March 31, 2020
When I was in Washington, DC, in late February for Museums Advocacy Day and related meetings, a most amazing thing happened. As I waited for the light to change during the walk to my next appointment, I spotted a familiar figure lingering beside me at the crosswalk.
“Good morning, Mr. Ambassador,” I said as I took off my glove and reached out my hand. “Dan Yaeger.”
The gentleman looked at me with a mixture of surprise and friendliness as he removed his own glove and shook my hand. “Well, good morning! Bill Taylor.”
Thus began a wonderful six-block conversation with former Ambassador to the Ukraine William Taylor, the gentleman who became a sensation for his factual and straightforward testimony during the House impeachment hearings. His informality on our walk was striking. We talked, it seemed to me, like two old friends, comparing notes about our kids, our jobs, and the current state of politics. He loves museums, I was glad to hear, and, even better, has great faith that the American system of democracy will survive. I thanked him for the honesty and humanity he brought to a difficult chapter in our history. When it came time to part ways, we shook hands again and wished each other well.
For the rest of the day I marveled at how unpredictably fantastic circumstances can be. Whatever was behind it – fate, luck, karma – my chance encounter with Bill Taylor was a special moment.
Today, of course, it wouldn’t have happened that way. COVID-19 has exploded our reality, making that ungloved handshake with Ambassador Taylor very much a thing of the past. Just as many of us view our lives pre-9/11 and post-9/11, February, 2020, will go down in history as the beginning of a new era.
As I write this sheltered in my home, observing the new realities of social distancing, it is hard to fully comprehend the changes the last few weeks have wrought. Virtually every museum is closed for the foreseeable future, with no certainty when or if they will reopen. The U.S. economy has plunged into the dark maw of recession and, perhaps, the nightmare of depression.
Things that seemed so important before – climate change, social justice, presidential politics – have now taken a back seat to our personal survival and that of our profession. Like everyone else, we here at NEMA are recovering from the initial shock, ensuring that our teams are safe, assessing our current situation, and planning as we can for an uncertain future. Adrenaline and intuition are fueling our immediate reactions; strategy will evolve as the news evolves. But our intuition tells us this: NEMA has a huge responsibility in this crisis to help you as much as we can by keeping you connected with your colleagues and providing you with timely, relevant information.
To that end, the NEMA team has been working hard to serve our museum community. We have assembled a list of COVID-19 resources, updated regularly, to help you get answers and assistance here. We have organized a number of webinars and Zoom meetings, including an information exchange with epidemiologist Dr. David Read of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and several small-group sessions with museum executive directors. On April 6 we are offering a webinar with the “NEMA 911 Team,” a group of senior-level museum professionals answering questions and providing collegial advice on how to navigate the crisis. And we have begun an ongoing series of virtual meetups where small groups of museum friends can gather informally over drinks and conversation.
We know that the coming months will be a challenge for us all. It is my hope that NEMA can make the challenge bearable for you. Please let us know what else we can be doing for you and the museum community. Best wishes and stay safe!
Dan Yaeger