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News from the President
Dear NAME Colleagues,
Four years ago, I was offered the opportunity to serve as NAME’s President, and was honored to have the chance to pay back this organization which has given me so much, both professionally and personally. To me, NAME represents memorable learning opportunities, close friends, and the chance to be surrounded by creative people striving for excellence with characteristic insights and humor. My term in office has been a rewarding chapter in my involvement with NAME, and I thank all of you for giving me this opportunity.
Since we became a Standing Professional Committee (SPC) of the American Association of Museums, NAME has seen some important changes. The transition hasn’t always been easy, and some traditions have fallen away, but what NAME has already gained, and will continue to build, is considerable. Thanks to our role in AAM, we are the voice of all exhibition professions within the nation’s leading museum organization. This position has helped us to secure resources for the continued growth and enhancement of our ongoing services, including Exhibitionist; to begin envisioning a more useful website; and to plan innovative programs that will serve the new needs and interests of the next generation of museum professionals. The important dialogue NAME began several years ago between “silverbacks and youngbloods” continues to inspire forward movement and constructive change, both within our organization and AAM as a whole.
Moreover, recent changes within AAM leadership are now creating opportunities for NAME and our sister professional committees to play an increased leadership role in setting direction for the field. AAM’s commitment to the committees bore first fruit last fall, when, in response to an initiative pressed by NAME and other committees, the AAM Board granted equal status to independent professionals to serve as our officers. NAME enjoys a high percentage of independent professionals among our members, and they are now recognized as equal partners on our leadership team. More recently, a task force of the SPC Council has been charged to assess how the committees can best serve the needs of AAM membership in all areas of museum practice. I look forward with great optimism to the task force’s report.
More good news: 2008 saw dramatically increased participation in the annual exhibition competition that NAME organizes in collaboration with our colleagues in the AAM committees for curators, evaluators, and educators. Two years ago, the competition struggled to attract interest; subsequently, thanks in large part to NAME members’ input, significant improvements were made. This year the competition garnered 33 entries from a broad range of museums in the US and Canada, including big-budget institutions as well as smaller ones. Next year, NAME will take our turn leading the competition program, and will continue to improve its stature and impact on the field.
It’s a particular pleasure for me to report the success of NAME’s 2008 sponsorship program. Thanks to generous support from the business community, we’ve secured unprecedented underwriting for our events in Denver, and because of tremendous interest in supporting scholarships, we are able for the first time to provide financial assistance for three students to attend the conference. Not least, these sponsor contributions also indirectly assist with overall support for NAME member services. We recognize our sponsors in the Resources section of this website; you will also find them in the Spring and Fall 2008 issues of Exhibitionist, and in the AAM program.
It’s also thrilling to report that we will have record-breaking attendance at this year’s NAME events in Denver. I speak for the entire Board in thanking NAME members for your outstanding support of these programs. We all look forward to greeting you there.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of NAME’s members, and most particularly my wonderful colleagues on the Board of Directors, for your energy and commitment over the last four years. We’ve fulfilled many of the goals we set in January 2004, and I’m looking forward to watching NAME flourish under the vision and guidance of the incoming Board that takes office this summer. My best wishes to you all, and particularly to my excellent and inspiring successor, Eric Siegel – Salud!
Phyllis Rabineau
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