97th Annual NEMA Conference: The Language of Museums
Many thanks to everyone who joined us November 4 – 6 in Portland for the NEMA Conference. Here’s a dashboard of how it went:
Attendees: 876
First-timers: 216
Sessions: 78
Speakers: 199
To download a PDF of the 2015 Post-Conference Survey, click here.
Lifetime Achievement Award
NEMA was delighted to recognize Paul Revere Memorial Association Executive Director Nina Zannieri with its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award on November 6 as part of the 97th Annual NEMA Conference in Portland, Maine.
Nina was honored for her service to the museum field over 35 years, along with her leadership and mentorship work through NEMA and national museum organizations. Former NEMA President Larry Yerdon, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke, presented the award.
NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger (left), Nina Zannieri, and Strawbery Banke President and CEO Lawrence Yerdon.
Prior to joining the Paul Revere Memorial Association in 1986, Nina was curator at the Rhode Island Historical Society. She served as Vice Chair of the American Association of Museums from 2002-2003 and was on the AAM board from 1999-2003. She served as President of the New England Museum Association from 1998-2002 after service on the Board from 1988-1996 and 1997-2002.
She served on the American Association for State and Local History Council and is currently Chair of the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee. She also currently sits on the board of the Freedom Trail Foundation. Nina is a frequent guest lecturer for the museum studies programs at the Harvard Extension School and Tufts University. She is also involved with several North End community groups. She received her BA in history from Boston College and her MA in Anthropology/Museum Studies from Brown University.
Congratulations to the winners of NEMA's Excellence Awards Competition!
Also honored at the annual meeting on November 6 were the winners of the first ever NEMA Excellence Awards. Each winner demonstrated extraordinary effort and commitment to the New England museum community. Their work makes us better as a community of museum professionals and as a field. Click here to read more about each winner.
Changes on the NEMA Board
The November annual meeting brings with it annual changes to the NEMA board, as that’s the time we elect new officers and board members.
We would like to welcome as NEMA’s new president Janie Cohen, the executive director of the Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Janie has served the board since 2010, first as the Vermont representative and more recently as First Vice President.
Joining Janie as officers are Doug Stark as First Vice President, Wyona Lynch-McWhite as Vice President, Mark Gold as Treasurer, and Kate McBrien as Clerk.
We would like to welcome the following new NEMA board members: Kristina Durocher, Director, Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire; Susan Goganian, Director, Beverly Historical Society and Museum; and Matt Kirchman, Exhibit Planner, ObjectIDEA, LLC.
Rotating off the board this year are Michelle Stahl, who has served the board since 2006, most recently as Clerk, and Robert Wolterstorff, also on the board since 2006 and for the past several years Vice President. We thank them heartily for their service.
We would also like to recognize and thank Susan Funk for her tenure as NEMA President the last two years. Although she has reached the end of her term as president, Susan stays with us on the board for another year.
Maine Museums Day, March 29
Are you a proud Maine museum supporter? Help us plan our celebration of Maine Museums Day. Last year's event in Massachusetts was a great success, with over 200 attendees. This spring, we want to fill the State House on March 29th with people, displays, and good cheer to show our local legislator why museums are worth supporting.
Join us and our partners from Maine Archives & Museums for a planning meeting on December 16 from 1-2:30 pm at the Maine State Museum in Augusta. We will be discussing communications, logistics, funding, and food! RSVP here.
If you cannot make the meeting but are interested in being involved, please contact Meg Winikates, Membership and Advocacy Manager, at meg.winikates@nemanet.org or 781-641-0013.
Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg, Dan Yaeger, and State Senator Eric Lesser, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts & Culture with the Governor's proclamation.
NEMA and friends celebrate the first official Massachusetts Museums Day
On October 7, 2015, NEMA organized the first ever celebration of Massachusetts Museums Day at the State House in Boston. 28 institutions brought displays to fill the Great Hall, with 2-4 representatives of each museum to greet State House visitors, legislators, and government staffers and share what makes Massachusetts museums such vibrant contributors to the Commonwealth. Including official museum representatives, individual and business members of NEMA, legislators and their staff, the day's attendance topped 200. Dan Yaeger, State Senator Eric Lesser, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts & Culture, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg as well as Anita Walker of the MCC spoke, and we also had a reading of the Governor's proclamation of the official Massachusetts Museums Day.
Thanks to the many participants on social media, a recap of the day is available as the #MassMuseums story on Storify here and in the album on NEMA's Facebook here.
Museums New England
Museums New England now includes a build a trip feature! Under the new map feature visitors are able to select the museums that they would like to visit and can build a detailed trip itinerary to get them on their way to your museum. Listings on Museums New England are free for institutional members. All you need to do is create a one-time profile for your museum and link it to your website. Click here for complete details.
Ideas Wanted for Spring Workshop Series
The NEMA staff and our Professional Affinity Group chairs are always looking for good ideas for workshop topics. Do you have something you want to learn more about or suggestions for a great speaker? Please contact BJ Larson at 781-641-0013 or bj.larson@nemanet.org. You don't need to be an expert, we can explore the possibilities together starting with a good idea.
