Virginia Association of Museums

09/04/2026

Exciting things are happening at the MacArthur Memorial!

Melissa, VAM’s Director of Membership and Programs, was honored to attend Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new **Jean MacArthur Research and Education Center**.

It is always exciting to celebrate the growth of Virginia’s museums and cultural institutions. Investments like this create new opportunities for institutions to steward their stories, expand educational resources, and deepen their connections with the communities they serve.

Congratulations to the MacArthur Memorial and everyone helping bring this exciting new chapter to life. Read more here -

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The MacArthur Memorial and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation marked the 81st anniversary of World War II Wednesday and officially broke ground on the Jean MacArthur Res…

09/03/2026

VAM is thrilled to welcome Savannah Gross to our team as the new Membership and Communications Coordinator!

Savannah brings a wonderful combination of museum experience, creativity, and enthusiasm that will help VAM continue to strengthen our programs and connections with Virginia’s museum and cultural community.

Savannah is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Museum Education with a minor in History. Her professional experience spans museum education and outreach, membership, administration, communications, and visitor engagement, including work with Wilton House Museum, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, The Valentine, and the Muhammad Ali Center & Museum.

Savannah also brings valuable communications experience to VAM. At Wilton House Museum, she developed educational programs, launched a monthly museum newsletter and created social media content, advertising graphics, and updated marketing materials.

She is also no stranger to VAM, having previously served on VAM’s Student Engagement Committee and participated as a conference panel speaker. We are especially excited to have Savannah join VAM because of her positive attitude, fresh perspective, and creativity she brings to the team.

Please join us in giving Savannah a warm welcome to VAM! You can contact Savannah at [email protected]

08/28/2026

Earlier this week VAM staff and the 2027 conference program committee had an amazing visit to Farmville, VA at Longwood University to review conference session proposals.

We started the day with a visit and guided tour of the Robert Russa Moton Museum next to campus. This National Historical Landmark is the birthplace of America's student-led civil rights revolution. To learn more about this incredible institution, visit https://motonmuseum.org/

The remainder of the day was dedicated to conference proposal review. Be sure to mark your calendars for VAM's 2027 conference taking place in Charlottesville, VA from March 13-16, 2027. For more information on our conference, visit https://www.vamuseums.org/conference

07/24/2026

📣2027 Conference Proposal Deadline EXTENDED, now due July 31, 2026. 📣

How to keep your museum relevant, mission-minded, and invest in your internal community- staff?

VAM 2027 plans to continue the revolutionary spirit while focusing on practical relevance for museum staff and visitors. Museums need to keep guests engaged, encourage repeat visits, and need to provide support for staff retention and promote career growth. In the spirit of Revolution, VAM 2027 is seeking presentation proposals about how your institution has gotten back to basics to support visitors and staff.

This is also an opportunity to share how institutions have shifted to make their space more accessible and relevant. How has your institution increased visitation, collaborated with local groups or government, and in general expanded the museum or site’s local presence?

Some museums have added programming, collaborations, and local connections in a way that expand relevance and access to their world. Other museums have added gathering places onsite, creating a third space for guests to enjoy. This continued investment in your institution increases visitation opportunities despite economic shifts. It also shows more justification for staff support as roles adapt and expand to fit institutional goals.

How has staff support changed to reflect those expanded programming options? What strategies can be implemented to support both groups?

VAM27 provides a venue to discuss strategies that make museums relevant spaces and how museums have aligned community engagement and mission. It will also give space for participants to share local practice, discuss problem solving strategies, how staff support has increased, and showcase collaborations both in and out of the field.

How can we transform museums into both revolutionary and relevant spaces? What kind of building blocks are your institutions using to make your space both revolutionary and relevant?

Submit proposals here: https://form.jotform.com/VAmuseums/vam-2027-conference-proposals

07/22/2026

VAM staff and board just wrapped up an incredible Council retreat in Bristol and Abingdon, VA last week!

We kicked things off with a wonderful education workshop at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum presented by the Virginia Department of Education - VDOE, Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum! This well attended workshop connected museum educators with K-12 curriculum-aligned resources and provided opportunities for museum educators to learn how to submit quality instructional materials for Virginia's SOL learning resources in the classroom.

The following day, the VAM board and staff had an incredible and productive board retreat focused on strategic planning for 2027-2030. VAM will also continue to collect member input to help shape and safeguard the future of the museum community across the Commonwealth.

We ended the day with a wonderful guided tour of the Souls of Bristol's Black Bottom by Black in Appalachia. It was incredible to hear about Bristol's thriving African American business district, where at least 27 Black-owned businesses thrived until Bristol's urban renewal in the 1960s. For more information, visit https://virginiahumanities.org/2026/03/remembering-bristols-black-bottom-qa-with-tina-mcdaniel/

Finally, the following day, the VAM board and staff ended the retreat in Abingdon, VA at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace for our regular board meeting. This 29,000 sq. ft center serves as the cultural hub for SWVA as a visitor and retail center for local crafts, music, and community gatherings. It serves SWVA's 19 counties and four cities! For more information, visit https://swvaculturalcenter.com/

What a great few days in SWVA!