Supporting our field and NEMA
The past 6 months have been difficult for our field, and NEMA is committed to continuing to develop robust online offerings (much of it free) for members and non-members, New England and beyond. Your support makes our programs possible, and NEMA cannot do great programming without your help. If you can, please support your fellow museum professionals by making a gift to NEMA.
Conference Wrap-up
Thank you to everyone that attended the 2020 NEMA Virtual Conference. We had over 800 attendees join us for a week full of programming. Session recordings for attendees can be found on the Whova platform. They can be found under the session you would like to watch and will be available to view for 3 months. Keynote sessions are available for everyone to view here.
A big thank you for all of our sponsors and exhibitors for their continued support. You can find a full list here.
New Board Members
The Nominating Committee of the NEMA Board of Directors has submitted the following slate for new officers and members of the NEMA board. The NEMA membership voted virtually on November 20, 2020 during the Annual Meeting to approve the following board slate.
Officers
Susan Goganian, Executive Director, Historic Beverly (President); Rebekah Beaulieu, Executive Director, Florence Griswold Museum (First Vice-President); Pilar Garro, Director of Development, House of Seven Gables (Vice-President); Vice-President: Kristina Durocher, Executive Director, Museum of Art of the University of New Hampshire (Vice-President); Sherman “Pat” Morss, Associate Principal for Historic Preservation, Finegold Alexander & Associates (Treasurer); and Douglas Perkins, Associate Director, Middlebury College Museum of Art (Clerk)
New Board Members
Jim Chase, President & CEO, Seacoast Science Center; Herbert Jones, former Intern Programs Manager, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Chris Newell, Executive Director and Sr. Partner to Wabanaki Nations for the Abbe Museum; and Cynthia Robinson, Director, Tufts Museum Studies Program
Renewing Board Members
Douglas Perkins, Associate Director, Middlebury College Museum of Art (2nd term); and Brindha Muniappan, Senior Director of the Museum Experience, Discovery Museum (2nd term)
Bylaws Update, 2020
The NEMA membership voted virtually on November 20, 2020, at 12:30 pm during the Annual Meeting to approve the proposed bylaw changes. For a synopsis and details, click here. This update makes several adjustments to the NEMA bylaws, which were adopted in 2013 by the NEMA membership. The updates, which were vetted by legal counsel and approved by the board on August 4, 2020, were coordinated by NEMA’s Governance and Ethics Committee, chaired by board member Cathy Saunders. Many thanks to the committee for their work in bringing them to the membership for approval.
L to R, Susan Robertson, Executive Director, Gore Place, and NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger
2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
NEMA honored Susan Robertson, executive director of Gore Place, with its 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Annual Meeting on November 20. Since April 1990, Susan Robertson has been the chief executive at Gore Place in Waltham, Massachusetts, the 1806 home of Governor Christopher Gore. Her years as a museum professional have included service to the field and to countless colleagues whom she has counseled and mentored. Robertson’s commitment to NEMA has included service as a board member, officer, and president, and she has been a regular contributor to NEMA programming, lending her expertise to workshops and conference sessions over many years. Because of her commitment to NEMA and the museum field, Susan Robertson is the 2020 NEMA lifetime achievement award recipient. Watch the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award video online here.
Excellence Awards
NEMA is proud to honor our colleagues' extraordinary effort and commitment to the New England museum community. NEMA is proud to recognize the Excellence in our field to the following:
• Julie Arrison-Bishop, Director of Community Engagement, The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association
• Corinne Flax, Manager of School and Community Partnerships, Bruce Museum
• Chris Kauffman, Education and Interpretation Manager, Lexington Historical Society
• Nicole Mello, National Parks Ranger, National Parks Service
• Elizabeth Nuckols, Youth Programs Manager, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
• Jeff Rapsis, Executive Director, Aviation Museum of New Hampshire
• Nancy Rexford, Acting Director, Historic Northampton
• Staff Team, Abbe Museum
Award winners were recognized at the NEMA Annual Meeting on November 20. For more information, click here.
Announcing NEMA’s Newest PAG: LGBTQ+ Museum Staff & Students
After connecting at this year’s virtual conference, 2020 NEMA Board Diversity Fellow Sam Dinnie (they/them) and 2017 NEMA Fellow Ali Kane (she/her) came together to fill the need for an LGBTQ+ affinity group for the museum field. The heart and soul of this fledgling PAG is the closed Facebook group where members can connect. The group can be used for professional and emotional support, as well as foster a social community during these times of social isolation. Whether you are loudly and proudly out at work or not out at all, being queer in the workplace can be challenging. The public nature of museum work, prevalence of small museums, and histories of privilege can make it even more so. As part of this group, we can build better museums where staff, visitors, and volunteers can be their authentic selves, as well as connect with fellow LGBTQ+ folks. This group operates as a casual forum for conversation. Future initiatives will be developed based on the needs of the community and may include virtual or in-person meetups, trainings, resource shares, and beyond. In order to join the Facebook group, please email Sam (sdinnie15@gmail.com) and/or Ali (akane@towerhillbg.org). In addition, if you have ideas for how the PAG can grow or programs you would like to see offered, please drop them a message.
