Taking part is easy! Whenever you complete one of the squares on the Museum Bingo scorecard*, just tweet about it using the hashtag #MuseumBingo, saying which square it is. If you’d like to share a photo too, that would be great – just post it directly to Twitter, or on another channel such as Instagram and then just share the link. Or if you have a blog, you could blog about it and share the link.

We realize some of the squares may overlap – e.g. you visit an art museum for the first time while on holiday in South America – so the challenge is to try and get a different museum for each square!

If you are not on Twitter but would still like to take part, you are welcome to post on your blog or other social media sites (Facebook, Instagram etc) – just let us know, and we’ll tweet about it for you

And, if you manage to complete an entire row – or even the whole scorecard?! –  don’t forget to shout BINGO!

Download your Museum Bingo Scorecard today!

*Since this a challenge for the whole year, you can also retrospectively count any squares you may have completed since January.

Schools and other arts organizations are rising to the challenge. University law schools are hosting seminars on Ferguson. Colleges are addressing greater cultural and racial understanding in various courses. National education organizations and individual teachers are developing relevant curriculum resources, including the#FergusonSyllabus project initiated by Dr. Marcia Chatelain. Artists and arts organizations are contributing their spaces and their creative energies. And pop culture icons, from basketball players to rock stars, are making highly visible commentary with their clothes and voices.

Where do museums fit in? Some might say that only museums with specific African American collections have a role, or perhaps only museums situated in the communities where these events have occurred. As mediators of culture, all museums should commit to identifying how they can connect to relevant contemporary issues irrespective of collection, focus, or mission.

We are a community of museum bloggers who write from a variety of perspectives and museum disciplines. Yet our posts contain similar phrases such as  “21st century museums,” “changing museum paradigms,” “inclusiveness,” “co-curation,” “participatory” and “the museum as forum.” We believe that strong connections should exist between museums and their communities. Forging those connections means listening and responding to those we serve and those we wish to serve.

There is hardly a community in the U.S. that is untouched by the reverberations emanating from Ferguson and its aftermath. Therefore we believe that museums everywhere should get involved. What should be our role–as institutions that claim to conduct their activities for the public benefit–in the face of ongoing struggles for greater social justice both at the local and national level?

We urge museums to consider these questions by first looking within. Is there equity and diversity in your policy and practice regarding staff, volunteers, and Board members? Are staff members talking about Ferguson and the deeper issues it raises? How do these issues relate to the mission and audience of your museum?  Do you have volunteers? What are they thinking and saying? How can the museum help volunteers and partners address their own questions about race, violence, and community?

We urge museums to look to their communities. Are there civic organizations in your area that are hosting conversations? Could you offer your auditorium as a meeting place? Could your director or other senior staff join local initiatives on this topic? If your museum has not until now been involved in community discussions, you may be met at first with suspicion as to your intentions. But now is a great time to start being involved.

Join with your community in addressing these issues. Museums may offer a unique range of resources and support to civic groups that are hoping to organize workshops or public conversations. Museums may want to use this moment not only to “respond” but also to “invest” in conversations and partnerships that call out inequity and racism and commit to positive change.

We invite you to join us in amplifying this statement. The Association of African American Museums, New England Museum Association and the American Association for State and Local History have each issued formal statements about the larger issues related to Ferguson, Cleveland and Staten Island. We believe that the silence of other museum organizations sends a message that these issues are the concern only of African Americans and African American Museums. We know that this is not the case. We are seeing in a variety of media – blogs, public statements, and conversations on Twitter and Facebook—that colleagues of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are concerned and are seeking guidance and dialogue in understanding the role of museums regarding these troubling events. We hope that organizations such as the American Alliance of Museums; the Association of Science-Technology Centers; the Association of Children’s Museums and others, will join us in acknowledging the connections between our institutions and the social justice issues highlighted by Ferguson and related events.

You can join us by…

• Posting and sharing this statement on your organization’s website or social media
• Contributing to and following the Twitter tag #museumsrespondtoFerguson which is growing daily
• Checking out Art Museum Teaching which has a regularly updated resource,Teaching #Ferguson: Connecting with Resources
• Sharing additional resources in the comments
• Asking your professional organization to respond
• Checking out the programs at The Missouri History Museum. It has held programs related to Ferguson since August and is planning more for 2015.
• Looking at the website for International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. They are developing information on how to conduct community conversations on race.

