Voice
3126 W. Cary St., #447 | Richmond, Virginia 23221-3504 | 804. 358.3170 | www.vamuseums.org | Summer 2012
Social Media 2.0 - Confused Yet?
i Technical Insert: Social Media Connections Member Profile: The Chrysler Museum of Art
Social Media 2.0 - Are Yo by Christina Newton and Heather Widener Facebook – What’s Next?
It is likely that your museum has a Facebook page. Many do, and have varying degrees of success on that platform. What can you do to understand the number one social media site and take your page to the “next level”? First, be sure to keep up with the rapidly changing platform. As you may know, Facebook recently updated their layout – to “timeline,” and includes a large “cover photo.” This is a great way to brand your page and to keep it visually fresh and interesting to your audience. Think about what photo(s) represent your museum well and invite curiosity. This is the first thing that people will see when they visit your Facebook page, so choose your cover photo carefully and be sure to periodically update it (using images of an upcoming exhibition or public event is a great way to highlight your programs and keep your page “fresh”).
Cover Story
Additionally, you may have noticed another change that Facebook recently initiated – when you post to your page’s timeline in Facebook, you will be offered the opportunity to “promote” that post for a nominal fee. A small promote link now shows up in the bottom righthand side of your post, and when you click it you’ll see a box that says, “Get more people who like your page to see this post.” You set your price (beginning at $5.00) and Facebook tells you the estimated reach at each price point (for example, a recent VAM post would reach 1,000 people – rather than the typical 100 – 200 – if we promoted the post at a cost of $5.00). If you choose to use the promotion tool, you set the duration of the promotion and put in your payment information. As with all posts on Facebook, you’ll be able to see the number of fans that your post has reached. Whether you choose to promote a post or not, you’ll see that Facebook has also added post analytics. For example, Face-
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book analytics tells us that a recent post by VAM reached 264 people, or about 25% of our Facebook audience. Those analytics will also let you know whether the audience was organic (in other words, people who saw your post in a newsfeed or on your Facebook wall) or whether the audience saw your post because it was shared by a friend of theirs – whether it went “viral”). This is good information to pay attention to as it indicates which of your posts attract the most attention. It helps you get to know your audience better, and will help you define your museum’s voice on Facebook.
reported by Mashable1, the go-to website on social media and new technology. Designed to relay information using 140 characters or less, its pithy approach has caught on since its inception in 2006. Recent statistics on Twitter usage from the Pew Research Center2 indicate that out of the 80% of adults that are online, 15% are on Twitter; 8% of those on a daily basis. Other trends include a 400% increase in usage by young adults (18-29) and a notable increase in usage by African-American and Hispanic and Latino demographics. This trend may certainly continue as more people adopt use of smart phones. What do all these statistics have to do with the museum community? Well, these numbers are very important, especially if your organization is interested in reaching family audiences or wishes to connect with the growing minority populations in the country.
Finally, as your Facebook presence matures, be sure to use the analytics available (see Technical Insert, pages 5-6) to see who your audience is and what they are passionate about. Be sure to engage that audience and be part of your virtual community by making it a point to like pages of colleagues, fellow community organizations, businesses, and cultural centers; the more you engage with their pages, the more likely your posts are to appear in their timelines. VAM makes an effort to like all of the Facebook pages of our members. (We hope you’ll like us too!) Efforts put in to examining and expanding your Facebook audience will ensure that the investment (in staff or volunteer time) you have made in the platform is well-spent on an ever-expanding and increasingly engaged audience base.
Using TweetDeck & Surviving Twitter Twitter is currently the second most used social media site, just behind Facebook, as
Developing your communications strategy beyond traditional materials (this includes websites) can be overwhelming, especially for small to midsize organizations, but social media is a must in today’s society. You can’t and don’t want to do everything. Research what’s best for your type of site and for your audience. Twitter is one tool that should be considered no matter what size you are. It’s about communicating your ‘personal brand’ and engaging with others more than posting information, although that’s part of the process too. Start off by connecting with friends and colleagues in the field, sponsors and supporters, the media, and of course with organizations like the Virginia Association of Museums who already have networks developed. Considering who you follow will make your workload more manageable and help you develop meaningful Twitter relationships. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with Twitter’s instant messaging format, so tools like TweetDeck are imperative to managing your interactions. This popular social media app offers a dashboard layout to manage Twitter accounts as well as Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Within
ou Confused Yet? minutes, TweetDeck pulls dozens of messages across multiple Twitter accounts, including numerous columns created for each type of interaction (i.e., @mentions, direct messages). Additionally, you can follow ‘hashtags’, or subjects, relevant to each account (i.e., #museums, #Virginia). TweetDeck allows you to interact whether you are at your desk or on your deck, since TweetDeck is available for download on various devices. Unlike its competitor HootSuite, TweetDeck’s campaign management functionality is a bit lacking, but it’s free sticker price on unlimited accounts makes it a perfect choice for small organizations. TweetDeck was purchased by Twitter in 2011 and the user interface changed to its current version. While some were underwhelmed with the change, just as many people were thrilled by its updated appearance, including a new activity column per account.
