Morven Park; Leesburg, VA

VAM recently traveled to Leesburg, Virginia on August 22, 2013 for the presentation of our popular summer conservation workshop and historic Morven Park was the perfect location. 


Expert speakers, Alyson Rhodes-Murphy (Henrico County and Jana Shafogoj (Morven Park), presented the day-long session 'Care of Historic Structures' to a full house of 35 attendees. Below are a few photos from our beautiful day in horse country. 

Our mascot 'Virgil' makes some big friends!

Workshop attendees were able to get hands-on training on how to assess historic structures on a tour of Morven Park's outside buildings. 

What a great day we had! Be sure to visit Morven Park and the many amazing historic and cultural sites in the Leesburg area. 

Are you looking to boost your skills? We've just released our Annual Workshop Series for 2013-2014 Season. Read more here!  

Introducing VAM's New Assistant Director

It's an honor to be writing to you as VAM’s new Assistant Director. As a member of the Virginia Association of Museums, I've greatly appreciated and admired the fantastic conferences, informative programs, and excellent networking opportunities that I've experienced over the years, and I'm eager to have the opportunity to give back to the organization that has given so much to me throughout my career. My respect for VAM has only grown though after seeing first-hand the level of passion and dedication to the museum profession that exists amongst its staff, council, volunteers, and consultants.

It's been an honor to be part of this extended family over the past two years as project manager of the grant-funded Virginia Collections Initiative. I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to assist the incredibly diverse museum, library, and archive communities in Virginia and Washington, DC and of the work I’ve accomplished, from assisting members with renewals to expanding VAM’s recognition nationwide with the Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program. But I’m most grateful to now have the opportunity to take on a permanent leadership role at one of the most well respected museum associations in the country and continue to work alongside some of the best people I’ve ever met. Having worked with many of you already too, I look forward to building on our friendships and offer you my dedicated support in the years to come.

During the interview, I was asked what the greatest challenge would be, it was easy to reply, “filling Jennifer’s shoes”; but I feel confident in my abilities and 17 years of experience in the nonprofit cultural sector. As I’ve helped with the transformation of Downtown Richmond to an arts and cultural district, as founder of the popular First Fridays Art Walk, I look forward to sharing my passion with VAM to take it to its next stage too. The opportunities seem endless thanks to the many individuals, institutions, and businesses dedicated to our museum field.

Best,

Christina

The Continuum of Excellence: Where Should Your Museum Begin?

VAM's upcoming member newsmagazine, the VAM Voice, will feature AAM's Continuum of Excellence. The new Continuum offers opportunities for various levels of assessment, feedback and recognition that build on one another. Programs along the Continuum include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Pledge of Excellence
• The Standards and Excellence Program (StEPs)
• Museum Assessment Program (MAP)
• Conservation Assessment Program (CAP)
• Core Documents Verification
• Accreditation (Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and Alliance)

It's easy, however, for museums - particularly those with small or all-volunteer staff, to know where to begin in this process. Thankfully, AAM has created a handy quiz, entitled The Continuum of Excellence: A Getting Started Guide, to help you navigate these opportunities and find the right one for your museum. Check out the quiz, and begin today on  your path to excellence!