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

We’re here!

Why WMA Portland 2010 (Nos. 12 and 35): Building a Fundraising Plan that Works

By James G. Leventhal

"Board and Staff Roles" from #wma2009 (photo Lydia Johnson)

There’s a long list of reasons to be part of the Western Museums Association.  For example, the last email news update notes that WMA serves professionals during difficult economic times providing: a professional lifeline to the unemployed; a touchpoint for the retired and a springboard for those just entering the field; core networks of support for museum professionals throughout the region; and a true community for the exchange of ideas and expertise, and the sharing of resources.

The annual meeting and conference have an important convening component, for sure.  But really sometimes the most important things about the annual meeting are the meaningful sessions with the tangible takeaways that help us do the work we need to better — reasons number #12 and #35 for why WMA matters.

This year’s conference is WMA Portland 75, Register here The WMA Annual Meeting is always a great way to catch up on a variety of program areas across the museum field from collections to education, technology and experiential discussions to important and useful explorations about business and administration.

A perfect example from this year’s conference will be session B5 “Building a Fundraising Plan that Works.”  Here’s the description below taken from the recently released preliminary program for PORTLAND 2010:

A strong development and membership fundraising plan is an essential tool by which to measure success and provide guidance. It is not as difficult as it might sound to create one. There are some tried and true methods that are helpful, and really it’s the anecdotal, the hands-on and unexpected experiences – the triumphs and the pitfalls – that round out the picture of this process. Join us as three fundraising professionals share their experiences with sound models as starting points.

The session will be on Monday afternoon October 18, 2010 from 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm and the presenters will include:

• Bridget Keane, Regional Vice President at CCS Fund Raising
• J.S. May, Director of Development, Portland Art Museum
• Anthony Plamondon, Vice President, West Coast Operations, The Lukens Company

Together Bridget, J.S. and Anthony will deliver the tools you need to develop a fundraising plan for your organization. Whether you are small or large; whether your museum has a strategic plan with which to align the fundraising plan or not. It’s a great way to communicate with your volunteers and leadership and an essential component of this necessary work both when resources are tight or plentiful.

And this great group of presenters display the depth of experience at the annual meeting and the myriad ways that careers are developed in and around the museum field.

Anthony Plamondon, The Lukens Company

For example, prior to working at The Lukens Company Anthony Plamondon was the Director of Membership and Development Operations at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA).  And prior to his time at MOCA, Anthony worked for varying companies that have focused on non-profit fundraising with a specialty in telemarketing.  As Vice President of SD&A Teleservices, Anthony oversaw operations for clients in the political, zoo, aquarium, and art community and worked on a variety of phone fundraising campaigns including: membership, annual fund, capital campaigns, monthly giving, acquisition, and upgrades.  Now Anthony works with a group of museums across the western region from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Pacific Science Center, the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, the Seattle Art Museum, to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

"Disquieted" at PAM (February 20 - May 16, 2010), 28 renowned artists from four continents explore our social condition and respond to the most compelling issues of the day (photo: Evrim Icoz)

John Stuart (J.S.) May, the Director of Development for the Portland Art Museum, is seasoned fundraising and communications professional and has worked with a wide range of local, regional, national and international nonprofit organizations. He and his teams have helped raise more than $250 million.  Prior to the Art Museum, for seven years J.S. led the fundraising practice for the Metropolitan Group, a Portland based social marketing firm. For the six years prior to MG he led the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation at Oregon Health and Science University through a highly successful $42 million capital campaign. Prior to Doernbecher, J.S. spent six years as the director of corporate support for Oregon Public Broadcasting. A graduate of the University of Oregon, J.S. volunteers for numerous nonprofit organizations and has served multiple terms as president of the board for both the Portland Schools Foundation and the Portland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The New Crocker, opening fall 2010!

And Bridget Keane‘s background is varied as well, with an important run as the Campaign Director for the venerable, trusted Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.  The Crocker was the first public art museum founded in the West.  The Museum was established in 1885 and remains the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley.

