Last week, I joined museum professionals from organizations across the state for Virginia Museum Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in Richmond. Museum Advocacy Day helps the VAM community share its message about how museums are essential to the Commonwealth. Museum Advocacy Day is a great opportunity to share stories, statistics, and educational services with state representatives on how museums benefit the communities we serve.

During the event, we split up and visited the House and Senate Chambers while they were in session. I went with the group to visit the House of Delegates. Both of our teams were introduced and recognized by a delegate or state senator. During the introductions, we all stood and were recognized for coming to Richmond to celebrate Museum Advocacy Day.

After the introductions, we toured the building and the old House and Senate chambers. I had the chance to chat more with Kim Robinson, curator at Arlington House, Robert E. Lee Memorial. Kim is also a VAM Leadership and Advocacy fellow. Kim’s project will focus on investigating the issues and challenges related to museum boards and leadership diversity and inclusiveness.Check out her fellowship blog for more info!

After lunch, we broke into teams to meet with delegates and senators. During each visit, we distributed packets filled with information on museums. Members from our group shared stats and stories about how museums benefited students and how they contribute to the economy. It was fun sharing these resources and highlighting all the good work going on at museums across Virginia.

VAM Museum Advocacy Day is a lot of fun. If you have never attended the event before, I encourage everyone to participate the next time it is offered. It’s a great way to meet fellow museum peers and promote resources offered at your organization. For more information and resources on VAM Museum Advocacy Day, visit https://www.vamuseums.org/about-vam-advocacy.