What is Pinterest? According to the website itself, ‘Pinterest is an online platform that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.’ People use pinboards (think online “cork board”) to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.3 Boards may have names such as “Places I’ve Been” or “Things I Love.” In addition to creating their own pinboards, people browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration. Pinterest is an invitation-based platform, so you must request an invitation to participate (expect a two-week turnaround time).
be added from a website using the ‘Pin It’ button, or you can upload images from your computer. Each pin added using the Pin It button links back to the site it came from. So, the takeaway here for museums is that if you have beautiful images on your museums’ website, be sure to add the Pin it button to your site so that people can easily use your images to create their pinboards on Pinterest, and drive traffic (via others that see or follow their pinboards) back to your museum’s website. Pinterest is not the best way to begin your foray into the world of social media, but it is a great complement if you are already active on Facebook and Twitter (as it easily connects with both of those platforms). Pinterest is a way to showcase whatever is visually interesting at your museum to the world and to build your audience online and in person. The platform gives you one way to tell your museum’s story online. If, however, you are thinking of engaging on Pinterest and you do not have the resources, the passion, and the time to do it right, re-think it. Consider getting a personal account first and as you learn more about the platform, you can add an account for your site. Regardless of the technology you choose, being able to adapt to rapid change is really the foundation of social media. Savvy organizations everywhere integrate social media into their communications plans and budget staff time and resources to develop their online presence. Do your research, develop your plan, and delve into today’s world of social media!
References The goal of the website is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. When people share a favorite book, toy, or recipe, they ‘pin’ (or add) an image to one of their pinboards. Millions of new pins are added every week; indeed, Pinterest launched in 2010 (and is still in beta version) and 18.7 million unique visitors came to the site in March 2012 alone!4 So, to get to the nuts and bolts, a pin is an image added to Pinterest. A pin can
Mashable, accessed on June 1, 2012 at http://mashable.com/2012/06/05/twitterfor-beginners/ 2 Ragan.com, accessed on June 1, 2012 at http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/44999.aspx 3 Pinterest, accessed on June 1, 2012 at http://pinterest.com/about/ 4 The New York Times, accessed on June 1, 2012 at http://www.nytimes. com/2012/04/18/business/media/marketers-find-a-friend-in-pinterest.html. 1
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5 Social Media “Don’ts” Don’t put effort into creating a “page” without cultivating an audience. We’ve seen organizations spend lots of time updating pages that only have 6 ‘fans’ - that is like using all of your energy making announcements into an empty room. Don’t begin your foray into social media without rules. VAM’s recent White Paper for members outlines considerations for creating good social media policies. Don’t over-commit. It’s easy to get swept up in the trends and to honestly intend to maintain your social media presence. This is why incorporating social media into your existing communications plan is essential - plan what you will do, how you will make it successful, and how you will adopt new technologies and platforms over time. Don’t mix business with pleasure - be sure to keep your museum’s social media participation separate from your own. There are too many reasons to list here, but bear in mind that you are your museum’s spokesperson when you use social media in their name. Finally, don’t get frustrated. To be successful with social media, you must be adaptable to the everchanging platforms and technologies. Do your research before you begin, but keep in mind - never before has there been a time and an arena with so much rapid change. Be open to it.
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No “Failure to Launch” at Annual Conference 2012
Program Updates
The 2012 VAM conference, Launching New Connections, was held in Newport News from March 13-16, 2012. Nearly 400 museum staff and vendors attended from all across the state of Virginia and beyond. The longest voyage to the conference was that of Anne Marie Knowles, joining us from England! A member of our 2007 British museum exchange, Anne Marie was excited to be able to finally come back to another conference and visit with her colleagues across the pond.
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Instead of a keynote presentation this year, we were treated to a Town Hall that explored the trends in museums, and what the future holds as we serve a changing demographic. Nationallyknown speaker and blogger (visit his Reach Advisors Insight) James Chung was joined by Bill Hennessey, Executive Director of the Chrysler Museum of Art (see Member Profile, pg. 8-9), in a conversation moderated by Mark Howell of the Library of Virginia. Many of our attendees echoed the sentiments of one audience member “Hearing from folks involved in cutting edge aspects of the museum field was incredibly valuable.” At the conclusion of the Town Hall, our annual Anne Brownson Award presentation was a bit different than usual as well. Instead of one winner, we had two: husband and wife team Michael Dowell and Pat Gooch. The fruits of their labor were evident in our fantastic Silent Auction, netting over $9,000 this year for VAM programming. Their selfless service on behalf of VAM and the museum community as a whole made them ideal candidates for this award, given each year in honor of one of VAM’s past board members. Our visit to Newport News was the
first for VAM since 1976—the year of VAM’s very first conference! As you can imagine, things were a bit different back then, including the registration fee (only $25!). But looking back at some of the session topics, we really haven’t changed all that much in 36 years. Here is a sampling of the 1976 conference sessions: “Program Coordination with Schools,” Membership Programs,” and “Innovative Programs in Museums”. Sound familiar? As with our first visit back in the 1970s, our local hosts rolled out the red carpet for us this year. The evening events at the Casemate Museum and Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center (with a side trip to the Newsome House), and our Progressive evening at the Virginia War Museum, Mariners Museum and Peninsula Fine Arts Center were all wonderful affairs. Sunday’s event at Downing-Gross was a bit different than our usual, with art and dance classes and a play performance - it was a bit hit! The Casemate Museum, which opened its doors to us for our Scholarship Fundraiser, helped us to raise $1,416 for conference scholarships. This amount is a bit low for us, so hopefully next year we’ll have greater attendance so that we can continue to offer scholarships! Monday’s progressive evening, called A Warwick Welcome, was, as one attendee put it “not only amazing, but too short.” And don’t forget the Mariners’ grog! VAMer’s awoke bright and early Tuesday morning (grog notwithstanding) for our 2nd Annual Circuit Walk, which raised $230 for our Circuit Rider’s program. (continued on page 7)
Top to bottom: Town Hall Meeting; our Circuit Walkers warm up; Michael Dowell and Pat Gooch, our Brownson Awardees; Randy Forbes, Paige Hayhurst, and John Verrill at the CEO Summit; VAM Staff, ready to serve.
