Conference Wrap-up
Thank you to everyone that attended the 99th NEMA Annual Conference on the Cape. A total of 811 attendees participated. Plus, according to our post-conference survey, more than 80% of you said your experience was very good or excellent, and 92% indicated it met or exceeded your expectations for value. Your energy, enthusiasm, and desire for professional development are what made the conference a happening place. Our hope is that we can keep the conversations - and energy - going throughout the coming year.
Conference handouts can be found online here.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our conference committees, session chairs and speakers, host institutions, volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors. We couldn't have made it happen without you!
Conference Sponsors
Thanks to all who participated to make this the best museum conference ever:
Titanium Level Sponsors: Museum Search & Reference, Novus Laurus
Platinum Level Sponsors: Opportunity Resources, Inc. and Qm2
Gold Level Sponsors: Available Light, Belfry Historic Consultants, Inc., Harvard University Extension School, Museum Studies, Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, Inc, Tufts University Museum Studies Program, and University of Massachusetts Public History Program
Silver Level Sponsors: Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs, MA in Museum Studies , Thoughtlight
Creative Corner: 42 | Design Fab Studio, Inc.
Lifetime Achievement Award
L to R, Janie Cohen, Director, Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont, NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger, Wendy Lull, and Pieter Roos, Executive Director, Mark Twain House and Museum.
NEMA was honored to recognize Seacoast Science Center President Emerita Wendy Lull with its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award on October 27 as part of the 99thAnnual NEMA Conference in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Lull was honored for her decades of service to the museum field, along with her leadership and mentorship work through NEMA and other scientific and cultural organizations. Having been at the helm of the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire since it opened in 1992, Wendy is an ocean education champion who understands the importance of science education for everyone –from toddlers to grandparents, from individuals to enterprise leaders.
“Wendy Lull is a force of nature in the museum field,” said NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger. “Her dynamic leadership has transformed her organization into a leading science center and her caring personality has mentored countless museum professionals through the years. She has made her mark and we are all indebted to her for her service.”
Support Museums at Museums Advocacy Day 2018 in DC!
Recent bills in Congress and the proposed budget from the president's office aren't looking favorable for museums, parks, historic sites, or the organizations that support us. Like last year, we have the opportunity to bring attention to the immense good we do, and to the power of museum supporters as voters in the run-up to the mid-term elections.
Join the NEMA staff as we lead a contingent again this year from New England to Washington DC to speak up for museums! (And have fun catching up with colleagues from the region and all over the US!) Registration is now open through the AAM website, and registration is free to NEMA members using the code MAD2018_NEMA. We hope to have representation from every state in the region again this year. New Hampshire and Vermont historically have low or no attendance; we’d love to see you add your voice to your colleagues’ again this year!
AAM is expecting it to be another sell-out year, so we encourage you to register early! If you've never advocated before and want to give it a shot, this is a great opportunity with lots of colleagues and training to support you. Feel free to call the NEMA office with any questions.
NEMA 100th Annual Conference - Call for Proposals
Anniversaries are a time for reminiscing and for looking ahead. We’ll be doing both at the upcoming Centennial NEMA Conference. Help us celebrate and commemorate the occasion with a session proposal that adds your voice and perspective. Our conference theme this year is Museums on the Move, investigating how museums have evolved since the very first NEMA conference and how they are positioning themselves for success in the century ahead. It’s our field’s chance to take stock – to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we are going, and to reset our GPS if necessary along the way.
Session proposals are due February 28, 2018. Complete details can be found here.
Staff Updates
We are proud to announce the newest member of the NEMA team, Scarlett V. Hoey, our new Manager of Membership and Development. Scarlett joined the NEMA staff in October.
Heather A. Riggs, formerly Communications and Operations Manager, has been appointed Director of Administration. Heather will continue her work as the technical and operations “guru” of NEMA, managing the website and communications strategies, but will now oversee NEMA’s financial and personnel systems as well.
Meg Winikates, formerly Membership and Advocacy Manager, has been appointed Director of Engagement. Meg will now be responsible for leading NEMA’s professional development programs and coordinating the professional affinity groups, along with continuing her role in managing NEMA’s advocacy efforts.
Welcome new NEMA Board Members
A warm welcome to our new board members.
• Margaret Middleton, Independent Exhibit Designer
• Brindha Muniappan, Director of Programs, MIT Museum
• Douglas Perkins, Douglas Perkins, Operations Manager, Middlebury College Museum of Art
We are also saying farewell to NEMA board member Maria Cabrera, Supervisor of Community Relations at the Museum of Science, Boston. Maria has been on the board since 2008, and has distinguished herself as a passionate advocate for museums and more particularly for museum access.
Many thanks to the members of this year's nominating committee: Mark Gold , Partner, Smith Green & Gold, LLP, Pilar Garro, Castle Hill Engagement Manager, The Trustees of Reservations, The Crane Estate, Kristina Durocher, Director, Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire, Susan Goganian, Director, Historic Beverly, and Janie Cohen Director, Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont.
Professional Affinity Group Updates
Welcome to our new PAG chairs:
Young and Emerging Professionals: Jen Duckett, Studio Art Program Coordinator, MFA Boston; Christina Errico, Engineering Education Associate, Museum of Science; Sally Meyer, Public Programs Coordinator, Concord Museum
Natural History & Science (brand new in 2017!): Shana Hawrylchak, Manager of Exhibits and Collections, EcoTarium; Richard Kissel, Director of Public Programs, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
Exhibits: Betsy Loring, Director of Exhibits, EcoTarium
Thank you for stepping up to be resources for your field! And many thanks to our departing PAG chairs for your fantastic service to NEMA and your colleagues: Monika Bernotas, Scarlett Hoey, Linda Marshall, Margaret Middleton, Alli Rico, and James Sousa.
The following PAGs are looking for assistance, either for one-off projects like a workshop, or for potential new co-chairs:
• Historic Site Management
• Library & Archives
• Membership, Development, Public Relations & Marketing
• Registrars & Collections Care Specialists (RACCS) (formerly the Registrars PAG)
If you’re interested, please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org.
There has been some interest in creating/reviving a PAG for Finance & Administration. If you would like to be part of a discussion about founding such a group, please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org.
2017 Excellence Awards
Congratulations to the winners of NEMA’s Excellence Awards Competition!
• Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, Head of Gallery Learning, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Noelle Foye, recently retired Executive Director, New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!
• Ben Gammell, Lead Exhibit Developer, Connecticut Historical Society
• Ruth Taylor, Executive Director, Newport Historical Society
You can read more about this year’s winners here.
L-R: Dan Yaeger, Ruth Taylor, Ben Gammell, Noelle Foye, Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, and Meg Winikates
NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report
We invite you to participate in NEMA Stats: A Monthly Museum Attendance Report, a new 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. Enrollment for 2018 ends February 28, 2018. Click here for complete details of the program.
Lunch with NEMA
In 2018, we will continue our popular Lunch with NEMA series, a FREE monthly conversation from noon - 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. Each month will highlight a different discussion topic. If you have a topic or would like to present in 2018 at a Lunch with NEMA please contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org.
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 Meg Winikates at 781-641-0013 or meg.winikates@nemanet.org. You don't need to be an expert, we can explore the possibilities together starting with a good idea.
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.
NEMA/QM2 Executive Roundtables
Last fall NEMA teamed up with Mary Case of QM2 to begin an executive roundtable inviting leaders of museums with annual budgets between $800,000 and $1.4 million. The roundtable is a confidential peer-learning group that improves the institution's long-term sustainability and the director's life. If you'd like to explore participation, please contact Mary Case, marycase@qm2.org.