Recently, I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a class for a graduate level Museum Studies program. I presented on the topic of evaluation, a broad-based, though essential component of the work we do in museums. It took awhile for the students to 'warm up' to participating in the dialogue and ask questions, which made me think a lot about what it takes to be a museum professional, and, what the future will demand.
The range of skills required is endless, with much more emphasis than ever before placed on the role of advocacy. Advocacy as the ability to share our powerful messages with our communities, the greater public, our elected officials, and beyond. We all need to be advocates for our sites. It is, plain and simple, part of our job description, whether written or implied. Along with advocacy, comes the importance of always asking questions and displaying a limitless curiosity for the world beyond museums, looking for ideas and inspiration. This lesson I shared during the class, stressing the value that many for profit fields place on listening to the customer.
Speak out and speak up or our constantly changing world will pass us by. Presenting to those graduate students, I emphasized the need to articulate the outcomes of everything you do - I hope they were listening!