Program Perspectives

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a near halt of the events, exhibitions, and public programming that make up the very essence of a museum. Yet, with speedy ingenuity and a little help from technology, museums continue to weather the financial storm that is 2020.
Even though museums have largely reopened across the nation, many are functioning at half-capacity, have cancelled typical events, and...
By Irina Zeylikovich
Partnering with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Oakland Museum of California, and The Marine Mammal Center, my colleague at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and I are looking forward to diving into the delicate art of museum collaboration at this year’s Western Museums Association (WMA) 2015 Annual Meeting in San Jose, California.
During our panel, Whose Program Is...
By Lauren Valone
At the helm of Silicon Valley’s Computer History Museum (CHM) is President and CEO, John Hollar. Since starting in 2008, Hollar has lead a re-envisioning of the Museum’s strategic planning and operations, as well as led the development of the permanent exhibition, "Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing," a multi-platform history experience that examines computing's...
By Brenda Salguero
I grew up ashamed of who I was.
It wasn’t until recently I even realized that I had felt this way. That is the insidious nature of systemic racism—you never realize how much you hate yourself or even why.
Like all Americans, I grew up surrounded by a white dominant media, but the communities I lived in never reflected what I saw on TV. Additionally, the majority of my teachers...
By Lauren Valone
Design thinking is a big buzzword these days, and is being applied in both corporate and not-for-profit settings. However, it is much more than simply thinking like a designer might. Indeed, design thinking is about combining analytical and creative methods to arrive at innovative solutions. Dana Mitroff Silvers, former Head of Online Services at the San Francisco Museum of...
By Wendy Meluch
Wow! If you missed Anne Rowe's recent blog post, Don’t Hesitate, Speed Date!, go back and check it out. She is a cheerleader for networking at the Western Museums Association (WMA), or any meeting filled with like-minded people. Anne gives loads of examples of how to make connections with your colleagues in different conference situations. She completely makes the case for...
By Catie Webb
Everything has an acronym these days; it seems that we feel we’re running so short on time, we cannot find a few additional seconds say whole phrases, or even truly consider what our shorthand means. In my experience, speaking acronyms aloud tends to point in the direction of a stale topic of conversation, and regularly downplays the importance what those few short letters actually...
By Randy C. Roberts, Ph.D.
Several months ago I was invited to be part of a Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting panel about 21st century museum leadership. I immediately accepted the invitation feeling grateful for the opportunity to join colleagues in dialogue about a topic that I believe to be critical to the essential work of museums in our communities and in society. As the...
By Adrienne McGraw
What skills and attributes do museum professionals need to possess to successfully
work in the 21st Century museum?
A question like this is always on the minds of museum studies university faculty. We want provide the best education for students so that they contribute to relevant, adaptive, and sustainable museums, which in turn best serve and collaborate with communities. To...
By Lorie Millward
The Western Museums Association (WMA) 2014 Annual Meeting Poster Session is the second edition of, in what we hope, will be an ongoing program opportunity for years to come. I love me some poster session, and here’s why:
10. Posters are a great way to introduce a project or case study that may not be ready for a for a full-fledged conference session.
9. If you’re looking for...

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