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Social Media Connections Lynn Rainville and Liz Maurer presented Analyzing Social Media Connections during #VAM2012. They graciously agreed to contribute a follow-up article to extend their presentation’s reach. Lynn Rainville is founding director of the Tusculum Institute for environmentally sustainable historic preservation, located at Sweet Briar College. Although her PhD is in Near Eastern archaeology, she spent the last decade studying historic African American cemeteries and antebellum communities. She may be reached at lrainville@sbc.edu. Liz Maurer is an independent museum professional specializing in program planning and visitor engagement. She holds a Masters Degree in Museum education from The George Washington University. In a diverse career that included positions at Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon, she embraced the power of museum learning. She may be reached at Liz@Re-LivingHistory.com.
Part I, by Lynn Rainville
/ Facebook accounts, thereby reaching out to dozens of their friends. Unlike static websites, social media allows your audience to Social Media: An Overview interact with you and your message. Visitors If you’ve hesitated to invest the energy can post questions, ask for new features, into creating a blog, Facebook page, Twitand share experiences they had during ter account, or even a traditional website, their visit. First-person accounts of posithis article suggests a simple process for evaluating the value of these endeavors by tive visits are far more powerful than self applying analytical tools to your site(s). At promotion (a theme taken up in the second the most basic level, every museum should half of the article on TripAdvisor). have a web presence that includes hours of To take one, popular example: why might operation, directions, contact information, you create a Facebook page? For startand some hook to entice visitors (photoers, more than 70% of all internet users in graphs, event calendars, or visitor accolades, the United States are on Facebook; this as outlined in the next section). Your web- translates into about 116 million active site should follow basic principles: a simple Facebook users within the U.S. (if you have yet engaging design (without distracting an international audience, there are an sounds or animations), keywords in the additional 300 million or more daily users). description (to increase google’s chances of Just over 60% of these users are under 45 finding the site), and frequent updates. years old. 1 For many museums, this repreBut if you want to engage your visitors in a conversation and convince them to visit your site regularly to read updates, you should consider a more dynamic web presence. Although once associated with young people, today’s “social media” is a broad term that describes how websites can be used to create a dialogue among individuals (or customers), organizations (or museums), and larger communities (e.g., historic quilt enthusiasts). This short article cannot cover all social media technologies, which range from photo sharing applications (such as Flickr) to video sites (such as YouTube) or from blogs (such as Tumblr) to collaborative projects (such as Wikipedia). Regardless of which program you select, the philosophy is the same: engage with your audience, enable them to contribute (whether it’s photos, comments, videos, or ratings), and then measure the success of your communications.
your answer carefully. The six options are: local business or place; company, organization or institution; brand or product; artist, band or public figure; entertainment; and, cause or community.
Once you have selected your cultural category, a blank page will be created. You will want to add a horizontal header photograph (especially important in the recent redesign of the Facebook layout) along with a smaller, 180 pixel-wide, square image which will appear as an icon next to your posts. Next you will describe your organization in an “about” section and in a “description.” Although similar, they will appear as two separate items on your page. Some museums use the “about” section for a catchy one-liner, with more basic (and thus keyword-based) descriptors in the “description” section. There are also catsents an age category that traditionally has egories of “basic information” which will list been harder to attract. your hours, location, public transportation, entrance fees, etc.
How to Create a Facebook Page
How does one create a Facebook page for a museum? First, you need to create a “personal” account on Facebook before you can create a “business page.” A “business page” has different features and analytical capabilities than your “personal page” so make certain that you create a fan-based, business page. Second, decide on your goals for the site: is it to attract a different, perhaps more diverse audience? Is it to alert your regular visitors to attend events? Is it to raise money? All of the above? Your answers to these questions will determine the type of information that you provide and the tone that you use in writing the entries. For example, some museum pages have had success using the iconography and “voice” of a mascot to promote their institution.
Note: an automated message will pop-up that gives you the option to “share this page on my wall” (i.e., your personal page). Do not check this option until you have finished creating your page, otherwise visitors will see it “under construction.”