With thanks to Bridget’s work with CCS (and more as a tribute to a core group of dedicated volunteers, supporters and the Crocker’s now Mort and Marcy Friedman Director Lial Jones), the New Crocker museum will celebrate its Grand Opening this fall!  Now Keane is working on the UCSF Medical Center’s campaign where there was recently announced a major $100 million gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff.

Let this group help you believe that success is possible today.  Get to WMA Portland 2010, then take back the tools this session will provide to bring planning and mission-driven values to your museum, your colleagues, peers, volunteers and to bring about positive change in the world.

If you can’t make the conference, supporting materials will be available through this blogsite.  Stay tuned.

(By the way, renew your WMA membership through our new online membership system. Or if you prefer, you can mail in payments by check or money order to PO Box 8367, Emeryville, CA 94662. And if you have questions or concerns regarding membership, please contact us at westernmuseumsassoc@gmail.com.)

The Bold New Look of WMA

By James G. Leventhal

In its inimitable first-class volunteer fashion…and to celebrate the blogsite westmuse‘s first year birthday, the Western Museums Association has a new look!

Oo, you gotta love a “new look and feel.”  Here’s a big thank you to the logo’s designer Nicole Trudeau.  Trudeau has also designed the forthcoming 75th Anniversary program for Portland.

California Video at the Getty © J. Paul Getty Museum

Over her 10-year career at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Senior Designer Nicole Trudeau has helped to realize over 40 exhibitions for both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, including most recently

• The Chimaera of Arezzo
• The Golden Graves of Vani
• The Society of Dilettanti and
• California Video.

She is currently working on The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gerome, opening June 16th at the Getty Center.

And Trudeau is currently in the process of rebranding the entire suite of Education materials for both Getty sites – an exercise which will be presented as a pre-conference workshop at the WMA Annual Meeting this year in Portland, Oregon.

Prior to her career at the Getty Museum, she dabbled in various design disciplines: graphic, interior, industrial, environmental, retail, web and advertising, which prepared her for the diverse career she enjoys today.

Thanks, Nicole!

“Golden”? “Oldies”?

by James G. Leventhal

Man, as I look back over 75 years of the Western Museums Association, it makes me think of museum programs and exhibitions that I’ve seen…and those I’ve missed.

A show I REALLY wished I’d seen was California Video at the Getty from 2008.  A “Golden Oldie”?  Man, that’ve been golden for sure, but maybe not an “oldie”?

Do you have a favorite exhibition to mention?  Seen or wished-to-have seen?

More Good News from WMA!

WMA President Aldona Jonaitis

Dear WMA members-

The WMA Board just met up in Portland for two days of planning sessions at the Doubletree Hotel, site of this fall’s 75th meeting of the Western Museums Association.  The Board Meeting followed the Program Committee meeting that had met the two days before.  The Board Meeting was a truly wonderful meeting, for several reasons.

One, and perhaps of most immediate importance, is that we ended 2009 in the black.  We avoided the significant deficit we feared and thus are stable financially now and for this coming year.  Thanks for your support!

Two, we have been able to run the organization on a purely volunteer basis for several months.  Memberships are coming in, the conference is shaping up brilliantly, and the website is functioning well.  Let me once again thank our dedicated board for their work in keeping WMA going.

Third, we engaged in a good brainstorming session on the future of WMA.  A major result of this process was our decision to reinvigorate our efforts at reaching out to the state associations as well as other museum affiliated groups in order to learn how we can serve them better.  That will be a major goal this coming year.  We will need your help and your feedback.  And I look forward to the involvement of many WMA members in this effort.

Please visit this website frequently over the next months, as we post more information on our conference as well as our service to the museum community.

