Longtime AGO volunteer and VCAM representative Michelle Abrams bids farewell to a beloved organization:

After 67 years of operation, the VCAM Board of Directors unanimously voted yes on a motion to dissolve VCAM this past July, due to lack of sustainability. Raising costs, declining funding, and the changing volunteer environment, led to this difficult decision.  The board, and I personally, recognize Peter Milne, VCAM’s president, for his stewardship and commitment to VCAM and volunteerism over the years.

Background: Volunteer Committees of Art Museums (VCAM) was founded in Toronto in 1952 by a group of Women’s Committees from across North America, including the Art Gallery of Ontario (then known as Art Gallery of Toronto) Women’s Committee. Their goal was to educate, engage and improve the volunteer experience for all volunteers; regardless of their role.  It was the only organization established for, and run by, art museum volunteers for the mutual education of volunteers through tai-annual conferences and newsletters.

The first VCAM Conference was held in 1956, and hosted by the Saint Louis Art Museum. Since then there have been 21 conferences in Canada and the United States. The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum, jointly hosted a successful conference in 2003.  Attendees were impressed with the quality of the presentations and the professionalism and friendliness of AGO volunteers and staff. They still are.

Conferences: As a Director of the Canadian Great Lakes region, I have had the opportunity of attending three conferences:  The Cleveland Museum of Art (2012), The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (2015) and the Detroit Institute of the Arts (2018).

We learned from each other by sharing information through presentations and dialogue, on topics relevant to volunteers.  We discussed a wide range of topics, including engagement , leadership, volunteer recognition and training, to adapting to the needs of today’s museum, society, and technology—just to name a few. Volunteers were engaged and energized with conversations often continuing into into the night.  It was a pleasure to tour each of the conferences host cities, exploring their respective museums (not to mention the art!) and speaking to their enthusiast committed volunteers.

Today: VCAM may have dissolved, but the discussion continues through other AGO initiatives such as Volunteers Connect.  Founded in 2011 at the AGO, volunteers and volunteer coordinators from art and cultural organizations from across the Greater Toronto Area, meet twice a year to discuss and exchange best practices and initiatives relevant to today’s volunteers.

It has been a privilege over the years to be a part of VCAM and to meet so many enthusiastic volunteers from across North America who share the same passion as the AGO’s volunteers for their respective organization, art and volunteerism. 

–Michelle Abrams, VCAM Region Director 13: Great Lakes Canada