July 2020
VAM News
Virginia Reopening

Virginia Governor Northam has announced that the state will begin to enter Phase Three of its "Forward Virginia" reopening plan. Many museums are planning to reopen this month, so we will keep you posted on those experiences as they unfold.

VAM Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

VAM staff will begin to go back into the office on a limited schedule in the beginning of July. Email is still the best way to contact us for assistance.

Remember, VAM has extended the renewal grace period for all memberships. If your membership is due, VAM is giving you up to three additional months past your expiration date to pay. We are also offering a payment plan for some levels of membership if that helps with your limited budget at this time. Contact Jennifer or Dan if you would like to make arrangements to set up a payment plan.

Member in Transition
If you have recently been laid off due to the Coronavirus cutbacks, VAM is offering a year's Individual membership for free. We want you to focus on getting back in the museum workforce and not worry about your membership with VAM. Get all the details here on our Members in Transition page.

Explore VAM’s new member benefit program from Pendella. Individuals can get access to disability, life, and vision insurance, and groups can sign up for money-saving health plans. This program includes rates specially created for VAM’s members, but are being offered by Pendella; this is not a VAM-run health plan.
Upcoming Events
Don't miss our rescheduled Virtual Happy Hour on July 10!

VAM's popular online chats will continue to be offered each Tuesday at 11am throughout July, each week alternating between topics related to COVID-19 or reopening and on issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI).

Museum Leaders Online Chats will also continue throughout July on each Thursday at 3pm. We invite museum leaders to join us for an ongoing conversation regarding issues relevant to leading in today's uncertain times. 

Member News
Featured Members:

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The VMFA recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support of an upcoming exhibition "The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture and the Sonic Impulse."

Congratulations to the many VAM member museums that recently received funding support from the Virginia Humanities CARES Act Grant and Humanities Grant Program plus the following institutions that received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities CARES Act Grant:

American Civil War Museum
Colonial Williamsburg
Moton Museum/Longwood University
Montpelier
Preservation Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Monticello
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Foundation
Resources
VAM is continually monitoring COVID-19 related information and resources of benefit to the museum and nonprofit sector. Please visit our website various resources pages for the following assistance, plus more.






Hails & Farewells
Congratulations to Jackie Spainhour Executive Director of the Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk, for being named one of Coastal Virginia Magazine's 2020 Millennials on the Move and becoming Vice President of The Victorian Society in America.

Congratulations to Aaron Paula Thompson for being named the new Executive Director of the Poe Museum.

Congratulations to David Brashear for being named the permanent Director of the Muscarelle Art Gallery at the College of William and Mary.
Funding & Marketing Opportunities
Announcing VAM's New Conservation Grant

Our partner Richmond Conservation Studio will conserve a painting from one of our members at no cost to the selected member. Applications open August 1; this opportunity is open to any VAM museum member with a budget of less than $1 million.  Learn More and Apply

Thank you to Richmond Conservation Studio for their generous support of this program. 


The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced a new grant for Collections and Reference Resources. This grant will help museums and other sites digitize their collections to enable them to make their collections more broadly available to the general public. Applications are due July 15th. Read more about it here.

Archival Workers Emergency Fund, offered by the Society of American Archivists. Archivists in need of financial assistance due to COVID-19 can learn more here
Headlines
Nothing captures a small town’s character, soul and past like its museum — but their futures face serious modern-day perils. Read about how small town museums may not recover from the pandemic. Read about it here.

With Phase 2 happening in Washington, DC, both the International Spy and Museum of the Bible are the first to reopen. Read about their re-opening here.
Career Center
Search VAM's Career Center for information on the only museum management certificate offered by a museum association plus resume help and job listings.


  • Curator
  • Director of Museums
  • Annual Fund Manager
  • And more!
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July Sponsor
Thank You to Quinn Evans Architects for Sponsoring the July E-Newsletter!


If your company or museum would be interested in sponsoring future E-newsletters, please contact Dan Goldstein at VAM.
Do you have news to share? Contact us at membership@vamuseums.org
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