Warmly,

Aldona Jonaitis

President, WMA Board

Happy New Year!: Physician, Heal Thyself

By James G. Leventhal

Panel on Innovation at WMA09 San Diego: Lori Fogarty, Director, Oakland Museum of California; Douglas Fogle, Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at the Hammer; Ted Russell, Senior Program Officer for the Arts, James Irvine Foundation; and Angelina Russo, Associate Professor, Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Please join for an amble through some issues of interest…  (The last time I did this here it was about technology issues and museums.  This time it is about a couple of things that have arisen about the state of museums generally.)

A very important conversation just happened here on the radio this week, and we want to be sure to help further both the broadcast and the on-going, necessary exchange through westmuse.

Scott Shafer hosted a dialogue on KQED’s Forum entitled Museums in Recession. KQED notes:

The number of adults attending arts and cultural events in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level since 1982, when the National Endowment for the Arts began tracking it. While there is some good news – California ranked near the top among states for art museum attendance – the study found the decline to be especially prominent among Latinos. We discuss the role of museums in a changing demographic.

Those whom KQED’s Forum engaged included:

• Elizabeth Merritt, director of the Center for the Future of Museums
• Gregory Rodriguez, op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times and founder and executive director of Zocalo Public Square (see Allyson Lazar’s recent westmuse post “Sit Up and Take Note”)
• Jim DeMersman, president of the California Association of Museums (check out their gorgeous, new site http://calmuseums.org/) and director of the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society
• Lori Fogarty, executive director of the Oakland Museum of California

To listen now click here.

These are scary times, friends.  The Claremont Museum of Art is closing. “Two and a half years after bursting into life in a historic, former fruit packing plant, the Claremont Museum of Art is on death’s door,” writes Suzanne Muchnic on the LA Times blog Culture Monster.

In Fresno, CA an “..exhibitor pulled 65 etchings by Marc Chagall over the weekend fearing the Metropolitan Museum is about to shut for good...[being]  more afraid that he’d be unable to retrieve the art if the faltering museum padlocks its doors.”

On the other hand:

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs completed its run at the Dallas Museum of Art as the most popular exhibition in the Museum’s history, drawing in 664,000 ticketholders since its October 2008 opening. Additionally, the Museum reached a historic high in attendance, welcoming for the first time more than one million visitors to date in the 2009 fiscal year.  The King Tut exhibition, which was accompanied by more than 500 special programs, brought in thousands of first-time visitors from throughout the region and nearly 110,000 students to experience the Museum and its encyclopedic collections.

And with King Tut’s present reign at the de Young in San Fransisco, the museum is now reported to be one of the few museums in the country that is able to remain in-the-black based on admissions income, a phenomenal even unheard-of accomplishment for anyone who has tracked a museum’s bottom line.

One of our nation’s finest museum leaders Ron Chew had some thoughts posted this week for the Center for the Future of Museums blog:

I’ve been thinking about what I learned in China, and the little exchange with the tour guide and the driver. Sad to say, they were right. The most memorable and engaging places were not the museums – the air-conditioned enclosures with objects protected behind glass and neat little labels – but the living spaces: restored temples, rustic gardens, village courtyards, public squares, orphanages, and outdoor and indoor markets. These well-trafficked spaces – where daily life is lived and lots of things just sort of happen – were the places where I learned the most and found the greatest inspiration.

What do we do as museum professionals, when industry thought leaders like Ron Chew fundamentally question what museums contribute to a tourist’s understanding of another culture?  Having been to China recently, I do not really agree with Chew’s assessment of museums there.

The Forbidden City may be one of the world’s largest and finest museums.  As Chew concedes “In Beijing, the Forbidden Palace is called a museum.”  Then he questions it after his visit, “Was all of that a museum?”

Terra Cotta Warrior Museum, Xi'an, China -- talk about inspiring awe and wonder.

But what greater re-purposed, repossessed, once-limited access stately collection has been so transformative?  Isn’t that one of the fundamental definitions of a type of  museum à la the Louvre?  And isn’t the Eastern reverence for the object something to which museums should aspire?

