Building Capacity Workshop at the Museum of Arts and Design, October 26, 2021

Dear Friends, Members, and Supporters,

I write from the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. The twenty-five museum professionals with us are bouncing energy around the room. My heart is filled with joy to be here among such passionate, and dedicated people. In this fall’s Forums, we are learning how partnerships help museums reach new audiences, grow resources, and interpret collections. Today, the New York City Building Capacity program participants are sharing their successes, challenges, and hopes for the future.

I am beyond grateful for those of you who have let me know that our virtual programs helped you remain connected and informed. I apologize for my frequent tears in response to your thanks, but when we closed the Zoom on Friday afternoons, it sometimes felt like all the air had been let out of the room and I could do nothing but nap. Other times the momentum kept me going for a week. But if the pandemic raised doubts in my mind about the importance of being with colleagues in creative, actual spaces discussing our work, today silenced every doubt.

While we finish our fall workshops and prepare for the grant opportunities announced last week, we have begun planning for our 2022 annual conference “Envisioning Our Museums for the Seventh Generation.” The Seventh Generation is a core value among the Indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. The principle, which is rooted in the preservation of Indigenous culture, underscores the importance of the human continuum. It advocates for informed, long-term decision-making that recognizes and draws from the past while laying the groundwork for the future.

We invite you to connect with colleagues and consider this concept from April 10th through the 12th in Corning, NY, on the ancestral lands of the Seneca. Conference plans include visits to unique museum spaces, Saturday Workshops, Conference Capstones, special events, and more than a dozen sessions that will advance your professional practice.

Our call for proposals to New York’s museum professionals are for sessions that address the theme, that are engaging and interactive, and offer multiple perspectives.

Watch for an email and MANY social media channels in the coming weeks for the Call for Proposals and the schedule for submitting Awards of Merit nominations.

With tears of gratitude and joyful hopes for the spring of 2022, e