Conference Theme
We live in one of the most tumultuous and exciting times in human history. With our cultural, political, economic, and spiritual systems colliding, breaking down, and transforming in the great mixing bowl of the twenty-first century, it is difficult to predict what the world might look like even a few years from now.
So how can museums prepare for the future? That's easy: they must innovate!
But with museums, innovation may be easier said than done. Museums are not particularly known for living on the cutting edge. Their missions are fundamentally and literally conservative – they conserve objects, stories, artwork, the past. Innovation has not been a traditional focus for most institutions.
However, museums clearly must make changes in the way they operate in order to adapt to changing conditions. How do we compete with pop culture, media, sports, and the virtual world for the youth audience? How do we attract multicultural visitors in a minority majority society? How do we make our collections relevant to contemporary audiences? How has technology helped – and hurt – museums as they seek to broaden their impact? What can be done to give the museum community greater status as one of society's engines of change?
The theme of the 2012 NEMA Conference in Burlington – "Pushing the Envelope: Innovation and the Future of Museums" – invites us to examine how innovations have impacted museums and how museums can be innovative in their own right. Have you engaged in social entrepreneurship? Are any of your programs cultivating new ground and setting new standards? Is your institution a model for the museum field? Here's your opportunity to share your observations and innovation success stories with your museum colleagues.
In addition to theme-related sessions, NEMA specifically aims to explore issues of technology, future leadership, and public accountability in museums. Sessions on professional development topics for individuals such as networking, personal growth, and public speaking are also welcome. NEMA strives to offer sessions on topics including museum governance, administration, visitor services, volunteer management, human resources, education, exhibitions, curatorial and conservation, registration, membership, development, and marketing. In content and in format, all sessions should spark discussion, raise new ideas, debate solutions, and spark imagination. Join us and share your experience!
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
-- Alan Kay, founder, Xerox PARC
Conference Chairs:
Janie Cohen, Executive Director, Fleming Museum
Phelan Fretz, Executive Director, ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center
So how can museums prepare for the future? That's easy: they must innovate!
But with museums, innovation may be easier said than done. Museums are not particularly known for living on the cutting edge. Their missions are fundamentally and literally conservative – they conserve objects, stories, artwork, the past. Innovation has not been a traditional focus for most institutions.
However, museums clearly must make changes in the way they operate in order to adapt to changing conditions. How do we compete with pop culture, media, sports, and the virtual world for the youth audience? How do we attract multicultural visitors in a minority majority society? How do we make our collections relevant to contemporary audiences? How has technology helped – and hurt – museums as they seek to broaden their impact? What can be done to give the museum community greater status as one of society's engines of change?
The theme of the 2012 NEMA Conference in Burlington – "Pushing the Envelope: Innovation and the Future of Museums" – invites us to examine how innovations have impacted museums and how museums can be innovative in their own right. Have you engaged in social entrepreneurship? Are any of your programs cultivating new ground and setting new standards? Is your institution a model for the museum field? Here's your opportunity to share your observations and innovation success stories with your museum colleagues.
In addition to theme-related sessions, NEMA specifically aims to explore issues of technology, future leadership, and public accountability in museums. Sessions on professional development topics for individuals such as networking, personal growth, and public speaking are also welcome. NEMA strives to offer sessions on topics including museum governance, administration, visitor services, volunteer management, human resources, education, exhibitions, curatorial and conservation, registration, membership, development, and marketing. In content and in format, all sessions should spark discussion, raise new ideas, debate solutions, and spark imagination. Join us and share your experience!
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
-- Alan Kay, founder, Xerox PARC
Conference Chairs:
Janie Cohen, Executive Director, Fleming Museum
Phelan Fretz, Executive Director, ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center