As New England awaits the signal that winter will indeed soon cede the floor to spring, I’ve got a few assorted thoughts I’d like to convey.
- In preparation for launching NEMA’s 100th anniversary at next November’s conference, I’ve spent a little time digging through the NEMA archive. That’s right, we have an archive. Well, it’s actually two storage boxes, but I suppose that counts as an archive. Inside the boxes, I’ve been getting a glimpse of not only the last 100 years of NEMA’s history, but the last 100 years of New England museum history. Technology, for example, has been a consistent topic of conversation at NEMA conferences. At the 1920 meeting in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, “the subject of the use of motion pictures in the educational work of museums was presented very thoroughly,” according to the minutes. “In the discussion it was decided that motion pictures were not appropriate for museum use.” In 1980, video technology was the rage and the first NEMA Video Awards were introduced. Seems quaint today, as we experiment with augmented reality and artificial intelligence in the museum experience.
- Speaking of the 100th anniversary, have you contributed to our centennial timeline project? We need your help as we collect data, stories, and images from area museums and museum professionals to tell the stories of our field and our collective growth since 1918. Go here to add to the fun.
- From time to time when I’m on an advocacy visit to a legislator’s office I get asked questions like “How do museums impact the economy?” and “Do my constituents really care whether I support public funding for museums?” In response I usually do some slick talking about the number of people museums employ and how museums transform lives and so on, but always feel a bit sheepish because actual hard data has been lacking. But now, huzzah! The American Alliance of Museums has recently released two reports that reinforce the value of museums. The first, Museums as Economic Engines, shows that museums contribute $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy and $2.8 billion to New England’s. The second report is called Museums & Public Opinion, conducted by NEMA friend Susie Wilkening, who reveals that people overwhelmingly support museums across the country: 97 percent believe museums provide valuable educational experiences to their communities, 89 percent recognize their valuable economic contributions, and, most important for my future legislative visits, 96 percent approve of elected officials who support public funding for museums. Download both documents here.
- It continues to bug me that 57% of museum CEOs nationwide are women, but are paid 21% less than men. Not long ago I had a conversation with a respected leader of a major institution who described her 30+ year career path as “walking through mud.” Some days the mud is ankle deep and some days it’s knee deep, she said, but the mud is always there, making it a little harder to walk the same path as men. That description moved me. It also motivated me to redouble my commitment to do what I can toward wage equity. The museum field will not attract or retain the best and brightest minds unless the playing field is leveled and cleared of mud.
- Anyone who’s visited the island of Nantucket knows it has a special dream-like quality, almost Brigadoon-like, which seems far removed from the rough edges of the mainland. The dream was dispelled a few weeks ago when someone spray-painted racist graffiti on the island’s historic African Meeting House. Although island residents quickly helped erase the vandalism, the act has rightly caused a bit of soul searching. As site manager Charity-Grace Mofsen told the Boston Globe, “To see this place that is such a tight-knit community and so peaceful — we’re not exempt. We’re still dealing with the same issues that you would find in the South, or the small-town Midwest. It’s everywhere.” As someone raised in the Midwest, and who has witnessed racism there, I am always a little shocked to witness it here in New England, the land of abolitionists, progressives, and tolerance. Or so I thought. Hate, apparently, knows no shores.
- The NEMA workshop series is in full swing and I would be remiss as the ED of this association if I did not encourage you to attend at least one. Upcoming workshops include topics like conservation, historic sites and artists, civic engagement, financial literacy, and mindful leadership (run by yours truly). More are on the way as well, so keep checking the website.
That’s it for now. Is it spring yet?
Dan Yaeger