2019 NEMA Annual Conference Update
Planning for the 2019 Annual NEMA Conference is well underway, so make sure you save the date: November 6 – 8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington, Vermont. Scholarship information is available here. Registration will open late August.
NEMA is proud to announce Dr. Gretchen Sorin as the keynote speaker for the 2019 annual conference. For more than 30 years, Gretchen has served the field as museum educator, director, and consultant to more than 200 museums around the U.S. Currently the director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program, she is committed to training the next generation of museum professionals, supporting diversity in the museum field, and encouraging museums to be more active in civic responsibility and social justice.
For the NEMA Conference, Gretchen will speak about her research for the upcoming book Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights and PBS documentary produced by Ric Burns and Steeplechase Films, to be released early 2020. Her vantage point at the intersection of museums, history, and DEAI are sure to provide valuable insights into the issues confronting our institutions today.
Excellence Awards
NEMA is proud to honor our colleagues' extraordinary effort and commitment to the New England museum community. Help us recognize their achievements by nominating someone you admire for the 2019 NEMA Excellence Awards. Nominations for an Excellence Award - for yourself or someone you know - are due August 23. Award winners will be recognized at the NEMA Annual Meeting on November 8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Burlington. For more information, click here.
NEMA Centennial Appeal
A massive thank you to everyone who participated the Centennial Appeal Campaign. We met our goal and are excited to report that we have raised $8,005. This will allow us to continue our work on behalf of the New England museum field and provide scholarships to the 2019 conference in Burlington, VT. We wouldn’t be the organization we are today without you and we thank you for your generosity in supporting the museum field of the future!
Are you an Independent Museum Professional working in New England?
We need your help! We are gathering information on how IMPs throughout New England run their businesses and what/how they charge clients. Please help by taking a few minutes to fill out our survey.
Professional Affinity Group Updates
Are you interested in being a PAG Chair? We are currently looking for chairs for the Registrars & Collection Care Specialists (RACCS), Curators, College and University Museums, Conservators, and Natural History\Science PAGs. Contact Meg Winikates at meg.winikates@nemanet.org for complete details.
We would like to thank the following PAG Chairs that are stepping down for their service to NEMA and the field: Marylou Davis, David Dempsey, Jennifer Duckett, Christina Errico, and Adrienne Turnbull-Reilly.
Are you a curator? Take a minute to fill out a quick survey that will help shape what the Curators PAG offers in the future!Three PAGs now have Facebook groups! Join the Registrars & Collection Care Specialists (RACCS), Library & Archives, and the Development, Marketing, PR, Membership PAGs online. Don’t forget to follow the NEMA Young and Emerging Professionals page.
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 ten workshops. 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 museum professionals together for networking and professional development.
In September, NEMA will have two more workshops:
"What keeps you up at night? A collaborative approach toward financial and operational success." September 19, Medford MA, generously sponsored by Century Bank
"Understanding Repatriation and Restitution" September 26, Providence RI, hosted by the Registrars and Collections Care Specialists and Curators PAGs
Salary and Benefits Survey
This fall, NEMA will once again be conducting a regional salary survey. Contact Heather A. Riggs at heather.riggs@nemanet.org for complete details and to be included in upcoming emails announcing the opening of the survey.
Museum Admission Program
We are currently reviewing our Museum Admission Program, our collegial initiative in which NEMA institutional members offer free or reduced admission to other NEMA members as a professional courtesy. Update or add your museum listing online here.
2019 Publication Award Winners
The 2019 Publication Awards competition has wrapped up and NEMA is pleased to announce this year’s winners. The winning publications impressed the judges with their sophisticated simplicity, vibrant colors, and clever design. You can learn more about the process and this year’s competition here.
NEMA 911
We are pleased to announce an important new resource for NEMA members who need confidential advice from trusted colleagues. It's called "NEMA 911," a free service that connects you with seasoned museum professionals who will help you navigate challenging situations. NEMA 911 is available to executive directors, senior staff, and trustees who are NEMA members. Click here for details.
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 Executive Roundtable
The roundtable is a confidential peer-learning group that improves the institution's long-term sustainability and the director's life. In the fall of 2018, Mary Case retired and Larry Yerdon, President, Strawbery Banke, agreed to lead the roundtable. If you'd like to explore participation, please contact Larry Yerdon, lyerdon@sbmuseum.org.