Participating Bloggers & Colleagues

• Aleia Brown, AleiaBrown.org
• Gretchen Jennings, Museum Commons
• Aletheia Wittman and Rose Paquet Kinsley, The Incluseum
• Steven Lubar, On Public Humanities
• Porchia Moore, Cultural Heritage Informatics Librarian at the University of
  South Carolina and Regular Contributor for The Incluseum
• Mike Murawski, ArtMuseumTeaching
• Linda Norris, The Uncataloged Museum
• Paul Orselli  ExhibiTricks: A Museum/Exhibit/Design Blog
• Ed Rodley, Thinking About Museums
• Adrianne Russell, Cabinet of Curiosities
• Nina Simon, Museum 2.0
• Kate Tinworth, ExposeYourMuseum
• Rainey Tisdale, CityStories
• Jeanne Vergeront,  Museum Notes
• Jamie Glavic, Museum Minute

Do you work in a museum? If not, where do you work? Tell us about your job.
Yes, I work at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. I’m Chief of Museum Learning, responsible for various education spaces in the museum. I develop exhibitions and websites and alternate reality games. Recently I wrote a children’s book about one of the lesser known artifacts in the museum – the plane that made the first flight around the world. The book comes out next year.

What’s your educational background?
I earned an MA in history from George Mason University and completed my graduate internship at Colonial Williamsburg. My undergraduate degree is in journalism and public relations. It’s a useful combination.

What was your ‘sticky’ moment?
I’m not sure there was a moment as much as a place. I visited Colonial Williamsburg various times in childhood and loved it. At some point I figured I would end up working at a historic site, but thus far my career has been at history museums. I write about my history inspiration in my new book A Grizzly in the Mail and Other Adventures in American History.

What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?
Historyplaces; I’ve been blogging for about three years.

What do you blog about? Why?
I started a blog because I write a column (History Bytes in the quarterly History News) about technology and decided I needed to get some experience with blogging. I also use the blog as an excuse to make myself write. So, I knew I had to pick a topic that would keep me motivated. Since I visit many historic sites, I decided to write about something I do often. Mine is not a philosophical blog by any means, but I enjoy describing historic sites through my lens as a public historian.  I contribute to other blogs including the National Air and Space Museum blog and the National Council for Public History blog.

What’s your most read blog post? Tell us about it.
It was a blog post about the recent demolition of the Hershey Chocolate Factory. It apparently struck an emotional nerve and went viral. It received over 90 heartfelt comments, many memories of visits to the factory in childhood. Wonderful  stories. I ended up writing a column about this post and my thoughts on why it went viral.

What’s the last exhibit you saw?
I visited Gettysburg battlefield and went through the exhibition in the new visitor center. Powerful with lots of amazing artifacts. Not very interactive though.

Night at the Museum: love it or hate it?
Well, since Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was filmed in part where I work and “depicts” my workplace, I was definitely fascinated by it. It’s not the type of film I’d normally go to see, but was fun to see someone’s portrayal of a museum and various roles of museum staff. They copied the colors of the Air and Space Museum, down to the worn patina of the brass handrails.  I can assure you that Able the space monkey does not come alive at night! I sometimes wish I had half the imagination of those screen writers.

What do you see as the biggest challenge (or opportunity) facing museums today?
The biggest challenge and opportunity facing museums is the desperate need for a deep understanding of technology. Unfortunately many in leadership positions don’t think critically about the use of technology and don’t recognize that it needs to be part of strategic planning and the operating budget. There is a huge gap in knowledge of technology at many museums. Keeping up with the shifting technology landscape can be exhausting, but focus is important. Technology, in all its shapes, has the potential to transform all museums and broaden and engage new audiences. Technology touches every function of a museum. [Can I get an amen?! -Jamie]

Share one piece of advice for those interested in working in the museum field:
You’ve heard it before but I can’t underestimate the power of networking and of internships. Be flexible, you will probably not get your dream job at first, and it could take time to work toward it. Perseverance is the key to working in the museum field. Let your passion shine through your work.

Thanks for participating in Meet a Museum Blogger, Tim!

In case you missed it, Tim blogs at Historyplaces. Do you have additional questions for Tim regarding his profile above? Start a conversation in the comments below!

Are you interested in being profiled or know someone who would be? Send an email to MuseumMinute@gmail.com.

Why? Because a Sharknado can happen anywhere.

SyFy

No, I haven’t completely fallen off of my rocker. Nor am I pulling a Tara Reid (is that redundant?). While it’s true that a Sharknado cannot happen in the literal sense, it can happen in the figurative sense – with a little planning, creativity and strategic thinking, of course!

