Excellence Awards
We are pleased to announce the 2015 NEMA Excellence Awards, honoring extraordinary effort and commitment to the New England museum community. Nominations for an Excellence Award – for yourself or someone you know – are due August 31. Award winners will be recognized at the NEMA Annual Meeting on November 6 at the Inn by the Bay in Portland. For more information, click here.
2015 Annual Conference Keynoter Peter Korn
The keynote speaker for the 2015 NEMA conference will be Peter Korn, Executive Director of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, and author of Why We Make Things and Why it Matters. Furniture making, practiced as a craft in the 21st century, is a decidedly marginal occupation, yet the view from the periphery can be illuminating. For woodworker Peter Korn, the challenging work of bringing something new and meaningful into the world of one’s own volition—whether in the arts, the kitchen, or the marketplace—is exactly what generates the authenticity, meaning, and fulfillment for which so many of us yearn so deeply.
In his work, Korn wants to get at the why of craft, in particular, and the satisfactions of creative work, in general, to understand their essential nature. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How do the products of creative work inform society? In short, what does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves?
The keynote session will be held Wednesday, November 4, at 10:15 am in the Inn by the Bay, Portland, Maine.
Gowrie Group Presents the 2015 NEMA Conference
We’re proud and excited to announce that the Gowrie Group, a Connecticut-based insurance brokerage offering a comprehensive line of insurance throughout New England and the U.S., will be the Presenting Sponsor of the NEMA Conference for the second year in a row. “We are very excited about welcoming the Gowrie Group once again as presenting sponsor of our conference,” said NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger. “Their leadership enables us to offer a robust program of events to our region’s museum community, which strengthens museums and their contribution to the culture and quality of life of communities throughout New England. We are very grateful for their support and look forward to working with them to produce the best conference possible.”
If you’d like to take a minute and thank the Gowrie Group for their participation, give them a call at 800-262-8911. For more information on their services, go to www.gowrie.com.
Career Growth Studio for Mid-Career Professionals
Last year NEMA successfully launched the Career Growth Studio (CGS), in which more than 25 emerging museum professionals engaged in an overnight experience of inspiration, skill building, and self-awareness immediately following the conference in Cambridge. The group has been active since then with web calls, meet-ups, and mutual support as their career paths unwind.
At this year’s conference, we’re planning a second Career Growth Studio, this time focusing exclusively on mid-career museum professionals and their journey into upper-level museum leadership. The CGS will begin the afternoon of Friday, November 6, and continue into the afternoon of Saturday, November 7, at the conference hotel. All meals will be included and the discounted conference hotel rate will apply. Cost for participating is $250 (including year-round career support). For more information, click here.
NEMA/Qm2 Executive Roundtable
For more than 20 years, the Museum Directors’ Roundtables facilitated by consulting group Qm2 have been acclaimed as some of the most valuable professional development available to the U.S. museum field. Now, by exclusive arrangement, NEMA is offering New England museum directors the opportunity to participate in a special Qm2 roundtable that is affordable both in cost and in time commitment. Click here for complete details.
AASLH honors Dear Boston
Last year NEMA helped coordinate Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial, a special exhibition at the Boston Public Library commemorating the first anniversary of the Marathon bombing. Earlier this month the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) honored the exhibition project with an AASLH Leadership in History Award of Merit, one of 60 such awards nationwide. Congratulations to project leader Rainey Tisdale and her team, including Matt Kirchman, Anne Starr, Camille Breeze, and Helen Riegle. The NEMA family is proud of you!
NEMAppeal 2015
Thank you to everyone who participated in NEMAppeal 2015. We had 91 donors and raised $5,335. This will allow us to offer scholarships to community college students from diverse social, economic, racial, or ethnic backgrounds so that they can attend the 2015 NEMA conference. By introducing them to the wonderful world of museums that we all love, we hope they might be inspired to join us someday as colleagues.
PAG Workshops - Thank You
NEMA wishes to take this opportunity to thank our Professional Affinity Group Chairs for an exceptional spring and summer workshop series. This year the PAG chairs planned and conducted seven workshops, scheduled between May 29 and September 1. In addition to recognizing our PAG chairs, NEMA would like to thank the many institutional members that graciously offered their facilities as sites for the workshops, bringing hundreds of museum professionals together for networking and professional development.
Leadership Skills Workshops
In addition to the PAG workshops, NEMA this year offered a series of four workshops entitled Essential Skills for Leadership Success, facilitated by NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger. The workshops were held throughout the month of June in Hartford, Portsmouth, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont, and attracted more than 85 participants. The workshops covered all the bases for leadership success: emotional intelligence, assessing your leadership style, public speaking, personal branding, effective negotiating, the art of 'the ask,' and much more. At the end of the day participants were exhausted, exhilarated, and equipped to be better leaders in their organizations. The workshop series was very graciously sponsored by U.S. Trust/Bank of America.
Farewell and Congratulations to Leah Fox
Congratulations to NEMA board member Leah Fox on her recent appointment as Director of the Vance Wall Art Education Center at the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey. She will be starting her new position August 3. Leah has been on the NEMA board since 2012, but because of her new job Leah has resigned her position on the board. We will miss her greatly!