New Professional Affinity Group Chairs
We would like to welcome the following new PAG Chairs:
- Children's Museum PAG: Beth A. Weller, Director of Operations, The New Children's Museum, CT HR & Volunteer Management PAG: Nicole Claris, Manager of School Programs, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Independent Museum Professionals PAG: Helen Riegle, HER Design, MA and Dan Wallis, Owner, The Square Office, MA
- HR & Volunteer Management PAG: Purvi Patwari, Director of Human Resources, deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, MA
The Membership, Development, Public Relations & Marketing PAG is currently looking for a new co-chair. If you are interested please contact BJ Larson at 781-641-0013 or bj.larson@nemanet.org.
Support Museums at Museums Advocacy Day 2016 in DC!
NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger and Membership and Advocacy Manager Meg Winikates will be leading a contingent of New Englanders to the 2016 Museums Advocacy Day, Feb. 22-23 in Washington, D.C. We'd love to include you in the event, which can be extremely meaningful and rewarding. Meet new connections or greet old friends from other parts of the country, raise awareness of the issues that impact your organizations and your visitors, and support the cause of museums locally and nationwide.
Registration is free to all NEMA members; the deadline is January 28. Register online here and use the code MAD2016_NEMA.
2016 NEMA/ Qm2 Executive Roundtable participants.
NEMA/Qm2 Executive Roundtable
The NEMA/ Qm2 Executive Roundtable cohort met for the first time during the NEMA annual conference in Portland. The Executive Roundtable a peer-learning group in which leaders from diverse organizations meet regularly to support, challenge, and learn from one another. Modeled after the highly-successful Qm2 roundtable program, currently serving more than 60 leaders from around the nation, the NEMA/ Qm2 Executive Roundtable is designed for New England museums and cultural organizations with annual budgets from $800,000 to $1.4 million. For more detailed information, click here. If you would like to join the Roundtable, contact Mary Case at 202-256-6439, marycase@qm2.org. The next meeting will take place in April.
NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report
Enrollment is now open for participating in the 2016 edition of NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report, a program in which museums share visitor data confidentially with one another. When you participate in NEMA Stats, you agree to share your museum's visitor data with other program participants. NEMA collects the data and issues a monthly report, with which you can compare your statistics against those of your colleagues from around the region.
New for 2016, NEMA is introducing NEMA Stats Plus, an expanded data set that includes more detailed information about museum attendance. We will continue to collect basic attendance numbers from all participants, but participants can opt into Stats Plus to provide additional information about their visitors. Participants in NEMA Stats Plus will receive additional reports not included in NEMA Stats. There is no additional cost to participate in NEMA Stats Plus.
Additional information that will be collected for NEMA Stats Plus:
*Full Admission (Adults)
*Full Admission (Child)
*Discounted Rate (student/senior/military, etc.)
*Free (Member)
*Free (Non-member)
*School Groups (total number of attendees)
*Other admission
Additional NEMA Stats Plus reports will include:
*A table with attendance broken down by admission type per institution.
*A chart showing the median of all participating sites broken down my admission type.
*Member vs. non-member charts.
If you know of any museums that you think should be participating, please let them know about the program and encourage them to enroll. Membership in NEMA is not a requirement to participate in NEMA Stats. As more museums join the program, the richer the reports will become. You can find complete details on the program here . NEMA institutional members receive a significant discount on participation fees. The enrollment period closes on February 29.
Lunch with NEMA
In 2016, Lunch with NEMA will be celebrating its fourth year! Lunch with NEMA continues to offer informal professional development the last Wednesday of the month. Each month will highlight a different discussion topic. On January 27, Action Data Systems will be discussing seven essentials while creating Apple/Android Tour Guide Apps. Click here to RSVP.
If you have a suggestion for a future "Lunch with NEMA," contact BJ in the NEMA office at bj.larson@nemanet.org.
NEMA 98th Annual Conference - Call for Proposals
NEMA is now accepting proposals for the 98th Annual NEMA Conference, November 9-11, 2016 in Mystic, CT. Help us provide thought leadership as we explore the idea of museums influencing social action. We invite you to contribute to the conversation with a conference session proposal. Learn more about the conference theme, Plug In: Museums and Social Action, here.
A great conference begins with great NEMA members! Consider joining us in Mystic as a session chair or presenter. To submit a proposal click here. Proposals must be received by February 5, 2016.
Museum People Podcast
We are deep into production of “Museum People” a new podcast that celebrates individuals connected with the museum field by highlighting their work, passions, opinions, and personalities. In each episode, you’ll hear stories and viewpoints from a variety of museum people, from unsung workers to executive directors, volunteers to trustees, as they help change the world one visitor at a time. NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger and Marieke Van Damme, director of the Cambridge Historical Society, are hosts. The first series of eight episodes will launch in early 2016.
Have an idea for “Museum People?” Click here to tell us who we should be interviewing.
Podcast hosts Marieke Van Damme and Dan Yaeger in the “studio” at the Cambridge Historical Society.