First, let’s consider why Sharknado 2 matters. Why does this cultural phenomenon even exist?

It’s simple really: Sharknado.

Without the cultural phenomenon that was the first movie, there would be no Sharknado 2. If you’re asking yourself, “Where is she going with this?” just bear with me…

According to Nielsen, Sharknado had 1.37 million “live plus same-day” viewers last summer. Sharknado 2 more than doubled that number this week and drew an impressive 3.9 million “live plus same-day” viewers (I was one of them). That’s a remarkable jump in eyeballs.

SyFy

SyFy

This pop culture super storm is the perfect mash-up of Americana and ‘Murica. By embracing the ridiculousness and zeitgeist of the first film – and building on its ever expanding foundation of followers (and champions – more on that later) – the team behind Sharknado 2 followed a few simple rules that made the film a hit before it even aired, and that we museums could learn from for our own purposes.

Celebrate What You Do Well and Build On It

Recognize what you do well and embrace it. Celebrate it. Own it. And find ways to build on it. The Asylum – the group behind the Sharknado franchise (yes, it’s now a franchise) – is great at kitschy scifi movies and, after the surprise success of the first film, Sharknado 2 quickly received the green light. Online content and commentary told The Asylum what viewers liked and they were able to capitalize on the digital explosion of reactions/feedback – everything from blog posts, tweets, and traditional media reviews – and use that information to develop Sharknado 2  – not to mention, build excitement around a sequel – for the people. Thankfully Sharknado 2 wasn’t simply a repeat of Sharknado. Yes, there were tornadoes full of sharks, but the location, characters, and “feel” of the film were completely different – a direct result of the The Asylum’s awareness of their audiences needs and expectations. Even sharknadoes need room to grow and develop. Find ways to make your popular signature events and programs…MORE. The best place to look for that inspiration, you ask? The people who enjoyed it the first time around – your community.

Create Participatory Experiences

Did you know that you could pay to “die” in Sharknado 2? That there was an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to produce a particular scene? You could even download a Sharknado app and “shark yourself!”. And, if you weren’t in the movie (there’s always hope for Sharknado 3!), you were probably live tweeting about it, along with millions of other people, including your friends, celebrities, corporate brands, and the movie’s stars themselves.  It almost seems like Sharknado 2 was made with the twitter experience in mind (which, of course, it was).  Which raises the question for us: How can we create buy-in for our experiences? What can we offer people that will have them talking to their friends about it? How do we create a culture of interactivity in real time – while the storm is still brewing?

We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends

Holy cow cameos! Everywhere you looked there was somebody who is (or, more likely, was) a somebody in Sharknado 2. And the great thing about it all is that there was a cameo for everyone at your watch party; there were people I had no clue about and someone else would shout, “hey, that’s so and so!” I was the first one to spot Will Wheaten on the airplane, while a nerdier friend pointed out his wife. There was a resounding “JARED!” during the subway scene. It was incredible. From Matt Lauer and Al Rocker to Biz Markie, Judd Hersch and Sandra “Pepa” Denton – everyone wanted to be a part of Sharknado 2. Chances are, you have advocates and champions in your own community who, while not be willing to “die” for your institution – unless you have a sweet zombie program scheduled, are likely willing to have some fun with you. I’m not talking emceeing a formal program (even though that’s totally fine), I’m talking about parody YouTube videos and sharing fun tweets. Think outside the box (or shark in this instance). Find a way to take their interest and make it fit – the more champions we have the better off we are. Look for opportunities, or better yet, make opportunities for those local voices/personalities to benefit your mission.

Sharknado 2 Watch Party!

Lead Time Matters

How often does it feel like you are working on an event or project at the 11^th hour? If you’re like me, its wayyyyyy too often. I’ve been following the Sharknado 2 buzz since Sharknado – before there was an ‘official’ sequel announcement. As the movie got closer I received more updates, saw behind-the-scenes photos, and watched interviews with the cast. Sharknado 2 created the kind of excitement that had people scheduling their day around the film so they could watch it in real time. Watch parties were scheduled, tweets were typed, and people were sitting at home glued to the screen because the air date of Sharknado 2 was announced over six months ago. The Asylum didn’t slow down and take a breather – they took fans along for the ride from development through production. Asking for help with the sequel’s name and confirming the leads soon after the announcement kept Sharknado fans connected and in the know throughout the process. Lead time matters.

And last, but not least, without too much explanation:

Don’t Be Afraid To Have Fun (And Laugh at Yourself)

I “sharked” myself.