PAG Updates
If you are interested in getting involved as a Professional Affiliation Gathering chair, please get in touch with Meg at meg.winikates@nemanet.org. We’re currently looking for chairs to help lead the Children’s, HR & Volunteer Management, and Library and Archives PAGs.
2020 NEMA Salary and Benefits Survey
The Salary and Benefits Survey summarizes data on museum compensation collected from museums and similar organizations throughout the six New England States. Data was reported voluntarily by 144 organizations representing a variety of museum types and sizes, providing compensation information for 51 full-time positions as of July, 2019. As always, the salary survey reflects a snapshot of the field at a particular point in time that offers general comparative guidance for compensation. The 2020 Salary and Benefits Survey is available to purchase here. If you are a NEMA member you qualify for the discounted member rate of $50. Smaller “snapshot” reports for specific staffing categories are available for $15 each. Click here for details.
If your museum participated in the survey, NEMA emailed your institution a complimentary copy in November, 2020. If you did not receive it, please contact Heather A. Riggs at heather.riggs@nemanet.org.
NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report
Track your visitor attendance data? Then participate in NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report. NEMA collects your museum visitor attendance data and issues a monthly report, with which you can compare your statistics against those of your colleagues from around the region. When you participate in NEMA Stats, you agree to share your museum’s visitor data with other program participants. Use the report to study region-wide trends, learn from the past, and chart your future. Enrollment for 2021 ends February 28, 2021. Click here for complete details of the program.
Advocacy Updates
AAM has announced that the 2021 Museums Advocacy Day will be held virtually, from February 22-23. Agenda details are not yet finalized, but NEMA has agreed to sponsor again at our usual level, and all NEMA members will be eligible for the AAM member registration rate. Registration is now open. Use promo code 21NEMAADVOCATE to get NEMA's special reduced registration rate.
Maine Archives and Museums has announced that they will be holding a virtual Museums Day on March 9, 2021, and NEMA has committed to doing a training as part of this event.
NEMA has been an active part of the steering committee for the Massachusetts-based Create The Vote campaign. Plans for the committee are currently focused on post-election follow up to encourage long-term involvement in state and local advocacy.
Webinars, Town Halls, and Workshops
Since March, NEMA has hosted 80+ virtual programs with over 3,500+ registrations for the events. Thank you to all the PAG chairs, volunteers, and participants who have made the pivot to these virtual events as seamless as possible. Many of these have been recorded; go to http://ow.ly/1rps50zmrsg.
Lead a virtual "Town Hall"
Do you have a topic you'd like to discuss with your fellow NEMA members? NEMA is offering the use of our Zoom channel to any members who would like to call together a group to discuss issues arising now for their particular roles. Please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org and Heather A. Riggs at heather.riggs@nemanet.org if you would like to schedule a discussion. If you're interested in hosting a regional happy hour or tea, please reach out to Scarlett Hoey at scarlett.hoey@nemanet.org.
Lunch with NEMA
We are currently planning our 2021 Lunch with NEMA webinar schedule. If you have an idea for a Lunch with NEMA topic or are interested in speaking, please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org. We are especially interested in topics which focus on practical tools and skill building across various roles in the museum field, but we’re interested in hearing anything you’ve got in mind!
Call for Articles
Have a great idea for an article for New England Museums Now? Museums Now is the professional journal for the voices of museum professionals across the geography, genres, and job descriptions present in our field, and we want your voice to be represented! Submissions for articles are accepted on a rolling basis. Though Museums Now issues each focus on a particular theme relevant to our field, we welcome articles on all museum topics. Your submission is not required to fit a theme for an upcoming issue. For complete details about submitting an article, click here.
Executive Director Community of Practice
For the past 18 months, a group of 12 first-time executive directors have met monthly online to share knowledge, inspiration, and support. Known as “EDCoP” (short for executive director community of practice), the program combines peer support and guest speakers to help them do their jobs better. If you’re interested in joining EDCoP or would like to create a NEMA-supported community of practice yourself, contact Dan Yaeger, dan.yaeger@nemanet.org.
NEMA 911
Museum leaders sometimes find themselves in uncharted territory, facing challenging situations for which they are unprepared or uncertain. These can include issues of finance, governance, ethics, facilities, collections, disaster management, personnel, and other concerns under the leadership umbrella. Unfortunately, resources to help them navigate these deep waters successfully can be scarce. Online guidance and books may be helpful, but they are no substitute for a trusted adviser who has the experience, judgment, and contacts to provide wise counsel.
NEMA 911 is a free, confidential service for members connecting museum leaders with helpful colleagues. Drawing upon a pool of volunteers who are senior-level professionals in or nearing retirement, NEMA 911 is a rapid-response resource that helps untangle problems, offer words of wisdom, and suggest pathways toward solutions. For more information on this free service, go to nemanet.org/nema-911.