Hinton
As we experience the great American traditions of Super Bowl and the World Series this season, we may not think immediately of American Indians. Yet, most sports fans know about ancient Indian sports, such as lacrosse, as well as about contemporary Native American sports heroes in baseball, track and football. This slice of American life runs deep in Native America. Sports are...
February 13, 2014
By Susannah Dowds
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin Scholarship to attended the 2013 Annual Meeting
Susannah during her 2013 internship at the Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder, Utah


Two days before the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2013 Annual Meeting, I was the only grad student in the Northern Studies offices at midnight. In my last minute packing I remembered that...
February 5, 2014
By Jennifer Miller
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a long hall, but not too long. Around you, you can hear the lapping of water against the shore, birds calling, an airplane flying over in the distance. The end of the hall is darkened save for a projection of a passing shoreline taking up the entire wall. You think you recognize it but you’re not sure. It draws you in with the slow,...
January 30, 2014
By Angela Fisher
The Church History Museum had a tremendous opportunity this past year as we collaborated with the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas to bring 23 original Norman Rockwell paintings to Salt Lake City in the exhibit American Originals: Norman Rockwell and Scouting. Not only was this a tremendous opportunity in terms of bringing new visitors into the museum and building...
January 16, 2014
By Meris Mullaley
This post was written by a recipient of a Wanda Chin Scholarship to attended the 2013 Annual Meeting
How many times have you thought, “If only I knew then what I know now, I would have done [blank] differently.”
While perpetual second-guessing is not a productive way to live and work, my recent career change from field archaeologist to museum educator has given me the...
January 14, 2014
By Lauren Valone
I first met Jayceen Craven Walker, President of the Utah Museums Association and a Government Relations and Advocacy Associate at Pathway Associates, at the Western Museums Association (WMA) 2013 Annual Meeting. We were both stuffing registration packets, and she really struck me with her vibrant personality and willingness to help out with all tasks. I am a novice to most things...
January 7, 2014
As many of you know, I have been very concerned about the lack of email archiving in museums. I chaired a session a few years ago at MCN and found that I am not alone in my concern. Since then, things have not improved. In fact, one might say they have worsened as the volume of email continues to increase, as does its use for types of museum correspondence that are crucial for us to preserve.
The...

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