So, in summary, let me quote our main protagonist Fin in his Independence Day-like penultimate speech, just before the climax of the film: “No one wants to get eaten, but I’ve been eaten, and I’m here to tell you, it takes a lot more than that to bring a New Yorker down…”  What, you ask, does that have to do with anything else I’ve written about in this post?  Nothing really, but, like Sharknado 2 itself, isn’t that part of the fun?

What will your Sharknado be (and will it be good enough for a sequel)?

Do you work in a museum? If not, where do you work? Tell us about your job.

I’m very lucky to work in the largest children’s museum in the world—The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Day to day, I coordinate content across the museum’s blog and numerous social media platforms. This means working with experts in and outside of the museum on content ranging from dinosaurs and ancient China to astronauts and pop culture superheroes. I also manage annual digital engagement projects, where I work with a cross-departmental team to implement creative online campaigns that connect with participatory on-site experiences.

What’s your educational background?

I earned my BA in History from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, and I’m one semester short of a Masters in Education. Before I finished that program I relocated to Indianapolis, which gave me the opportunity to reassess my original plan to become a social studies teacher. I decided to pursue Museum Studies, instead. I now hold a Masters in Museum Studies from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and I find myself using my background in education all the time. Win-win!

What was your ‘sticky’ moment?

My museum sticky moment was pure serendipity.  When I was pursuing a career as a social studies teacher, I had the opportunity to work with a team of educators at the Heinz History Center on a multi-year NEH-funded curriculum develop project. During a conference cocktail party at the museum, curator Scott Stephenson invited my mentor and I to join him and author Fred Anderson on a trip to collections storage. (Totally right place, right time.) We soon found ourselves alone with the Fort Necessity surrender document, which was signed by George Washington on a rainy night, leading to the French and Indian War. I was in awe in that moment, as little bits of nuance were being pointed out to us by two of the leading experts in French and Indian War history, and I remember thinking, “If I were to ever not be a teacher, I would work with objects like this.” A few years later, I made the switch to museums—and never looked back!

What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging about various topics since 2004, but began seriously blogging about museums in 2010. I began blogging for the New Media Consortium in 2011, first on the MIDEA Museum Technology blog, and now on NMC.org as a contributing editor. I’ve also had opportunities to guest blog for the Wikimedia Foundation, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Center for the Future of Museums.

What do you blog about? Why?

On the New Media Consortium’s blog I write about my ongoing research in Open Authority, as well as Wikipedia’s role in museums, crowdsourcing, and digital engagement in museums. The New Media Consortium’s focus is on technology in education, with a focus on formal learning in the classroom and additional support for informal learning in museums. I feel strongly that we need to share insights with broad audiences in order to keep us all inspired and thinking big about the opportunities at hand, and NMC does just that. Plus, as a former educator who now focuses on museum tech, the New Media Consortium is the perfect home for me!

When I’m not writing for the New Media Consortium, I’m also the blog manager at The Children’s Museum, where I assist museum staff, guest bloggers, and community bloggers, with sharing their expertise on the museum’s blog. This is such rewarding work for me because I get to help educate families on incredible topics in a relatable tone, while making extraordinary museum experiences accessible for everyone on the web.

What’s your most read blog post? Tell us about it.

One of my most read blog posts is “Defining Open Authority” on the New Media Consortium blog. The blog was an important milestone in my research because it was the first time that I clearly laid out the definition of the term “Open Authority.” I wrote the blog in January 2012, when I was still months away from submitting my thesis for consideration in Curator: The Museum Journal.

I’d struggled with the fact that the conversations happening in the museum technology community were happening much more quickly than the formal publishing world could support. I wanted to contribute to the dialogue now, not later, and also wanted my ideas shared on various platforms that involved a variety of perspectives. That is, after all, what open authority is all about! The New Media Consortium has been invaluable in letting me share my ideas while they were fresh and new, continuing the conversation while it was most relevant. Blogs will always be the ideal stopgap that makes up for snail-paced academic publishing models. Blogs are timelier, by far, and they’re becoming just as respected as that hardcopy journal your CEO is reading.

Do you tweet? Why or why not?

You could call me a Twitter advocate! Find me @LoriLeeByrd. And if my personal account is looking temporarily neglected, it’s because I’m also tweeting @TCMIndy nearly 24 hours a day. You can say “Hi” there, too!