Once you are ready, invite your friends to “like” the page. The average Facebook user has 130 friends, so the networking capabilities are very powerful. Make certain that you have a plan for regular updates (whether it’s once a week or bi-monthly) so that your fans don’t lose interest. On the other hand, don’t post too frequently, otherwise people will “hide” your updates to decrease clutter in their own newsfeeds. Once you have 30 “fans” you will automatically get access to Facebook’s analytical measurements. This will give you access Why Bother with Social Media? to an “Admin Panel” that will follow the When you have decided on your marketHarnessing the power of word-of-mouth ing goals, visit http://www.facebook.com/ number of people who visited your site, is invaluable in today’s world of on-line pages/create.php to create a new “business talked about it with others (via Facebook connections. You may only have 500 visitors page.” You will be asked to select a “clasposts), and created their own post from to your site each year, but imagine if each your newsfeed. sification” for your museum; your choice of those visitors posted photos of their will impact your rankings in searches. These visit or commented on their blog / Twitter cannot be changed later so think through
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Using Analytics
generated content is often associated with websites like YouTube or blogs, the term also encompasses the opinions people submit to review websites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. Museum visitors use these platforms to share their thoughts about the value of their museum visits. Visitors originate these social interactions outside For a variety of reasons, your organization of museums’ platforms, but many musemay prefer to retain a traditional website, ums do not participate. Review sites offer alongside the social media options. There important insights into people’s thoughts is no reason for one to cancel out the and feelings about all manner of experiother, just make certain to cross-reference ences, and there is a lot to learn about how and virtually link the two so that you reach people think and feel about museums. the widest audience possible. If you are Amazon.com pioneered the use of keeping your website, make certain that reviews, and the strategy was quickly adyou are tracking the number of visitors and their interests. There are many ways to opted by other on-line retailers. Reviews do this, but a free and widely used option follow an established structure. Reviewers submit a quantitative score between one is Google Analytics. Once you cut and paste html code from their website (http:// (low) and five (high). The quantitative www.google.com/analytics/), Google will scores are buttressed by qualitative comments. The sites rank the items according track the number of visitors to your site, the time that they spend on your site, and to average score with the highest average ratings at the top of the list, creating a dewhich pages catch their interest. It will give you lots of data, too much to review fault recommendation system. Retailers here. But one piece of data they give you is like them because user reviews increase a the browser that each visitor is using. This websites’ trustworthiness while encouraging readers to spend more time on it. may seem irrelevant, but it will help you ensure that your web design is compatible Increased time drives sales. Reviewers are prompted to create profiles to help on each browser. readers make personal connections with Now that you have created a Facebook reviewers. Detailed profiles also signal page (or a blog or a twitter account), that the opinions expressed are real. This you can use the analytical measures that is important to readers, who say that third each provides to allocate the resources party reviews are more objective than (time and money) that your organization advertising copy. The most successful will spend on social media. For example, sites build relationships among reviewmost programs allow you to buy ads to ers. Reviewers are motivated to write promote your site. Even if you are using by the belief that they are contributing a “free” application, you should calculate to a community. Yelp and TripAdvisor the staff cost to creating and updatencourage review writing through reing content. Using the analytical tools ward systems that awards status badges can help you measure your weekly or based on the number of reviews posted. monthly success rates so that you can Reviewers become invested in the site make informed decisions. through their contributions and positive reader feedback. Part II, by Liz Maurer
Technical Insert, continued...
If you decide to create a blog or select a social media option other than Facebook, research their analytical tools. Almost by definition, social media products provide you with measures of your success, in terms of the number of readers or visitors.
Experience Review Web Sites: The Conversation Starts with the Visitor Social media is a conversation that happens between you, your audience, and your potential audience in the virtual domain. Traditionally, museums have originated social interaction based on their expertise in content and collections. Many have launched successful outreach campaigns using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. However, the premise of the World Wide Web is that anyone can create and share content, and authority is derived as much from social influence as subject matter expertise. Though user-
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body of academic research, especially in the fields of travel/leisure and economics, studying website ratings and their impact on sales. Research shows that 97.7% of internet users visit websites that review tourist destinations, including museums. Among those readers, 80% make visit decisions based on reviews. Sites ranked in the middle of a large market may be overlooked by readers who do not click through multiple pages. Ranking near the bottom of even a short list can be harmful. Poor reviews may deter visitors. Though Yelp and TripAdvisor invite Owners to participate within review communities, many museums do not. Review websites do not accede to requests to delist museums; therefore, it is advantageous for museums to participate in the conversation. Registered Owners may enhance listings’ presentation quality by submitting professional photos and copy. If the Owner does not submit information, the listing will be built by reviewers, who may post inaccurate information. Museums may also respond to reviews. Well-crafted responses to both positive and negative reviews can be effective in managing visitor perceptions and neutralizing poor reviews. A generic or argumentative response can be destructive. Active engagement can raise an organization’s profile.
