Together, we have a feast.

by Kristen Olson

“Cutting the pies and cakes at the barbeque dinner, Pie Town, New Mexico Fair”

Imagine a large room, filled with light, buzzing with electric conversations. You hear a shout from across the room, saying “come sit over here!” and someone is waving you over, pulling out a seat to a table. As you navigate through the crowded path of circular tables covered in pieces of paper, you hear impassioned voices saying things like “I’ve wanted to try that forever – how did you get it going?” or  ”that is rough! But maybe if you tried…” or ”we have to talk next month – what’s your email?”

You might imagine this is chaotic, but as you sit down to the table, you are met with a warm welcome and asked “So what brings you here?”

You have arrived at the session at the Western Museums Conference next month in Hawai’i, ”Peer Advocacy and Networks without Borders” led by me, Kristen Olson, along with colleagues Rachael Faust, Jason B. Jones, Sara Kabot, and Louise Yokoi.

For some, networking means: handshake, trading of business cards, 30-second elevator speech, make the introduction memorable in hopes of a job/raise/interesting opportunity/project. The actual definition of networking is “to interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support.” (I like the latter definition; the former gives me performance jitters.)

Perhaps others prefer finding out about what people are interested in, what they think about, what makes them tick. I really get a kick out of the fact that not everyone thinks like me (not you either) and just talking to someone about a museum-y shared topic is fascinating.

This session sprang out of a series of conversations last year at WMA 2010 about networking. Truthfully, the conversations ran all over the place, but the undercurrent was that we all sought professional connections that had little to do with comparing our resumes, and much, much more about seeking support.

And thus, “Peer Advocacy and Networks without Borders” came to life. We all had questions about the field, the future of our different-stage careers, finding avenues for success – in however we defined it – and found that having a colleague to chat with who wasn’t invested in the scenario was really helpful.

We believe that by simply talking about ideas and challenges, you are reclaiming ownership of the situation as well as creating your own group of powerful advocates. In formal-speak: our goal is to structure a session that addresses your professional challenges, be they dealing with internal politics or wishing to try new ideas within your institution, you are meeting your own goals while forging new connections. In this informal session, we’ll make networking as easy as we can – and coming from a natural introvert, that is saying something.

So bring your challenge, an idea you’ve been mulling over, your curiosities, your listening hat, and yes, your business cards.

Will I see you there?

More to know:

1. WMA 2011 Conference Preliminary Program now available online.
2. WMA 2011 online registration: click-click-click.
3. Feeling facebook-y? Invite yourself and your colleagues here.
4. Can’t make it to the conference, but interested in this idea? Contact me.
5. Curious about the story behind the photo? Check out more about “Pie Town.“

A WMA Newbie Speaks!

By: Elizabeth B. Herridge

I started working full time in the arts and cultural sector a decade ago when I moved to Las Vegas.  After attending the annual meeting of the Western Museums Association in Portland last fall, I am still kicking myself for not having become involved sooner!  I had no idea that so many valuable resources would be made available to me as a result of my attendance.

I had been invited to participate on a panel examining tourism and the museum and initially this was my motivation for attending. Once in Portland, however, it became clear that the meeting had been carefully and exceptionally planned to offer a number of specialized tracks as well as unique pre-conference events and cultural opportunities in the evenings. The meetings were diverse in subject matter and offered a variety of well-known experts with practical advice and ideas on virtually every area of museum and library operations, programming and development.

I wished I had had more time than the conference allowed to fully explore what was on offer.  I also learned that the WMA membership is substantial and wide ranging! When I think of how being a part of this network could have helped me with the work I was doing in Las Vegas, I feel very sorry and rather foolish for not exploring this sooner.

The conference was well attended and I especially liked that it was geared toward the work of museums and libraries in the West and that it had an atmosphere conducive to meeting colleagues and making new friends and acquaintances. I didn’t feel lost in the crowd, the way it sometimes happens at large meetings.

This year’s meeting in Honolulu on September 23rd-26th will be, most assuredly, a spectacular event! The exceptional work that the programming committee has undertaken during the past year will be much in evidence. Along with the superb efforts of the WMA board and staff, and very especially the generosity and commitment of the Hawai’i Museums and Pacific Islands Associations who are co-hosting the event, this promises to be an unparalleled professional, artistic and cultural opportunity! With over 450 museum professionals from the United States and Pacific Rim expected to be attend, this year’s theme of “Working Together to Move Forward” will be fully actualized.

