Membership is traditionally a way for museums to increase engagement and have an additional source of revenue; however, museums often struggle to attract new members and keep existing members engaged. In this blog post, Eric Bruce, Head of Visitor Experience at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) provides AAM with the third post in a series highlighting Mia’s recent strategies for increasing their audience, including their membership base. Bruce explains their new approach that prioritizes loyalty over membership. To gain this loyalty, Mia strives to demonstrate loyalty to their visitors. With this mindset, the institution has made membership accessible for all visitors with no annual donation requirement and has since seen a dramatic increase in their membership base. To learn more about how exactly they have done this, read the article here.
Author: Andrea E. Woodberry (Page 14 of 23)
The American Alliance of Museums and AAM’s Leadership and Management Network are presenting a webinar on Thursday, September 14th, 2017, 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Getting Started with Employee Onboarding. In conjunction with this webinar, Historic Newton is hosting a free webinar “watch and talk” event at the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, and we would like you to join us. This is a great opportunity to connect with and learn from local colleagues – and the webinar is only accessible at one of the watch-talk locations. There is no cost to attend our local “watch and talk” event, however advanced registration is required. Feel free to forward this to anyone else in the museum community.
Getting Started with Employee Onboarding
This webinar will benefit hiring managers and HR professionals seeking to enhance their onboarding practices. After participating in this program, participants will be able to identify the importance of onboarding in engaging every new hire from the start; learn how onboarding increases job satisfaction and performance, and decreases turnover; gain practical advice on the different stages of the onboarding process, and important things to do even before your new hire starts work; and, take away ready-to-use, scalable ideas and suggestions to create a fully-inclusive onboarding program that is custom-made for your organization.
The “watch and talk” event at the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds consists of the following, but you do not have to attend the pre and post sessions if you do not wish:
- 30 minutes of pre-webinar check-in and networking (optional)
- 90-minute live webinar (2:00 pm to 3:30 pm)
RSVP for Historic Newton’s FREE “watch and talk” event HERE. The webinar will take place at the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds at 286 Waverley Ave., Newton, MA 02458. We have a fully accessible location with parking on site for persons with mobility issues. Additional parking can be found on the street at no cost right in front of the museum. Please see the parking map with questions –https://goo.gl/L8Ck9n.
For additional program information, visit the AAM website, email Max Metz Jr. at Historic Newton at mmetz@newtonma.gov or contact Greg Stevens at AAM at gstevens@aam-us.org.
We hope you can join us!
Here’s our weekly roundup of new jobs. Happy hunting!
New England
- Executive Director [Connecticut Humanities, Middletown, CT]
- Senior Client Service Representative [Artex, Somerville, MA]
- Curator of Collections Management [Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover, DE]
- Executive Director [Concord Museum, Concord, MA]
- MIT Museum Studio Assistant [MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA]
- Development Events Manager [Historic New England, Boston, MA]
- Institutional Giving Officer [Historic New England, Boston, MA]
- Assistant to Vice President for Advancement [Historic New England, Boston, MA]
- Visitor Services Associate [Trinity Church, Boston, MA]
- Visitor Services Gallery Assistant [ICA, Boston, MA]
- Chocolate and Print Shop Interpreters [Old North Foundation, Boston, MA]
- Visitor Services Assistant [Old South Meeting House, Boston, MA]
- Education Coordinator [Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA]
- Creative Services Coordinator [Historic New England, Boston, MA]
- Studio Art Educator [New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT]
- Director, STEAM [Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA]
Mid-Atlantic
- Cultural Resources Professionals [PB&A, Washington, DC]
- Director and Chief Executive Officer [Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Winterthur, DE]
- Lead Mountmaker [University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA]
- Special Assistant [Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC]
- Director of Public Programs [The Valentine, Richmond, VA]
- Exhibit and Design Manager [Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Williamsburg, VA]
Midwest
- President and Chief Operating Officer [National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH]
- Brand Manager [Imagine Exhibitions, Inc, Indianapolis, IN]
- Director of Education [Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL]
- Assistant Curator of Public Programs and Engagement [Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St Louis, MO]
- Vice President of Education, Programs, and Interns [Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, IN]
- Vice President of Development [Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI]
South
- Executive Director [Tryon Palace, New Bern, NC]
- Senior Curator [National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, TN]
- Museum Educator [National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, TN]
- Director of Communications [National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, TN]
- Museum Events Coordinator [National Museum of African American Music, Nashville, TN]
- Assistant Vice President for Strategic Philanthropy [Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL]
- Preparator and Installation Coordinator [Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL]
- Communications Manager [Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA]
- Museum Exhibits Coordinator [Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington, NC]
West
- Associate Vice President, Collections [Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA]
- Director of Development and External Relations [Filoli Center, Woodside, CA]
- Director of Partnerships and Interpretation [Cooper-Molera Adobe Historic Site, Monterey, CA]
- Assistant Curator [J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, CA]
- Senior Campaign Writer [California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA]
Today’s around the globe post takes us to Småland, Sweden and the House of Emigrants. Here in America, there are many museums dedicated to the rich history of immigration, but this museum flips the viewpoint to that of a country where millions left for America. The House of Emigrants museum and research center has shared stories of Swedish emigrants, most of whom went to America, and of current immigration to the area for almost 50 years. In two permanent exhibits, The Dream of America and The Moberg Room, visitors learn about Swedish emigration to America from 1840 to 1930, experience life in Swedish American communities, and immerse themselves in the work of author Vilhelm Moberg, famous for writing four novels on the Swedish emigrant experience. The current temporary exhibit, a photographic exhibit titled I Come Alone uses stories to share the experience of youth in the midst of flight and migration.
The House of Emigrants is one part of the Kulturparken Småland that seeks to be “a gathering place and point of reference for debating and discussing the future of Småland.” Småland is a province in southern Sweden. Kulturparken Småland preserves and teaches the history, culture, and changes throughout Småland, and the House of Emigrants’ stories of migration to and from Sweden are an important part of this mission. To learn more about the House of Emigrants and Kulturparken Småland, visit their website.
Full and part-time gallery attendants for October–December 2017, for exhibition, The Enemy, with training in late September.
The Enemy by Karim Ben Khelifa is a groundbreaking interactive Virtual Reality exhibition. Participants will encounter combatants on opposite sides of conflicts in Israel/Palestine, the Congo, and El Salvador. In their own words, each will offer personal perspectives on war, including thoughts on motivations, suffering, freedom, and the future.
Three types of Attendant positions available:
Gallery Attendant: Open exhibition and activate components; welcome visitors and provide introduction; assign and activate equipment and assist at start of experience; monitor to assist if needed during the experience; remove equipment at conclusion and replace battery packs.
Closing Attendant: At the exit of the exhibition, answer visitor questions, discuss their experience, and encourage to share thoughts via a guestbook or social media platform.
Technical Attendant: Start up and calibrate the tracking system; may perform technical trouble-shooting; also performs gallery attendant duties.
Job Requirements: Must be able to commit to the full run of the exhibition, including November 25-26 and December 26-31; be available for training on the following dates: Gallery and Closing attendant: September 25 or 26; Technical attendant: September 22.
Qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent education required, Bachelor’s degree preferred. Should enjoy working with the public, possess basic computer skills and be willing to commit to the full run of the exhibition.
Pay: $12.50/hour
Please send résumé and cover letter to: Patricia Lane, Visitor Services Manager, MIT Museum; palane@mit.edu
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