Museums should approach Yelp and TripAdvisor conversations with the same seriousness they apply to social media they originate. The quality of reviews influences visitor decision-making. Museums are allowed to encourage reviews through links on their websites or during live interaction. Even small museums in small markets can benefit from the increased exposure of good reviews. Developing a presence on third party review websites can improve visibility and enhance reputation. Review Museums are entered into TripAdvisor content offers a wealth of information in and Yelp either by the first reviewer or how visitors perceive their experiences the museum “owner”, where they are at museums and historic sites. Reading grouped with parks, amusement parks, reviews, responding to them, and tours, attractions, and cultural institutions implementing on-the-ground changes as “Things to Do” in specific locales. While based on visitor feedback leads to richer visibility on the website may help muinteractions with visitors and ultimately seums by introducing them to visitors, a better visit experiences. low ranking or rating may harm museum visitation. Yelp and TripAdvisor use algo- 1 Mashable, accessed June 1, 2012 at: http:// rithms that weigh the number of reviews, mashable.com/2010/04/05/facebook-usthe reviewers’ social influence, and the infographic/ reviews’ freshness to create rankings. Ranking is important because it influences decision-making. There is a growing
Annual Conference 2012 It would be impossible to recreate the energy and enthusiasm of our conference with just these few paragraphs. Hopefully you’ve gotten a taste of what transpired at #VAM2012—and are inspired to join us at next year’s conference March 6-9, 2013, at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. --------------------------------Session Evaluations Our conference sessions are organized entirely by the wonderful museum professionals who volunteer their time to do so. These sessions combine the best in practical information and museum theory to give our attendees an educational experience they can’t get anywhere else. The following are just a few comments from our 2012 session evaluations: “Great session! Perfect balance of informal (inviting) presentation, idea swapping, and talking about best practices.” “While I am more senior than most of the people who attended the session, I found some useful tips that I can share with younger colleagues.”
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students graduated from our Certificate in Museum Management this year during the conference.
They are: Donna Dodenhoff, PhD candidate, College of William & Mary Eddie Lee Duckworth, Hampton Roads Naval Museum Kathryn Fisher, Old Coast Guard Station Jody Ullmann, Virginia Living Museum *Find out more about the Virginia Certificate in Museum Management program at www.vamuseums.org or by contacting Jennifer Thomas.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from this session-- but it was very reassuring for me as a young and petrified museum professional to hear about the trajectories of seasoned vets and to know that things all really do work out okay!!”
“This was great. The speakers truly spoke from the heart about their experiences... They gave wonderful tips on who to contact and what to do to start programs like this at other museums.”
“Speakers were so knowledgeable and hearing about museums from their perspectives was very rewarding and insightful.”
Thanks to Our Conference 2012 Sponsors! Platinum Level The Design Minds, Inc. Riggs Ward Design Gold Level Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc. Cinebar Productions, Inc. The Donning Co. Publishers Glavé & Holmes Architecture Stumpf & Associates, Inc.
Silver Level Design 3 / MuseumRails Lynchburg College Museum Studies Program Rudinec & Associates – Request- A- Print Savant, Ltd. St. George’s Brewery
Summer 2012
Bronze Level Blair, Inc. Cabot Creamery The Creative Company Dorfman Museum Figures Ecorite Imaging HealyKohler Design Hollinger Metal Edge Markel Insurance OnCell Systems Peninsula Museums Forum Studio AMMONS VAM Council
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The Chrysler Museum of A by Cindy Mackey
Member Profile
T
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he coming months will be a remarkable time of transformation for the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. The Museum’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to move ahead with a major expansion and renovation of the main museum building. This $24 million building project is the third and final component of an ongoing $45 million Capital Campaign designed to position the Chrysler for continuing success in the decades ahead and to ensure its ability to serve the community.
opening onto Mary’s Garden with terrace dining. The building project will also modernize The Museum Shop, upgrade restrooms, offer better front-door accessibility, improve internal circulation, and make important energy-saving upgrades to climate controls and lighting systems to make the building more efficient. The key components of the expansion project are two new wings that will flank the Museum’s main entrance.
This July, construcNew additions plan, The Chrysler Museum of Art tion will begin on the 18-month project that will transform nearly every aspect of Carefully designed to conform to the Museum’s physical plant. The the building’s Italianate façade, Museum will gain more than 8,000 space for these new wings will be square feet of new gallery space, created by moving two gardens enabling us to show works currently forward towards the Hague Inlet of in storage while providing ample the Elizabeth River. space to display new acquisitions. Our Ancient Worlds holdings and The impact of this large and complex incomparable Glass Collection will project requires that the entire be completely reinstalled with climate control system is shut down contemporary lighting and stateand that all 30,000 objects of art of-the art displays. The Chrysler are moved to a secure location. The Café will move from its current Museum will remain open through location in the middle of the December 2012, but some galleries building to the front of the Museum, will close over the next six months.
