Michelle Abrams, Info Guide, AGO Alumni Chair, and VCAM Region Director 13: Great Lakes Canada, attended the VCAM conference in Detroit, September 24-26. Here’s her account of the meeting:
Cobo Convention Centre digital art display
This past September, the Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA) hosted the VCAM Conference. The DIA’s volunteers and staff were wonderful hosts and very welcoming. This year’s theme was “Enhancing Volunteerism, Building Communities for the digital world of the future.” The opening reception was held in the DIA’s Rivera Room, home to Diego Rivera’s awe-inspiring Detroit Industry frescoes (1932-1933).
Diego Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Art
Attendees represented museums from across the US and Canada, such as: the Cleveland Museum of Art (Ohio), the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (California), and the Mackenzie Art Gallery (Regina); the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Kleinburg), the Seattle Art Museum, and the Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver); to name just a few.
Diego Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Art
After welcome remarks from DIA Director Salvador Salort-Pans, Phil Rivera, DIA Director of Volunteer Services and the Peter Milne, VCAM President, the conference began with a riveting presentation by the keynote speaker Richard Evans, President of EmcArts. He spoke about employing adaptive strategies to navigate the changing cultural environment in museums, to create more diversity and participation from inside and outside the museum.
Mural art in the market
Thirteen organizations presented at the conference. Some of the topics discussed were: relationship and team building, volunteer recognition and engagement, building communities outside the museum, managing volunteer committees paper and digital archives and navigating the digital world through Smartphone Applications and other technology.
One of the many interesting presentations was by the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) on developing community partnerships to build good-will and engagement. One such initiative is the “Scarf Abandonment Project” where BMA staff and volunteers partner with the community to collect abandoned scarfs around the city. The scarves are tied to a fence that the homeless can access. Initiatives like this has created stronger community ties and strong ties to the museum.
Artist Ellen Rutt speaking about her mural for the Detroit Murals in the Market project
Volunteer Committees of Art Museums (VCAM) was founded in 1952 in Toronto by members of the AGO Women’s Committee. It is the only organization established solely for and run by museum volunteers. With nearly 50 member organizations throughout the US and Canada, its mission is to educate volunteers and staff through bi-annual conferences and other communication channels.
You can also read more background info here.