I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without Twitter. Back in 2010, it was the reason that I met my dear friend, Liam Wyatt, who was just then building a fledgling community of Wikipedians looking to connect with museums (now globally known as GLAM-Wiki). My friendship with Liam led to my role as Wikipedian in Residence at the world’s biggest and best children’s museum, and every other opportunity that followed. (Not to mention meeting my fiancé and fellow Wikipedian in Residence, Dominic.)

Twitter has also connected me with a thriving community of museum technologists who support me, make me laugh, and challenge me to keep thinking big—and to think EVEN bigger. It’s also the reason I’ll have a chapter published in a forthcoming book, edited by a colleague who I greatly admire, Mia Ridge. If you’re not on Twitter yet, you should be. The opportunities are endless. (Plus, it’s always a thrill to end up tweeting with a celebrity…or is that just me?)

What do you see as the biggest opportunity for museums today?

Today, the biggest opportunity for museums is to work together, rather than be in competition. This is happening in fits and starts, but it needs to become the norm. I feel passionately about this with museum social media, so much so that I co-created the International Museum Social Media Managers Facebook group, along with Ryan Dodge from the Royal Ontario Museum. I’m inspired by the work of Mar Dixon of Culture Themes, and others who are making strides toward museums collaborating on digital initiatives together to make bigger impact. But we can also do better to share in our successes and our milestones, and communicate the wins of other museums to our own audiences. We need to help each other out! I write more about the genesis of the Facebook group here, and Ryan and I will be presenting on it at this year’s Museum Computer Network conference. Hope to see you there!

Share one piece of advice for those interested in working in the museum field:

1. Get an internship.

2. Be a sponge.

3. Build your network.

4. Make yourself indispensable.

That’s my suggested four-step plan for any emerging museum professional. Make the most of your experiences during your first job or internship, and don’t underestimate the value of your mentors. Develop those relationships and increase your connections. Use social media to your advantage and blog about your experiences (there’s always room for more museum bloggers!) And finally, find your niche and hone it. Become an expert in that thing that most excites you, and define a unique value proposition that will set you apart from the crowd and make you a must-hire (or a must-keep) for your dream museum.

What’s the last thing you bought at a museum gift shop?

One of the last things I purchased at a museum gift shop is a scarf from the British Museum, which is now framed and hanging on my living room wall. My work with Wikipedia has led to a fair amount of international travel, which I’ve been incredibly grateful to have! I want to remember each of these trips, so I’m always on the hunt for a budget-friendly museum souvenir. My trick—vintage post cards and scarves. They’re light enough for the trip home, and can then be framed upon arrival. Voilà! New art!

Thanks for participating in Meet a Museum Blogger, Lori!

In case you missed it, Lori blogs at NMC.org as a contributing editor, you can also find her work on the Wikimedia Foundation, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Center for the Future of Museums blogs.

Do you have additional questions for Lori regarding her profile above? Feel free to start a conversation in the comments below or reach out to her directly on Twitter at @LoriLeeByrd. Please use the #MuseumBlogger hashtag. TY!

Are you interested in being profiled or know someone who would be? Send an email to MuseumMinute@gmail.com.

In theater, the “fourth wall” is the invisible barricade at the front of the stage, through which the audience observes the action while the players act as though the audience isn’t there.

If such a thing exists in museums—and it does, in the form of glass casing and “Please don’t touch” signs—the newly renovated Cooper Hewitt is taking a step towards getting rid of it. To read more, click here.

Bjork Exhibition to Be Held at Museum of Modern Art in 2015

Next year, Björk‘s influence on art will get its due. Beginning in March, the Museum of Modern Art in New York will hold a full-scale retrospective of the Icelandic musician’s works, titled Björk, which will include her contributions to performance art, recordings, film, costumes, instruments and visuals. It will be presented with a narrative, co-written by Björk and Icelandic writer Sjón Sigurdsson, that will include both biographical and fictitious events drawing from the two decades since she issued her 1993 breakthrough solo album Debut. To read more, click here.

Google Glass Could Replace Audio Guides at Some Museums

Some museums may soon offer Google Glass-enabled tours: GuidiGO announced it will be partnering with museums around the world to offer virtual tours optimized for Google Glass.

The partnership is the result of Google’s Glass at Work program, which certifies companies that make Glass apps specifically for businesses. GuidiGO was among the first five companies to be selected for the program earlier this week. To read more, click here.

Mauritshuis is the rock super-group of collections

The Maurithuis‘s international strategy during its two-year refurbishment was simple: it would send its remarkable collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings out on a world tour. But only the very, very best would be selected; only the most masterful of its masterpieces.