In January 2013, the main Museum building will close during the intense construction period. To continue to serve the community, the Museum will open a series of satellite galleries at locations across Hampton Roads. Favorite works from the Chrysler Collection will be on view in a new storefront gallery at MacArthur Center in downtown Norfolk. The Norfolk History Museum will be reinstalled as a temporary home for the Museum’s remarkable American art holdings, and there will be a series of special changing exhibitions at partner institutions such as Old Dominion University’s Gordon Galleries and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. The Moses Myers House will also remain open during this period. The Chrysler is also planning expanded programming at the new Glass Studio, including evening programs featuring music, refreshments, and hot glass demos. Additionally, Museum educators and curators will fan out across Hampton Roads to offer lectures, classes, workshops, and special educational programs. The Museum will also step up its program of partnerships— working with other arts and civic groups on new initiatives, events, and public art commissions.
Art: The Ultimate Status Update bring the Museum and our art, our programs, and our staff out into our community.” The grand re-opening of the new and improved Chrysler Museum of Art is scheduled for April 2014. To receive regular updates and news, sign up at Chrysler.org or follow the Museum on these social media platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/ChryslerMuseum Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ ChryslerMuseum FourSquare: https://foursquare. com/v/chrysler-museum-ofart/4ad4f29bf964a5202f0021e3 YouTube: http://www.youtube. com/chryslermuseum
Exterior, The Chrysler Museum of Art. Credit: Ed Pollard, Chrysler Museum Photographer.
The Chrysler has planned a multifaceted program to communicate with Members and the general population during the transition. The bimonthly magazine, distributed to more than 7,000 people, will continue to publish. The Museum website, Chrysler.org, which draws 1.4 million page views per year, will aggressively promote activities at satellite locations while offering engaging art-related features. The Chrysler will communicate via social media in a variety of ways. The Museum currently reaches 6,000 to 9,000 people per week via Facebook and 7,000 people per week via its free email subscription
service. During the transition, YouTube will be a key component across multiple platforms, and underlying all the digital efforts will be an emphasis on mobile-friendly content that can be easily shared by site visitors, email subscribers, Twitter and Facebook friends. “It is imperative that people know the status of the construction project,” said William Hennessey, the Museum director.“With multiple exhibition sites and regional programming, our need to communicate via social and traditional media becomes even more critical to our success. My colleagues and I see this expansion period as a time of great opportunity—a chance for us to
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Museum News in Your VAM News Nominations Currently Being Accepted The 2012 Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program is underway. You only have until June 15th to nominate an endangered artifact. Coming to a Town Near You! Priority: Disaster Plans
September 17, 2012 – Front Royal
October 15, 2012 – Charlottesville January 28, 2013 - Hampton February 25, 2013 - Danville
March 25, 2013 – Fredericksburg
Upcoming Workshops from VAM Interpreting African American History June 18, 2012, Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria Co-sponsored by the Virginia African American Museums and Historic Sites Network and the Alexandria Black History Museum Photograph Conservation and Care August 20, 2012, 10am - 3pm at the R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, Staunton Co-sponsored by Preservation Virginia.
MUSENET
Cynthia and W. Heywood Fralin, longtime supporters of the arts in the commonwealth of Virginia, have announced their intention to donate their collection of American art to the University of Virginia Art Museum. The 40-piece collection, which includes works by John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt and Robert Henri, is the largest single gift of art in the University’s history.
August 27, 2012 – Blacksburg
Member Kudos
Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and other state officials joined the Civil War Trust and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to announce an exciting publicprivate partnership to preserve Mt. Defiance, a key portion of the Middleburg Battlefield. The site, located in both Loudoun and Fauquier counties, was the scene of a Civil War cavalry battle on June 19, 1863. The news conference was held at the National Sporting Library and Museum. Joining Governor McDonnell was Director of Historic Resources Kathleen Kilpatrick, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech, Civil War Trust President James Lighthizer, and Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority executive director Paul Gilbert. Leading into the 2012 G8 Summit, President Obama launched a new era in food security, in front of eco-responsible banners created by Paris Design, a VAM Business Member. Paris Design also developed the event’s graphic components, including the way-finding signs produced using eco-friendly UV inks.
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The Robert Russa Moton Museum is one step closer to becoming Virginia’s leading civil rights heritage site with the award of a $350,000 implementation grant, announced by The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in April. The award, part of a $17-million funding round from the NEH, will go towards Phase II of the Moton Museum’s permanent exhibit fabrication and installation.“We are very pleased to receive this grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,” says Lacy Ward, Jr., Moton Museum Director. “NEH grants are highly competitive and it is rare that small budget museums like Moton receive such substantial support.”
To honor this major contribution, as well as Heywood Fralin’s lifetime of service to the University, the Board of Visitors voted to name the museum the “Fralin Museum of Art.”