May I encourage you to join us? I have never regretted my decision to become involved with this talented and committed group of  professionals whose mission, as the WMA, is to provide opportunities for learning and personal interaction to enhance the creative skills and enrich the lives of individuals who do museum work.

Through our work in museums and libraries, we do so much for our communities. Isn’t it terrific that there is the recognition that we need opportunities for our own development and growth in order to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to those whom we serve? The WMA is a leader in this effort and I applaud them for their advocacy and commitment.

Hoping to see you in Honolulu in September!

Elizabeth B. Herridge                                                                                           Principal, Elizabeth B. Herridge Fine Arts, LLC.                                                       Las Vegas, Nevada

Why Conferences Matter: Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers

Gwen Carr, Vice Chairperson, Research & Education Program Chairperson

Why go to the conference? Why “go local” and travel to particular places to meet people? Why? To meet people like Gwen Carr and learn about the Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers, an all volunteer nonprofit organization based in Salem, Oregon dedicated to doing research and educating Oregonians about African-Americans’ contributions to Oregon’s history.

What is the Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers?  According to their web site:

 

The Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers is an all volunteer nonprofit organization based in Salem, Oregon. It was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 1994 to do research and educate Oregonians about African-Americans’ contributions to Oregon’s history. Within the next few years, the organization developed a small resource booklet and study guide on Oregon’s black history and distributed it through the Salem-Keizer School District and Marion County Historical Society. Its original plan was to continue expanding on its research and telling the stories of these pioneers through presentations, exhibits, and books and to partner with school districts and historical organizations to distribute this information statewide.  As an organization, Oregon Northwest Black Pioneers also began fundraising events to provide college scholarships for graduating high school seniors of African-American heritage…

…The organization is now governed by an active volunteer board of directors that works with community volunteers and confers with academic consultants and historical organizations to do research, compile historical information, and present its findings through oral presentations and exhibits and in written form. The board welcomes people of all races in fulfilling its mission, and there is a board-approved nondiscrimination policy in place. People of a variety of races have served on the board and committees, and one of the goals of our strategic plan is to increase the board’s size and range of expertise.

Well-known black history expert Dr. Darrell Milner, professor of African-American history at Portland State University, serves as primary academic consultant. In addition, the organization has renewed a relationship with the Marion County Historical Society and has been collaborating with this group as well as the Polk County Historical Society in doing research, preparing presentations, publishing findings, and developing exhibits.

Kimberly Camp

After chatting with Gwen Carr for a bit, we ran into Kimberly Camp, who recently ran The Barnes Foundation as the executive director and chief executive officer after starting there in November 1998.

Now Kimberly Camp is developing The Reach: Gateway to the Hanford Reach National Monument.  The Reach is a new kind of space:

The Reach is located at Columbia Point South in Richland, Washington. For centuries people have gathered at Columbia Point…drawn by the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers. The location of The Reach at Columbia Point symbolizes not only the coming together of water but of diverse communities, cultures, species, and viewpoints. The Reach is not meant to be only a building, but a Northwest institution that will endure and have a lasting impact on generations of citizens. Its purpose is to provide a place where our children and grandchildren can learn about and celebrate our big land, big rivers, and big ideas that shaped our history and will shape our future.

Prior to her important tenure at The Barnes Foundation, Ms. Camp was President of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (CHWMAAH) in Detroit, Michigan. From 1989-1994, Ms. Camp was the Director of The Experimental Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., an initiative of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Museums. Prior to that position, she was a Program Director for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, providing leadership in the operation and management of grants programs for educational institutions and non-profit arts organizations. An artist in her own right, Ms. Camp has been the honored recipient of numerous art and business awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Kellogg National Leadership Program Fellowship, Visiting Scholar for Tokyo Gedai University and The Spirit of Detroit. Born in Camden, New Jersey, Ms. Camp graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and Art History. She received her Master of Science degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

It takes getting to the conference, going to Portland, being a part of WMA that you get to meet leaders like Gwen Carr and Kimberly Camp.

