Virginia Association of Museums

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Virginia Association of Museums

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Serving the Virginia museum community across all corners of our Commonwealth.

10/28/2026

Thank you to all who joined us last Thursday for our Mountain & Valley Regional Meet-Up. We truly couldn't have asked for a more beautiful fall day or better company to share it with! 🍂

Our afternoon started at the Burwell-Morgan Mill, where we learned about the incredible preservation efforts by the Clarke County Historical Association to keep this c. 1782 mill churning out freshly ground corn, buckwheat, and more. (Spy Director Nathan Stalvey showing us how it's done in the second photo!).

We then ventured to Museum of the Shenandoah Valley for a whirlwind tour of their galleries and gardens--a highlight being a discussion led by Nancy Huth in the newly-opened "Gateways: African American Art from the Key Collection." To cap off the evening, we shared dinner with a surprise guest--Winchester Mayor Les Veach! Thanks again to all who came out--see you in Danville in November!

10/16/2026

📣 Announcing The Bill Martin Award for Leadership, Community, and Storytelling 📣

This new annual Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) award, to be presented for the very first time at our 2027 Annual Conference, is intended to honor the legacy of Bill Martin, former VAM President and Director of The Valentine, by recognizing museum professionals whose work exemplifies visionary leadership, community building, and the amplification of untold or underrepresented stories.

Bill was a respected and influential leader within Virginia’s museum community. He was widely known for his ability to bring people together, foster collaboration, and encourage museums to think expansively about their role in society. His leadership emphasized listening, relationship-building, and creating space for new voices and ideas.

As museums across Virginia continue to grapple with questions of relevance, inclusion, and public trust, this award aligns closely with VAM’s mission to strengthen museums and their impact in the communities they serve.

The establishment of this new annual award provides an opportunity to honor Bill’s lasting legacy and contributions to the museum field. Nominations for this award are now open - we look forward to learning more about the incredible museum professionals following in Bill Martin's steps.

For more information on the nomination process or to nominate a museum professional for our other VAM annual awards, please visit: https://www.vamuseums.org/annual-awards

Photo Credit: Bill Martin speaking with museum visitors in 2023 provided by The Valentine Museum.

10/12/2026

✨Museum Event Monday✨ | 10/12/2026
Fall events are in full swing at our member museums across the Commonwealth! Which one are you looking forward to the most?

📜 CENTRAL
Saturday 17th - Maymont | What's It Worth? Antiques Appraisal and Care
Saturday 17th - John Marshall House | Murder, Mayhem, and the Marshalls Tour

⛰️ MOUNTAIN & VALLEY
Tuesday 13th - Virginia Quilt Museum | Acorn Wool Needle Book Workshop
Wednesday 14th - Museum of the Shenandoah Valley | Tiny Tales: Hello Fall Storytime | FREE

🏛️ WASHINGTON DC
Tuesday 13th - President Lincoln's Cottage | Cottage Conversations: Matthew Pinsker on Boss Lincoln
Tuesday 13th - Tudor Place Historic House & Garden | Landmark Lecture: The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

🍇NOVA
Friday 16th - George C. Marshall Foundation | Dracula's Midnight Masquerade Theatre Experience
Saturday 17th - Historic Germanna | Oktoberfest & History Faire
Saturday 17th - Morven Park | Davis Mansion Curator Tour

🪕 SOUTHWEST & SOUTHSIDE
Thursday 15th - Matthews Living History Farm Museum | Pumpkin Carving
Friday 9th - Danville Science Center | Fall River Clean Up
Sunday 11th - Salem Museum | Fall Pickleball Social

🦀 TIDEWATER & EASTERN SHORE
Friday 16th - St. Luke's Historic Church & Museum | Twilight Cemetery Tour
Saturday 17th - Bacon's Castle | Seventeenth Century Day
Sunday 18th - Jewish Museum & Cultural Center | Rummage Sale | FREE

Image Credit: Historic Germanna

10/09/2026

Last Friday, VAM welcomed over 30 museum professionals from across Virginia (and even a few from North Carolina!) for our fall Tidewater Regional Meet-Up!

We shared an evening of connection and conversation at the newly-opened Historic Village at the Dismal Swamp, a multi-acre site that includes the relocated Cornland School. This one-room schoolhouse once educated hundreds of Black students in Chesapeake, and is now an immersive museum exhibit--including the period-correct potbelly stove in the photo above, used to heat the room and the students' meals during the chilly winter months!

We were also honored by the presence of a former Cornland student, Miss Mildred Brown, who generously shared her memories of attending the school as a little girl with us.

Shout-out to the incredible Chesapeake Parks and Recreation team and our event sponsor, ! See you at the next Regional Meet-Up!

10/07/2026

Calling all Virginia museum professionals!

