UNM Art Museum event to highlight museum careers

The University of New Mexico Art Museum (UNMAM) invites students and emerging museum leaders to explore the world of museum careers on Saturday, April 24, 2024, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. at the Exploring Pathways of Museum Careers Symposium for professional development in the UNM Art Museum.

The event is a platform for exploration, inspiration, and networking for those curious about the inner workings of museums.

The symposium begins with opening remarks from UNMAM Associate Director Devin E. Geraci at 11 a.m. Concurrent sessions will occur throughout the day, inviting attendees to discover various positions within museums, ranging from traditional roles such as curators, directors, and educators to specialized areas like exhibition design, grant writing, marketing, and technology. Speakers will share their stories, expertise, and passion for museum work.

There will be five panel discussions and four individual speakers. The speakers represent over ten museums or creative organizations throughout New Mexico. Also included are a few speakers who work in "museum-adjacent" roles, meaning that they may not be employed by a museum, but their work supports museums. Everyone is welcome, but free registration is required on the Art Museum website.

"At the UNM Art Museum, we've been talking about this idea for a few years." Geraci said, "There is a lot of mystery surrounding museum work. Many people don't know what opportunities exist or how their own skills could fit into a museum job. I think an important part of our role in the UNM community is to show students how museums work and help them realize that it could be a career for them too."

Following Geraci's introduction, the UNM Center for the Arts lobby will host a networking mixer from 5:30-7 p.m. following the schedule of presentations. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with professionals, peers, and potential mentors. There will be panel discussions and four individual speakers. Speakers represent over ten museums or creative organizations throughout New Mexico. Also included are speakers who work in "museum adjacent" roles, who may not be employed by a museum, but who support museums through their works.

Geraci used a crowdsourcing approach to develop the event's list of speakers. She started by gathering feedback from UNM student employees about what roles they are interested in. To wrap up the symposium, we're hosting a networking mixer in the Center for the Arts lobby. This will be an opportunity for students and attendees to meet and network with museum professionals. Organizations will be present to provide resources and additional information.

"At UNMAM, our student employees represent a wide range of majors - a lot of Art and Art History of course, but also students studying Physics, Musicology, Psychology, and English," Geraci listed. "I wanted our selection of speakers to represent students' interests. I provided a list of ideas to our student employees and the UNMAM Student Advisory Council and had them vote on selections."

The symposium program is part of a grant project from New Mexico's Creative Industries Division. Through this grant, the UNMAM team has identified ways to improve their student employment program and provide more opportunities for learning new skills, professional development, and networking. This symposium will allow them to share this work with a larger audience, Geraci explained.

As UNMAM began identifying speakers, Geraci ensured the symposium's speakers represented a variety of museums.

"…That we weren't only inviting a certain type of role or focusing too heavily on art museums," she said. "I made sure our list included science museums, natural history museums, and more."

There are many museums in New Mexico, and even on campus, so this is just a small start in representing New Mexico's museum community. I hope to make this an annual event and build partnerships with other universities so that students across the state can learn from local museum professionals.

"I think it's important for attendees to realize that museums are for everyone, and that can mean as a career too. There are roles that draw on skills you can build in other disciplines," Geraci urged,

"Some of our panelists have backgrounds in areas like business, child development, and instructional design, and have built meaningful careers supporting museums. I hope attendees leave this event feeling empowered to connect their interests and studies to museum work. Museums have Finance, Human Resource, Information Technologies, and Marketing departments, too!"

Geraci said that as a teaching museum, UNMAM has a special responsibility to the UNM community to provide professional development and mentorship opportunities to students. Through this program, she hopes to make more students aware of the Art Museum and the resources it can provide them.

"Throughout this process, I've met a lot of impressive museum professionals throughout New Mexico. It has been exciting to learn about the speakers' skills and accomplishments. Everyone is excited about sharing their experiences with students, so I think our speakers will bring a lot of enthusiasm to the event!" Geraci said.

This event is presented in collaboration with the Museum Assistant Program through the UNM Art Museum and made possible by a generous grant from the New Mexico Creative Industries Division.

Following the schedule of presentations, attendees can meet in the Center for the Arts lobby for a networking mixer, giving them the opportunity to connect with professionals, peers, and potential mentors.

This event is presented in collaboration with the UNMAM Museum Assistant Program and made possible by a generous grant from the New Mexico Creative Industries Division.

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