Introducing Meg Winikates
We are delighted to introduce you to the newest member of the NEMA team, Meg Winikates, who starting earlier this month as our Membership and Advocacy Manager. Meg has worked and volunteered in a variety of museum settings for more than ten years. Immediately prior to joining the NEMA team, she worked as the Programs Coordinator for the Art & Nature Center at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. She has also worked at The Discovery Museums, the Longfellow National Historic Site, the Paul Revere House, and the New England Aquarium, among others.
Meg graduated from Harvard with a B.A. cum laude in English Literature & Language, completed the Tufts museum studies program, and received her master's in arts administration from Boston University. Aside from her love for museums, Meg also enjoys writing, travel, jewelry design, scuba diving, playing flute, and taking in a night of theater whenever she can.
At NEMA, Meg will be the point person for membership questions and issues, coordinator of the annual conference exhibit hall, and driving force behind NEMA's advocacy programs. You can reach Meg by email at meg.winikates@nemanet.org.
Professional Affinity Group Updates
The NEMA board and the PAG Chairs met in December to share information and discuss the 2015 PAG Workshop series. The Historic Sites PAG has teamed up with AASLH to offer a workshop on Reinventing the Historic House April 21 at Strawbery Banke. NEMA members receive the member rate. We are also working with the Mid Atlantic Association of Museums to be able to offer the Building Museums Conference in March 22-24 to NEMA Members at the MAAM member price. For more information, click here.
NEMA would like to welcome several new PAG Chairs to the NEMA family! Jenn DePrisio, Director of Education Portland Museum of Art), Deborah Disston, Executive Director (McIninch Art Gallery at Southern New Hampshire University), Cynthia Mackey, Vice President, Marketing and External Affairs (Museum of Science, Boston), Christi Razzi, Director of Institutional Giving (Portland Museum of Art), and James Sousa, Registrar (Addison Gallery of American Art) all join us for the upcoming year of great programming.
Conference 2014
One final thank you for all that attended the 2014 NEMA conference! We had over 1,234 attendees, making 2014 the largest NEMA conference on record (beating 2013's record-setting 920)! Plus, according to our post-conference survey, more than 81% of you said your experience was very good or excellent, and 89% 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.
If you would like to view the final program book, click here.
The keynote session featuring Carole Charnow, Carl Nold, Malcolm Rogers, Dr. Joel Katz, Dr. Lisa Wong, and Jared Bowen was recorded. You can watch here.
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!
2015 Conference Planning Meeting
November seems far off, but we're already at work with preparations for the 2015 conference in Portland, ME. On Monday, January 26, the NEMA staff along with 17 museum professionals from the Portland area met at the Portland Museum of Art to begin planning for the conference.
Attending were representatives from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Maine Archives and Museums, Maine Historical Society, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, Maine State Museum, Museum of African Culture, Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Portland Museum of Art, Victoria Mansion, and Washburn-Norlands Living History Center.
At the meeting the group discussed preliminary plans for conference sessions and events, plus brainstormed ideas for keynoters and special features. Based on the energy in the room, you're in for an amazing conference again this year! Remember to mark your calendar for November 4 - 6, 2015.
Many thanks to all who attended and shared their ideas and to the Portland Museum of Art for hosting us.
2015 Publication Awards Competition for Print and Digital Publishing
The NEMA Publication Awards program recognizes excellence in design, production, programming, and effective communication in both print and digital publishing. Each year entries are judged by a panel experienced in one or more of the following: graphic design, production, printing, digital publishing, programming, and by a user of museum publications. This year’s deadline for entries is April 30, 2015. Download the Call for Entries form here.
Lunch with NEMA
Now in its third year, Lunch with NEMA continues to offer informal professional development the last Wednesday of the month. Join us on March 25 as we discuss Making Functions Work for You and Your Site with Bill Blanchfield, Functions Manager, Historic New England. Click here to RSVP. On April 29, the insurance experts from Gowrie Group will be discussing museum insurance trends and options. Click here to RSVP.
If there are any topics you would like to see discussed please contact BJ Larson at bj.larson@nemanet.org.
Museums Advocacy Day
(NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger and David Nathans, Director, Martha Vineyard Museums at Advocacy Day)
This year’s national Museums Advocacy Day, held in Washington, DC, February 23 – 24, was a great success. NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger led a contingent of more than 20 New Englanders to event, which consisted of an exhausting day of training and a day of Capitol Hill visits. Festivities included a reprise of the traditional New England meetup in DC; this year the gathering took place at the Art and Soul restaurant on Monday, February 23. Another highlight (to Dan in any event) was Dan’s presentation of "The Art of the Ask" at 9 am on Feb 23 as part of the group's orientation activities.
As usual, Dan stayed in town an extra day to meet with his colleagues from AAM and the Council of Regional Affiliates to discuss common issues and future collaborations. On the agenda this year were the subjects of the next edition of the National Museum Salary Study, IMLS initiatives, and professional credentialing.
Sponsorship outreach for workshops/networking events
Now is your chance to show your support for the New England museum community and build valuable good will for your organization. Become a sponsor of NEMA's 2015 Spring/Summer professional development programming! Sponsorship opportunities include the PAG workshops and networking events. Click here for details.
2014 National Museum Salary Survey
NEMA, in collaboration with the American Alliance of Museums and the country's regional museum associations, is proud to announce the publication of the 2014 National Museum Salary Survey, the only comprehensive study of its kind for our diverse field. Museum professionals at all stages of their careers have demanded such a survey and we are confident this document will prove valuable for everyone. It includes detailed analysis of 51 different museum positions in a broad range of categories, both museum-related and individual.
As a member of NEMA you qualify for the discounted member rate of $60 by using the discount code "Reg2014Salary" during the checkout process.
If your museum participated in the survey, AAM emailed your institution a complimentary copy in November. If you did not receive it, please contact Heather A. Riggs at heather.riggs@nemanet.org.