In fact, I was quite struck by how much the word “museum” was adopted in China, perhaps or, um, of course to attract tourism.  But is that bad for our industry?  Our cultures?  Our globe-spanning societies?  One of the world’s great mind-boggling experiences is to visit the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum in Xian.

And even the traditional “air-conditioned enclosure” model-type museum in Xian — the Shanxi History Museum — as desolate, large and new-though-musty as it was…was a really important time-space experience for me and my wife in our understanding and appreciation of our shared experience in China, our shared humanity.

Now, I might imagine Ron’s piece for the Center for the Future of Museums was mainly anecdotal.  He might generally agree with me in more direct dialogue.  I also find it interesting that Chew may have been so successful in his life’s work to help the museum field to fathom better the transcendent power of museums.  I see the term “museum” as a meaningful catchall that invites and inspires.  He may still find the word limiting, or more something to excel beyond.

Where are we?  Is a retrenchment necessary?  Are we diluted by audience-focused missions?  Or not diverse and relevant enough?!

As part of a dialogue on Museums 3.0 called Museum as Soup Kitchen Elaine Heumann Gurian asks for feedback as she posits, “It is clear to me that museums could be much more helpful and timely by changing hours, job retraining, health care information and all manner of social service.”

And one of America’s great chroniclers of this nation’s history of museum’s Marjorie Schwarzer responds in a comment that captures an inspired and spontaneous spirit:

HI Elaine, I am in the middle of writing an article for Museum News on how museums responded in the 1930s (before the WPA) and have spent two days digging through archives from 1929 – 1934. The results are fascinating! As expected, museums were slow to react in the 1930s, since no one really knew what was going on or how deep the impact would be. We have the gift of history, archives and insight to help guide us and that’s a lot! But here are some things that they did do that are noteworthy: a) they looked at new technologies (in this case, it was radio broadcasts!); b) they re-focussed their collecting on American-made items; c) there was a huge effort to document and archive; c) they began to advocate for employee benefits (in those days, that meant pensions for retiring folks); d) they began to develop and evaluate games (!!); e) there was an enormous push toward educational activities and adult education — including free re-training for “unemployeed persons”. And this was all before the WPA was enacted and occured organically.

To read Scharwzer’s fascinating, above-referenced article Bringing it to the People/Depression in its published state at the AAM archive on line click here.

As we explore these questions collectively and continue to face international financial and political disruptions, 2010 promises to be a big year for museums.

For one thing, all eyes are and will be on the Oakland Museum of California:

In May 2010, the Museum will welcome back visitors and introduce the reconfigured History and Art Galleries. The new galleries will include digital and interactive features to encourage visitors to experience California’s many stories and voices, and add their own. Much of the signage and exhibit copy will be in Spanish and Chinese, as well as English. Californians can expect to see their history and culture represented throughout the Museum.

There’s lost of upside here, people.  Despite the bad news, we’ re hanging strong in fact.  In the KQED Forum discussion Elizabeth Merrit says,  “One of the great things about America is that anyone can start a museum, and often does…”  Thanks, Dan Spock, for pointing out to me that The Big House, The Allman Brothers Band Museum finally just opened in Macon, GA.

Cultural Transcendence at the Wing Luke

The bottom line is that museums can make a difference.  Ron Chew taught us with his brain seeds, his Wing Luke Asian Museum, an industry standard bearer for community-driven, identity-based institutions.

And it is this very, present exploration being led by those within the field that proves the ability and perhaps the need for museums to continue to innovate in meaningful ways.

Join the conversation!  Give your feedback here.  And be a part of WMA in Portland 2010 for #wmaportland75.  Session proposals are being accepted now on-line.

If you would like to participate by submitting a session proposal, please first read the guidelines here; then download the submission form,; fill it out, and email it to the Program Committee co-Chairs, Jacqueline Cabrera and Merritt Price at wmaportland2010@gmail.com by January 15, 2010.

OR

If you prefer to submit your session via an online form, please CLICK HERE!