Heritage Preservation’s Conservation Assessment Program recently announced its 2012 participants. From Virginia, the followth On May 10 , Cynthia Spanoulis was honing organizations are participating: Cherry ored as the Virginia Beach Rotary Club 2012 Hill Farm in Falls Church, George C. Marshall Outstanding City Employee of the Year at Research Foundation in Lexington, Giles a recognition dinner. Spanoulis worked at County Historical Society in Pearisburg, The the City of Virginia Beach Department of Menokin Foundation in Warsaw, StablerEconomic Development for 16 years and Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Alexanwas recently selected as the deputy director dria, and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential of the Department of Museums and HisLibrary & Museum in Staunton. toric Resources which includes the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Maymont, a 100-acre American estate in Richmond, Virginia, is celebrating the 100th The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science anniversary of its Japanese Garden in 2012 Center has been recognized by readers of with a year-long series of programs and two publications, one local and the other events including a grand public celebration state. Two bronze awards in The Virginianin September. Maymont is the largest public Pilot Reader’s Choice Award for Best of Japanese Garden on the East Coast. Hampton Roads were given for Best Family Entertainment and Best Children’s EnterOn April 9, the James Monroe Museum tainment in Virginia Beach. In the inaugural and Memorial Library was awarded two year of the Virginia Living Magazine’s Best of event support grants totaling $3,000 by the Virginia 2012 awards, the Virginia Aquarium Fredericksburg Economic Development received 1st Place, Best Annual Charity Gala Authority (EDA). Both grants were awarded for Commotion in the Ocean; 3rd Place, Best under the EDA’s JumpStart! program, which Food Fest for the Sensible Seafood Fest; and stimulates economic development by sup3rd place for Best Party Venue. porting events and projects undertaken by city businesses and nonprofit organizations. Cynthia Wilson Ottaway has committed $500,000 to establish the Ottaway Endowed Member News Fund in support of the Tusculum Institute Along with a physical transformation of the at Sweet Briar College. Annual contributions, apportioned over 10 years, will be split Yorktown Victory Center will come a new name - “American Revolution Museum at between programming costs and building an endowment to fund Tusculum’s core mis- Yorktown” - adopted recently by the Board sion of environmentally sustainable historic of Trustees of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the state agency that operates preservation and education over the long Yorktown Victory Center and Jamestown term. Ottaway, a Sweet Briar alumna, has previously made donations to the College for Settlement history museums, and endorsed historical preservation. She says she is moti- by the Board of Directors of the Jamestownvated by her love for history and the heritage Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Recommended that old buildings and furnishings represent. by a board naming study task force, the new name will be implemented upon completion of the museum replacement.
Backyard, and Beyond... and Mary, brings a breadth of knowledge that The Valentine Richmond History Center announced includes fellowships with the Colonial Williamsthe 2012 Richmond History Makers program. Nomi- burg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia and nations are being accepted through June. with the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Virginia. Before accepting his new The Museum of the Confederacy announced post, he served as a special projects manager the latest addition to its Museum System. The for the museum’s U.S. Education Departmentnew web site at an old address is found at: www. funded regional school reform initiative. moc.org. As the Museum extends its reach, the necessity to design and build a website that Sara Poore, Director of Education for the Fredwould complement the multisite expansion ericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, became apparent. The website integrates the is leaving her post to explore a new career optwo locations/three sites of the Museum of the portunity. Sara is a graduate of VAM’s Virginia Confederacy System: Richmond, with its MuCertificate in Museum Management program, seum and the White House of the Confederacy, and has been a longtime VAM supporter. and, Appomattox, with a museum located only Waterford Foundation President Walter A. Music a short distance from the McLean House where announced that Executive Director Nancy J. DoGeneral Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of ane plans to retire from the Foundation.“The past Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. five years working as the Foundation’s Executive Grant on April 9, 1865. Director have been among the most rewarding Gadsby’s Museum staff is enthusiastic about a of my career. Working together, we have forged recent acquisition, a May 1834 bill from John amazing new opportunities for the Foundation,” Gadsby’s National Hotel in Washington. By said Doane in a letter to the Foundation Board of 1834, Gadsby’s famous National Hotel had Directors.“And now, with the opening of the new been in operation for seven years. This bill Old School auditorium, we are on the brink of records the expenses for an initial night’s lodg- taking our preservation mission to a new level of ing, two additional days of board and a final outreach and partnerships.” morning breakfast. The total bill was $4.00. John Gray, founding president of the Autry The billhead was engraved by James Barton National Center of the American West, a conLongacre, an engraver of banknotes and book solidation of three cultural organizations in Los illustrations. He is most known for his work at Angeles and Denver, has been appointed the the US Mint between 1844 and 1869, where he Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsondesigned the Indian Head cent. ian’s National Museum of American History, The Band of America’s Few recently performed effective July 23. Gray was known for his leadat the National Museum of the Marine Corps. ership in banking and government service until Comprised entirely of honorably discharged he became director of the Autry Museum of former U.S. Marine Corps band members, “BAF,” Western Heritage in Los Angeles. He enlarged as it is affectionately known, has “hundreds of the museum’s mission and scope, and, in 2002, members from practically every state in the merged the museum with Colorado’s Women U.S.,” says Director and CEO Matthew Farquhar. of the West Museum and, in 2004, with Los AnSome members served the Marine Corps for geles’ oldest museum, the Southwest Museum 4 years and left the service; others spent 20 or of the American Indian. The new organizamore years wearing the uniform. More than tion became the Autry National Center of the 50 members of the Band, from as far away as American West based in Los Angeles. Japan, California, Florida, and Texas, performed “John comes to the Museum of American Hisat the Museum. tory with a track record of transforming the organizations he has led,” said Richard Kurin, head Hails and Farewells of the search committee and Under Secretary The Robert Russa Moton Museum welcomes for History, Art and Culture at the SmithsonJustin Reid as its first Associate Director for ian.“He took a museum of the American West, Museum Operations. In his new role, Justin including the collections of Gene Autry and will oversee the day-to-day functions of the transformed it into an institution representing a museum, including all tours, programs and broader, inclusive and complicated vision of the special events. He will also lead the museum’s American West. He enlisted outstanding scholpartnership and community outreach efforts. ars, supported serious research and exhibitions, Justin, a graduate of the College of William and robust educational activities.”
