An all-volunteer group supporting small museums in the mid-Atlantic and beyond by fostering a peer network for museum staff.
Every museum is shaped by where it stands. The land beneath it, the community around it, the history embedded in it, the place is not just a backdrop, it’s part of the story we tell.
Join us February 21–24 at the Strong National Museum of Play and other local museums in Rochester, NY, as we explore how location shapes mission, how community defines relevance, and how small museums carry the weight and wonder of the places they call home. Evening receptions and time to explore Rochester’s vibrant museum community will give you a firsthand look at how this city’s past lives on in the institutions keeping it alive today.
Small museums thrive because their staff are uniquely able to affect change by building close relationships with the communities, donors, and boards. Often small museums produce more innovative programming and unique experiences than larger museums because they provide the opportunities for staff to change direction and experiment. But what happens when it all goes wrong?
In this SMAll Talk conversation on Thursday, September 24, we’re sharing our favorite and most frustrating museum moments that keep us up at night.