MuseumExpert.org Hosts Roundtable at AAM Annual Conference

MuseumExpert.org had the opportunity to engage in-person with a small, but mighty, group of museum professionals at the 2022 AAM conference in Boston.

During a “Neighborhub” session entitled “What makes for a fulfilling career?”, MuseumExpert.org co-founder, Walter Staveloz, and volunteer, Rachel Schwartzman, led interactive exercises to exchange thoughts and ideas about what makes working in museums “the right thing” for participants, what they would like to do more (and less) of, how institutions can help build careers, and the barriers that keep this from happening.

The resulting take-aways from the conversation? Museum people are passionate about people. They are passionate about objects. And they are especially passionate about making connections between objects and people. They love their work, and they loathe things that cut into their productivity. And while some see institutions creating advancement opportunities, there seems to be a palpable lack of trust that prevents institutions from nurturing staff to transition into new roles.

MuseumExpert.org is especially grateful to those who participated in this session and so honestly contributed to a productive discussion. We will use this information to continue to shape programming that addresses issues large and small to help all museum professionals find their path forward.