Just a quick note to say that the Emerging Museum Professionals event yesterday morning – a highlights tour of the new MFA Art of the Americas wing followed by lunch – was an absolute blast! If you’re not on the Boston EMP mailing list, then you’re missing out on some great opportunities.

EMPs were treated to a tour of the new wing given by Curator of Education Barbara Martin, who focused on museological issues. She gave us some great insight into how the MFA envisioned, planned, and executed the wing. Some galleries allowed the MFA to display more of their collections from storage (the John Singer Sargent gallery in particular was wonderful), some allowed them to expand into new collecting areas (Art Deco, for example), and some galleries finally gave the museum space to achieve what Martin called “critical mass” by displaying a collection together to show its richness (Mayan ceramics). In all, 30% of the MFA’s American collections are on display in the new wing.

After the tours (two tours, actually, due to the enthusiastic response of the EMP group) a group of about fifteen met in the museum cafeteria to compare notes, discuss the all-important job market, and toss out great ideas for the future of museums.

I said it up top, but I’ll repeat myself: follow the Boston EMPs on Facebook and Twitter, and get yourself on the mailing list so you can be there with us next time!