The result was akin to putting together a super-group of rock stars, with Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c.1665) on lead vocals…To read more, click here.

Never Tell Them The Odds: Cities Vie To Host ‘Star Wars’ Collection

A short time ago, in a city not far away, Star Wars creator George Lucas decided to build a museum to house his movie memorabilia and his art collection.

There’s just one looming question: Where should it go? To read more, click here.

New Atlanta Museum Links Human Rights Struggles of Past and Present

A museum opening in Atlanta on Monday links the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s to modern fights for human rights across the world to give visitors new insight on how the struggles are related, organizers said.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will feature handwritten letters from the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., along with exhibits on the fight for equal rights for women, gays, the disabled and other groups. To read more, click here.

‘Outlier’ Delaware Art Museum Shunned by Art Groups

The Delaware Art Museum lost its accreditation and its ability to receive loaned works from many museums Wednesday, one day after the museum sold one of its most famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings to help pay its bills.

A committee of the American Alliance of Museums, a national museum advocacy organization, voted unanimously Wednesday to remove the Delaware museum’s accreditation. To read more, click here.

Picasso’s ‘Blue Room’ has a hidden occupant just beneath the surface

It took years and a good bit of detective work by art experts and scientists to unveil a painting hidden underneath Pablo Picasso’s 1901 masterpiece “The Blue Room.”

Using infrared technology, experts at The Phillips Collection in Washington discovered a portrait of a bearded man wearing a jacket and a bow tie, his face resting on his hand, with three rings on his fingers. To read more, click here.

What headlines caught your eye this week?

Last month I had the great pleasure of moderating a panel on pop culture and museums at #AAM2014 in Seattle. The session, “Pop Culture is Your Friend!” was just as fun to prepare as it was to present (I’m being totally serious). My fellow esteemed panelists were:

• Bethany Corriveau, Cleveland Museum of Art
• Brindha Muniappan, MIT Museum
• Christian Carron, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

And they rocked it!

Interested in what we talked about? Click here to check out the Storify recap.

Pop Culture superstars!

I have since attended Houston, Baltimore, and most recently Seattle – with several other acronymed conferences in between. What I’ve learned over the years is that while conferences revolve places, themes, and ideas – what makes them possible, and worthwhile, is people. Making connections and simply saying hello is always the highlight of my conference experience.

Lucky for me, there were plenty of museum bloggers attending #AAM2014 – and I made a point to meet, connect, and reconnect with as many as I could. Of the current #MuseumBlogger profiles, who presented?

• Ed Rodley – “I wish somebody had told me…”
• Gretchen Jennings – Design’s Impact on Visitor Engagement; The Empathetic Museum
• Leah Melber – A Word of Advice: Careers in Museum Education; Innovative Exchange Projects Link Communities and Cultures
• Linda Norris – Can Constraints Make You More Creative?

Left: Adrianne Russell (top), Valeria (bottom); Right: Linda Norris

Sessions weren’t the only places to catch up with museum bloggers! There was no shortage of meet-ups, tweet-ups, and happy hours. The folks at Incluseum organized a happy hour – unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend. However, I had the great pleasure of running into Valeria of #svegliamuseo and Adrianne Russell of Cabinet of Curiosities in between sessions and  managed to organize an informal (and very early morning) museum blogger meet-up. Who showed up?

• Annelisa Stephan – The Getty
• Chris O’Connor – Royal BC Museum
• Ed Rodley – Thinking About Museums
• Jennifer Foley – Runs with Visitors
• Kellian Adams – Green Door Labs
• Max A. van Balgooy – Engaging Places
• Rowanne Henry – Museum Stories
• Scott Tennet – Unframed

#MuseumBlogger Meet-Up

Ed may not be in the group shot but I promise he was there!

I left Seattle feeling energized – and I’d like to thank everyone I met for that. I’m proud to be a part of the #MuseumBlogger community. What we do is important. Our blogs, Twitter handles, and LinkedIn profiles keep us connected online but we need to make the extra effort to connect in person when the opportunity presents itself – even if it’s just coffee. Thank you for your energy, inspiration, and appreciation for swag (interested in receiving an “I’m a #MuseumBlogger” button? Shoot me an email!).

In the meantime, keep up the good work and let me know if you plan to be in St. Paul for #AASLH2014 this fall.

2. I cannot wait to tell you all about my recent Seattle conference experience (see #AAM2014 in Pictures for a sneak peak).

 3. Currently, I’m stuck wrapping up a few projects.

4. I’ll be back.