Unlock New Ideas. Share Your Expertise. Shape VAM Programming.

VAM is excited to expand our member-driven workshops and professional development opportunities, creating new ways for members to learn from one another, build connections, and showcase the incredible work happening across Virginia’s museum and cultural community.

Our members are one of VAM’s greatest resources. Whether you are an expert in your field, have developed an innovative approach at your institution, are tackling a challenge others could learn from, or simply have an idea for a conversation that needs to happen—we want to hear from you.

Member-driven programming is an opportunity to open doors to new ideas, new voices, and new partnerships. We want to collaborate with individuals and institutions across the Commonwealth to develop workshops that are practical, engaging, and responsive to the needs of today’s museum professionals.

Have a program idea? Consider proposing a workshop that highlights a successful project, explores an emerging issue, shares practical tools and resources, or brings colleagues together to tackle a common challenge. You can propose a program yourself, partner with colleagues, or recommend someone whose expertise would benefit the VAM community.

VAM staff will work collaboratively with selected members and institutions to help shape ideas into meaningful professional development opportunities and identify ways to bring programs to communities throughout Virginia.

Your experience can open the door for someone else. Your institution can become a place for colleagues to connect and learn. And your ideas can help shape what VAM programming looks like next.

Help Us Build What Comes Next - We are eager to partner with new voices, new institutions, and new communities across the Commonwealth. Share your expertise, tell us what you want to learn, or invite VAM to explore a program partnership with your institution.

Unlock the possibilities. Share what you know. Learn from one another. Help drive VAM programming forward.

In the area below, please include the following program details: 

Title

Description

Key Objectives

• How members will feel? 
• What will members learn?
• What will members do (with this information)?

Program Length

• Classroom workshop
  • Is the workshop a half day or full day or other length
  • Specify that the workshop includes some form of hands-on activity, group work, and/or discussion.
• Webinar - 1-1.5 Hours
• Lecture - Amount of Time

Internal Affairs 

• Covers topics relating to the day-to-day operations of a museum, its management, staff, and facilities.
• For example: Administration, Legal Issues, Operations, Budgeting, Governance-ByLaws, Core Documents, Mission, Vision & Values, Board Development, Ethics.

External Affairs 

• Covers topics relating to marketing, advocating, and communicating what a museum does to reach external stakeholders, which can include current and potential donors, amongst others. Also includes collaborations and partnerships between organizations to increase effectiveness and relevancy.
• For example: Public Relations, Marketing, Fundraising, Membership, Grant Writing.

Collections and Exhibitions 

• Covers topics relating to caring for and displaying museum collections of all kinds.
• For example: Deaccessioning, Loans, Inventory, Storage, Conservation, Archives, Installation, Labelling, Object Mounting, Evaluation.

Education and Visitor Services 

• Covers topics relating to the educational component of a museum, which is the process of how museums share their content, mission, vision, and values with visitors.
• For example: Public Programming, Standards of Learning, Docent Training, Visitor Studies, Visitor Services.

Human Resources 

• Covers topics relating to the hiring, managing, training, and staffing of a museum.
• For example: Interpersonal Relationships, Management, Conflict Resolution, Diversity & Inclusion.

Technology Training 

• Covers topics related to aviation across all disciplines of the Museum field. Classes that focus on digital history, exhibit software, gifts shop or POS software, or other technological resources can be used to fulfill this credit.
• For example: Past Perfect Collections Management Software Training, Website
  Management, Inventory Management.