 

Sign Up!: Social Media Workshop Session

By James G. Leventhal

Not too long ago, museums didn’t have email. Or websites. Or e-blasts. We’ve simply incorporated these new technologies as they’ve arrived. In many cases they’ve improved our work and made our professional lives easier. Really, it’s not even that long ago that we didn’t use direct mail and I remember when it was a question as to whether we’d accept credit card donations.  Social media’s just another chapter in this story, and something of a game changer.  Whether you are fully engaged with social media or just getting started, it’s as important to spend time talking about strategy, documenting it and to learn from each others’ experiences.

The Western Museums Association has been helping museums and museum professionals get together and think about social media, including having helped to organize a presentation at the SFMOMA with Seb Chan of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

Join us for one of the key pre-conference workshops at this year’s Western Museum Association’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 17th from 1-5 pm. Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager for the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) and Stephanie Weaver, Principal, Experienceology and I will be running a workshop called the Portland Arts & Culture Social Media Convening in the Stevens Room at the Portland Art Museum.

Rozan on stage with colleagues at OMCA reopening, tweeting #california

Rozan recently organized a really great piece of crowdsourced community engagement by bringing together all the “tweeters” and social media mavens from museum throughout the SF Bay Area, when the OMCA recently reopened it’s art and history galleries with a massive 31-hour-straight party.

This event on Sunday afternoon October 17th at the Portland Art Museum is not free.  The $30 fee covers refreshments and a copy of Beth Kanter and Allison Fine’s book The Networked Nonprofit.  Online registration is closed. You can register at the door, but please RSVP to let us know you are attending to Stephanie Weaver: sweaver [at] experienceology.com so we have enough food and books.

The Portland Arts & Culture Social Media Convening will bring together social media staff from the greater Portland area arts and culture community.

This four-hour workshop will open a dialogue on social media as it relates to:

• Best practices
• Metrics and Presentation of Value
• Growth opportunities
• Strategy and documentation
• Potential Return on Investment (ROI)
• Internal communications
• Organizational change
• and other key issues

And most importantly, this workshop will bring us together, museum professionals learning from each other.

Join us for this workshop, discussion, tweet-festival, and social media community-building exercise. If you are working in social media for your cultural organization, are thinking of jumping in to social media, or cover the cultural scene in the Pacific Northwest, join us!

AAM Goes Virtual!

by Allyson Lazar

Can’t make it to this year’s AAM conference in Los Angeles? Never fear–this year AAM will also be hosting a virtual conference!

The two-day online conference will consist of nine sessions selected by the Standing Professional Committees (SPCs) on technology, couriering, visitor experience, planning, exhibition development and more!

But perhaps what is most exciting is that, despite the fact that access will be remote and virtual, attendees will still have opportunities to meet peers, share information and expand their networks, including through virtual happy hours at the end of each day. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Helping Others Help Us: More on AAM L.A. and Amy Tan

Networks improve when they echo each other — more copies keep things safe and when you help others, it helps you.  So WMA is pleased to keep posting on the upcoming AAM Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.  Allyson Lazar put up the Mountain Plains survey; because WMA’s recent survey was so important for us.  And we will post more on the upcoming California Association of Museums Meeting.  Here’s more from AAM’s Dewey Blanton on one of this year’s keynote speakers:

Amy Tan Sees Museums as Keepers of Our Heritages

The AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo™ is yearly treated to the wisdom of extraordinary keynote speakers. This year is no exception, as celebrated authors Julia Alvarez and Amy Tan will serve in that capacity in Los Angeles.

Tan is one of the most acclaimed novelists of the last decade, whose works include The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Saving Fish From Drowning. Tan has also written successful children’s books, as well as an honored memoir, The Opposite of Fate. Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, Tan’s work often delves into her Chinese culture and its embrace of ancestry and memory.

In a recent conversation with Museum magazine, Tan explained how museums can be integral to her inspiration.

“Whenever I go to a museum, it’s as though I am there with the people who lived at that time,” Tan said. “It’s almost as though I entered a time machine, especially when I see very intimate, very intricate little details of their lives. I often take those details and put them in my books. It may not be specifically the same detail I saw at the museum, but it triggers in me an element of memory, which . . . is what my fiction is often about.”

Amy Tan will share similar insights when she addresses the general session on Wednesday, May 26 at 10:30 a.m.

BIL and the Future

by Allyson Lazar

Thank you to the Museum of Latin American Art for hosting this year’s BIL conference last weekend!