Summer 2012
From Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont: Victoria Leonard, a senior in the University of Mary Washington’s Historic Preservation Program, will be working with Site Preservation Manager Beate A. Jensen this summer. Ms. Leonard will be accessioning buildings and plant material into a museum software program. Laura Drake Davis, VAM’s Circuit Riders archivist and former State Records Archivist from The Library of Virginia, has left to take a position with American University as the Associate Archivist with the University Library. Kelly Conway has been named as the first Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass at the Chrysler Museum of Art. The endowed position is part of the success of the Chrysler Museum of Art’s capital campaign to raise $45 million. The campaign has three primary goals that include the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio, which opened in November 2011; the expansion and renovation of the Museum, which was approved and announced in March; and the strengthening of endowments to secure the financial future for the Museum.
got news? Share it & spread it! Send museum and professional news to Heather Widener at hwidener@vamuseums.org for inclusion in our monthly Forum enewsletter and in this MUSENET section of the quarterly newsmagazine.
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President’s Corner how can we turn to you each year and ask for your renewed membership? How can we expect you to spend part of your annual budget, or your own hard-earned money, on a workshop? How can we do these things? Because we believe that what VAM is offering you is what you need most – opportunities to learn new things in the museum field, the chance to get together for networking and making contacts, the prospect to reach out and ask for one-on-one assistance and advice when needed.
improvements? What are we doing right? Let us hear from you. Let’s start a dialogue between Council and members and keep it going. Please contact me by e-mail at tgillespie@nvrpa.org or by phone at 703-327-9777. I’d love to hear what you want from your state museum organization! With my warmest regards,
Tracy J. Gillespie
Dear Members, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It is an honor to be serving as the president of the Virginia Association of Museums! I cannot think of a better way to commemorate my nearly thirty years in the museum profession than to help lead an organization that has such an excellent reputation in the national museum community. We got there because of our staff, our previous Council members, and most importantly because of all of you, our members. It has often been said in our Council meetings that VAM is first and foremost a membership organization. That means that our members come first. It’s all of you who come to mind when we think about our next series of workshops, the sessions at our annual conference, our Certificate and Advanced Certificate Programs, and our abilities to offer technical assistance. Never has our VAM membership been more important than it is now. We know all of our members have been - and continue to be - faced with budget cuts. Austerity is a cruel thing, especially when we’ve already been operating so close to the bone. So
Your Council and VAM staff are working hard to improve VAM for you. We are reaching out to our State representatives President to make them more aware of the critical Virginia Association of Museums role that museums fill in the communities around the Commonwealth. We are looking at ways to increase VAM’s funding, so that we can turn around and offer more to our members and colleagues. We’re Our Governing Council O u r Vo i ce trying to think of VAM Voice is a member benefit pubPresident, Tracy Gillespie new ways to prepare lished quarterly for museum profesVP, Planning & Resources, Al Schweizer our members for all VP, Programming, Gary Sandling sionals and volunteers. The editor encourages readers to submit article that the future holds Secretary, Barbara Batson proposals. Contact the Communicafor museums. But Treasurer, Sean Fearns tions Director for more information. we cannot do any of Past President, Joseph Gutierrez these things without Ex-Officio Member, Robert C. Vaughan O u r Co nt a c ts Phone: 804. 358.3170 your input. Directors One of the most important things I’d like for your VAM Council to do under my leadership is to reach out even more to you, our members. We want to hear from you. What do you want from VAM? What topics should be presented and discussed at workshops and at our annual Conference? How can we assist you with your goals and objectives? Where can we make
Gretchen Bulova Donald Buma Norman Burns April Cheek-Messier Donna Davis Diane Dunkley Lin Ezell Patrick Farris Page Hayhurst Anna Holloway Melanie L. Mathewes Robin Nicolson Cheryl Robinson Barbara Rothermel Charlotte Whitted O u r St a f f Executive Director, Margo Carlock Deputy Director, Jennifer Thomas Communications Dir., Heather Widener Accountant, Su Thongpan
Fax: 804. 358.3174 www.vamuseums.org membership@vamuseums.org mcarlock@vamuseums.org jthomas@vamuseums.org timetravelers@vamuseums.org hwidener@vamuseums.org O u r News D eadlin es Spring: February 1st Summer: May 1st Fall: August 1st Winter: November 1st
Our Mission The mission of the Virginia Association of Museums is to serve as the resource network of the Virginia and District of Columbia museum community through education, technical assistance, and advocacy.
Project Manager, VCI, Christina Newton
Summer 2012
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