San Diego Emerging Museum Professionals

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San Diego Emerging Museum Professionals

Join a growing community of Emerging Museum Professionals in San Diego for networking, advocacy, and

The mission of San Diego Emerging Museum Professionals is to facilitate career growth through networking and professional development opportunities. San Diego EMP welcomes members from all fields and is primarily composed of employees, volunteers, and students in their first ten years of a museum-related career. By offering regular meetups, workshops, tours, and other profession-related activities, San Diego EMP is a valuable resource for San Diego’s museum community.

10/22/2026

On Friday, October 16, SDEMP members spent an afternoon at the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego, across from Santa Fe Depot. The museum opened about a year ago, and it was a valuable chance to see a new institution early in its life.

A few takeaways from our group:

Mindset is the story.
The exhibits describe Hell Week as controlled chaos. One class began with 129 candidates, and 19 finished. Most who left chose to quit. The museum presents this as a lesson about mindset, not only physical strength.

Values drive the interpretation.
Put the team ahead of yourself. Think about the person next to you. Never leave anyone behind. These principles tie the galleries together and give visitors a clear thread to follow.

History with a clear arc.
The story begins with the Navy frogmen of World War II and continues through Vietnam, 9/11, and beyond.

A museum still taking shape.
This downtown location serves as a preview. The museum has plans for a larger home, with an opening planned for 2032. It was a useful reminder that institutions can start small, tell a focused story, and build toward something bigger.

Thank you to Lauren Zweber, Marketing Director, and Alondra Reyes, Event Manager, for inviting SDEMP to visit. We appreciate your generosity and the care you put into hosting our group.

Want to join us on our next museum visit? Follow SDEMP for upcoming events.

10/13/2026

This Friday we go Behind the Mission. ⚓
Join SDEMP for an evening at the U.S. Navy SEAL Museum San Diego as we experience another part of San Diego's museum community and explore how history, collections, and storytelling come together.
Come for the museum experience. Stay for the conversation and community.
📅 Friday, October 16
⏰ 6:00–7:30 PM
📍 U.S. Navy SEAL Museum San Diego
🎟️ Pay What You Can
Register through the link in our bio.

10/02/2026

October is here, and it’s a great time to explore San Diego’s cultural community with the family. 🏛️

Kids Free in October brings free admission for kids 12 and under at 70+ participating museums and cultural destinations throughout San Diego County — all month long.

From art and science to history, nature, and more, there’s plenty to discover together.

🗓️ October 1–31 🎟️ Find participating museums and plan your visit at the link in our bio.

10/01/2026

Did you know that our SDEMP Membership is free? All you need is to sign up for our SDEMP Newsletter! Our October newsletter is finally here and we have some wonderful events and programs for you. Sign up in the link in our bio! You can share the online version of it as well! Happy Reading! 📰

09/24/2026

We’re excited to see you all tomorrow at San Diego Int'l Airport Terminal 1 for our SDEMP x SAN Arts team happy hour meet up! Here are some know before you go tips to get you do your destination 🎶🥂🛬

09/23/2026

Last Friday September 18, SDEMP spent the afternoon at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, learning the history behind one of Barrio Logan's most meaningful spaces.

Chicano Park was born on April 22, 1970, when the community turned a former trolley parking lot into what is now a beloved cultural landmark, on land that goes back even further as a dairy farm and a neighborhood with roots to 1910. The space itself has served the community since the 1990s, but it didn't become a museum until 2015, and it took until 2022 for the doors to actually open. Its community archive just turned two.

What we loved most: the museum's youth programs are free. Kids can come play, try airbrushing, learn pinstriping, and get a firsthand look at lowrider culture, described by staff as a "chrome and candy dream."

The museum also makes a point of spotlighting Chicano, Indigenous, and Brown artists, showing that great art is made right here at home, not just brought in from somewhere else.

Add in wellness programming, Indigenous classes, and a new Executive Director asking the community what they'd like to see next, and you have a small museum doing meaningful, intentional work.

If you missed this one, don't worry, we do these visits often.

Follow along for our next event and come see it for yourself.

https://sandiegoemp.org/events/

09/22/2026

Our SDEMP Events & Stewardship Committee Lead, Briana Tellez, was recently featured by SD Voyager, sharing her passion and her dedication to building community through partnerships in San Diego —
we are delighted to uplift her story.
Read more and get to know Briana — link in bio.

09/21/2026

We loved our Art in Transit event in August, so we’re hanging out with the SAN Arts team again this Friday for a happy hour event. Join SDEMP for a casual happy hour with the San Diego International Airport Arts team and connect with fellow members of San Diego’s arts and cultural community.
Featuring live music by the Louis Valenzuela Quartet (Electric LouieLand).
Friday, September 25 | 4:30–6:30 PM
3301 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego
Registration is available through the SAN Pass Program. Register by September 25.

09/21/2026

A night of art, music, connection, and good vibes 🪩🎨✍🏽🎶

SD EMP joined the community at Tender Hooligan, where local creatives came together to share their artwork, meet new people, network, and enjoy live DJs throughout the night.

From conversations with fellow creatives to discovering new work and simply enjoying the energy of the space, it was a great reminder of what makes San Diego’s creative community so special.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, brought their work, made a connection, or simply came through to enjoy the night.

Here’s to more art, more community, and more opportunities to connect.

09/20/2026

Meet. Connect. Make new connections. ✈️🎸

Join SDEMP for a casual happy hour with the San Diego International Airport Arts team and connect with fellow members of San Diego’s arts and cultural community.

Featuring live music by the Louis Valenzuela Quartet (Electric LouieLand).

Friday, September 25 | 4:30–6:30 PM
3301 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego

Registration is available through the SAN Pass Program. Register by September 25.

Address

San Diego, CA

Website

http://SanDiegoEMP.org/

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