NEMA Board Nomations
Sincere thanks to the chair of this year’s NEMA Board Nominating Committee, Michelle Stahl, Executive Director, The Monadnock Center for History & Culture. Michelle, who also serves as a NEMA officer, is currently working with other members of the NEMA board to solicit nominations for a new board member who will contribute to the range of the board’s skills and experience. There are currently three vacancies on the board, one of which needs to be filled by a colleague from New Hampshire. NEMA is committed to ensuring diversity in its board representation. If you would like to nominate someone to the NEMA board (including yourself), please reach out to Michelle, director@monadnockcenter.org or click here for complete details.
#MassMuseums Day, Oct. 7, 2015, 2-4 pm
Planning is underway for Massachusetts Museums Day, to be held at the State House in Boston from 2-4 pm, on October 7, in the Great Hall. The purpose of the event is to tell legislators and their staffs about the importance of museums and advocate for museum issues. Massachusetts museums are invited to create small displays of their collections and programs, and museum professionals are encouraged to set up appointments with their legislators. There will be a short speaking program featuring government officials, light refreshments, and time for conversations and networking with state legislators and staff.
There will be a local planning committee meeting on Wednesday, July 15, from 3-4:30 pm at the Paul S. Russell MD Museum at Massachusetts General Hospital (Grove Street, Boston). If you would like more information about #MassMuseums Day or want to help with planning and logistics, please contact Meg Winikates, NEMA’s Membership and Advocacy Manager, meg.winikates@nemanet.org.
Publication Award Winners
NEMA is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s annual Publication Awards. Judging was especially challenging and exciting this year, with 199 entries from 60 museums in 10 categories. The Publication Awards honor excellence in design, publication, and communication in the world of print and digital museum publishing. Click here to read about the judging and a list of the winning entries.
Museums New England
To date, 169 Institutional Members have added their complimentary listings to the site and we have begun to market the site to the general public with advertisements in Art New England and Arts & Antiques. The design team is currently developing a 'search by map' function for the site which will enable visitors to plan a trip to multiple museum sites. Make sure your site is listed — it's free and easy! Click here.
Connecticut League of Historical Organizations
CLHO members that are all-volunteer museums are eligible for a free one-year NEMA membership. This program went into effect earlier this year and is similar to the one we began last year with Maine Archives and Museums.
Membership Update/June, 2015 — 2,911 Members!
Program Task Force Report
NEMA is reviewing its programming strategy. In the process, NEMA has convened two focus groups, and solicited board input. The Program Task Force also convened for a web conference to discuss and summarize the results on June 8th. BJ Larson reports that the focus groups validated NEMA’s current “menu” of programs including: offering the Career Growth Studio for a second year with emphasis on mid-career professionals and providing networking events with directors as part of the experience; publishing more white papers and doing more bench-marking surveys; and continuing to offer Lunch with NEMA for the second year a row. The Task Force will continue to solicit ideas from the membership. Contact BJ Larson at bj.larson@nemanet.org if you have suggestions on NEMA programming.
NEMA's new Young Emerging Professionals Co-Chairs!
Meet NEMA's new Young Emerging Professionals Co-Chairs! Alli Rico, Monika Bernotas, and Scarlett Hoey have exciting plans ahead for the YEPs PAG and are always open to suggestions and ideas. Follow the group on Facebook or the co-chairs on twitter: @alli_rico, @MonikaBernotas, @svh213.
Alli is currently working part-time in the Shop at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. She is also a graduate intern at the Bostonian Society, and a graduate student in the Harvard Museum Studies program. She is interested in utilizing social media platforms to help museums tell the stories behind their objects and collections, in order to reach and connect with a global audience. Her increased exposure to the natural history museum has left her with an inordinate fondness for our cetacean brethren.
Monika is currently a research associate at ConsultEcon, Inc., a Cambridge-based firm specializing in economic, planning, and management strategy for museums, as well as other educational and cultural attractions. Though she has roots in the Boston area, she earned her undergraduate degree in European Studies at The College of William and Mary in Virginia (literally next door to Colonial Williamsburg) where she also dabbled in art history and museum studies. She has spent several terms studying in Lithuania and Russia, and, most recently, teaching English in Belarus as a Fulbright Scholar. She currently aspires to be featured on any publication’s 30-under-30 list. She has five years to go.
Scarlett is an Australian American who has had the opportunity to work at historic sites on two continents. Her love of art, people, and storytelling flourished when she attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she received a BFA in Art History and Photography. She is actively involved in arts management at a contemporary gallery in Worcester and assists NEMA at their Arlington office. Her past work experiences include the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, The Boston Athenaeum, Boston’s Old South Meeting House, and Brisbane's Newstead House. She is an equality advocate, a firm believer in the power of STEAM education and enjoys cuddling koalas. In her spare time she enjoys a bit of trivia, deciphering crosshatch letters, and would happily host a dinner where the guests include Beyonce and Jill Ker Conway.
The trio look forward to meeting you soon and be sure to say "hi" to them at the NEMA conference in Portland this November!