Wait, what’s BIL, you ask? Ever heard of TED? No? Well, let’s start with TED.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and it is an annual conference that, to use its own language, is dedicated to “ideas worth spreading.” Each year, TED brings together some of the most eminent, prominent and impressive minds in the areas of technology, entertainment and design and gives them a strict 18 minute limit to share their ideas with the world. With the world? Yes, because even though actually attending TED is prohibitively expensive, the talks are disseminated for free via the Internet. The goal, again in the words of TED itself, is to build “a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.” Some of this year’s speakers include Bill Gates, Jaime Oliver, Sheryl Crow, Jane McGonigle, James Cameron and Sarah Silverman.

So that, in a nutshell, is TED. Big names with big ideas, scientists, artists, leaders, innovators, activists, thinkers.

BIL is a response to TED. Where TED costs a lot of money (registration is in the thousands of dollars), BIL costs $20 to attend. But the principle is still the same. BIL is about bringing people together to share ideas and innovations that are changing the world–or that will change the world–but it works on a smaller scale. So that is BIL in a nutshell: like TED, only affordable and with names you haven’t necessarily heard of…yet.

BIL calls itself an “unconference.” Having attended last weekend I can tell you that an “unconference” looks a lot like a regular conference, with speakers up on a stage, most of whom used PowerPoint. Since there was a strong emphasis on science and technology, there were very few technical difficulties and that was a nice change, but hardly the trademark of an “unconference.” What really made it an “unconference” is that the speakers list was apt to change and morph and grow because anyone can speak on any topic. They just have to sign up. Or not. They just have to be there and be willing to speak, really.

Each speaker has 20 minutes, period; if a speaker uses up his/her entire 20 minutes talking, then there is no q&a. Or, at least not in the main lecture room. People were encouraged to wander in and out throughout the presentations and strike up discussions outside in MOLAA’s lovely sculpture court.

Another big difference between BIL and more formal conferences (such as AAM or WMA) is that there were no lunch meetings, no business meetings, no formal evening events. There was no-host getting together at a bar afterwards for food and drinks to continue conversations, but no buses to transport people to and from the venue, no conference hotel. In addition, the final day of the conference people gathered in informal groups to enjoy local offerings such as hiking or whale watching and, again, keep the conversations going.

Since these extracurricular activities were all optional and pay-as-you-go, and the cost of the conference hall itself was donated (thanks, Microsoft!),  that is how BIL was able to keep the base cost of registration down at the unbelievably low price of $20. Less, if you were a speaker.

So why would museums and museum people be interested in all this jabbering about BIL and TED (yes, the naming of BIL was intentional) and unconferences? Two reasons.

The first is that information sharing and dissemination is changing. After all, this is a blog post. Five years ago, it might have been in an entirely different format. Ten years ago it certainly would have. Information sharing is transforming and we need to be thinking about how we want to share information in the future, about what kinds of formats are most effective and digestible. Do we value in-person information exchange or virtual? Perhaps some combination? Do we prefer formal twenty-minute presentations or perhaps pecha kucha style rapid-fire presentations followed by in-depth discussions? We should be thinking about these questions so that we can work together to shape optimum strategies for efficiently and effectively sharing information and engaging in professional development.

The second reason why museums and museum people should be interested in BIL (and TED) is because of the content. There were game designers, performance artists, rocket scientists and all kinds of speakers–and most of them were talking about the future. The future affects us all.

One speaker talked about the rising trend of people relying exclusively on their mobile devices for their computing needs. What will that mean for museums if, in the not-so-distant future, all of our visitors are walking around with their computers in their pockets? At the very least, it means that museum websites will have to be optimized for mobile viewing. But think about the possibilities that mobile computing can offer for museums and their visitors. MOLAA is already taking advantage of the fact that most visitors carry cell phones by using Guide by Cell for their audio tour. I made use of my own cell phone in the MOLAA galleries a couple of times and was really glad that I did!

Another presentation was on the topic of “immersive storytelling.” Isn’t that what we do in museums? Well, instead of exhibits and material culture, these guys talked about Operation Spy-like experiences such as The Tomb and MagiQuest. These are experiences that we can learn from–or watch out for as potential competition. The presenters talked about establishing permanent facilities for temporary experiences to cycle through–sound familiar?

So I’ll be blogging in the near future about some of the specific talks that impact museums, but first I just wanted to introduce you all to BIL and get you thinking about unconferences and the future!