Have an idea for a future VAM workshop or webinar? Consider proposing a workshop that highlights a successful project, explores an emerging issue, shares practical tools and resources, or brings colleagues together to tackle a common challenge. You can propose a program to present yourself, partner with colleagues, or recommend someone whose expertise would benefit the VAM community: https://lnkd.in/gmvQWvbp

AND, if you have an industry-specific question you're curious to pose to the greater VAM community, such as...

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺?"
"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺?"
"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦?"
..we have a portal for that, too! Share your question here, and we will gather answers from our wonderful VAM council members and community to share on our social media and future newsletters: https://lnkd.in/gPBYTFiR

Lastly, we greatly enjoy seeing and promoting what our Virginia museum community is up to! Is your museum putting on an upcoming event, program, or lecture you'd like us to promote?

Email us a short description, graphic or logo, and a link to more information at [email protected] and we will feature it on our BRAND-NEW Community Programs Board on our website!

10/05/2026

✨Museum Event Monday✨ | 10/5/2026
October is the season for all things spooky, but did you know it's also Virginia Archaeology Month? Check out what our member museums are getting up to this week:

📜 CENTRAL
Thursday 8th-Sunday 11th - Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | Fine Arts & Flowers Exhibit | FREE
Wednesday 7th - The Poe Museum | Poe's Death Day Celebration
Saturday 10th - Wilton House Museum | Shadows of History Candlelight Tour

⛰️ MOUNTAIN & VALLEY
Friday 9th - Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest | Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Saturday 10th - Thomas Jefferson's Monticello | Archaeology Annual Open House

🏛️ NOVA
Monday 5th-Saturday 10th - Washington Heritage Museums | St. James House Fall Tour
Saturday 10th - Historic Vienna | Trails & Tales History Bike Tour
Sunday 11th - Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House | Outdoor Mindfulness Program

🪕 SOUTHWEST & SOUTHSIDE
Thursday 8th - Taubman Museum of Art | Treble Maker's Music Class
Friday 9th - Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University | Felted Flowers Workshop
Sunday 11th - Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College | Avian Adventures Tour

🦀 TIDEWATER & EASTERN SHORE
Ongoing - Hunter House Victorian Museum | Victorian Mourning Exhibit
Saturday 10th - Endview Plantation | Archaeology Month Celebration | FREE

Image Credit:

09/29/2026

VAM is grateful to the Virginia Museum of Natural History and all of our Leadership Members who make it possible for our programs to stay accessible to the aspiring museum professionals of the future!

🦴 What makes the VNMH so special? As Virginia’s state museum of natural history, the Virginia Museum of Natural History is where scientific discovery, education, and the wonders of the natural world come together. Based in Martinsville, the museum conducts cutting-edge research, cares for more than 10 million scientific specimens, hosts exhibitions and community events, and inspires learners of every age through transformative educational programs.

⛺ And in November, VAM and the VMNH will host the can't-miss event of the fall--a Night At The Museum! This adults-only sleepover event invites you to experience the museum in a whole new way: so grab your sleeping bag and flashlight, and register now! https://www.vamuseums.org/events/vam-and-vmnh---night-at-the-museum.

09/28/2026

✨Museum Event Monday✨ | 9/28/2026

It finally feels like fall! What are our member museums doing to celebrate the season? Check out these events below:

📜 CENTRAL
Wednesday 30th - Agecroft Hall | Autumn Garden Walk
Sunday 4th - Maymont |ARToberVA at Robins Nature Center | FREE

⛰️ MOUNTAIN & VALLEY
Friday 2nd - Warren Heritage Society, Inc. | Haunted Front Royal Tour
Saturday 3rd - Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection | International First Nations Weaving Forum | FREE
Sunday 4th - Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. and Museum | 18th Annual Founder's Day Dinner

🏛️ NOVA
Wednesday 30th - Museum of Culpeper History | Elementary Explorers Program | FREE
Friday 2nd-Sunday 4th - Waterford Foundation Inc. | 82nd Waterford Fall Fair

🪕 SOUTHWEST & SOUTHSIDE
Wednesday 30th-Sunday 4th - National D-Day Memorial | Omaha Beach Traveling Exhibit
Thursday 1st - Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park | WiseJAMS Music Program

🦀 TIDEWATER & EASTERN SHORE
Thursday 1st - The Chrysler Museum of Art | Mixtape Live Music Event | FREE
Friday 2nd - Hermitage Museum and Gardens | Secrets of the Hermitage Tour
Saturday 3rd - Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center | Paul Reed: A Retrospective Exhibit Tour | FREE

Image: Museum and Gardens

09/25/2026

*Important Workshop Update*

We have made the difficult decision to postpone Field Forward: Challenge and Confronting Workplace Burnout, and the NOVA Regional Meet-Up to take place thereafter.

We are working closely with our presenter to find a new date in 2027, and we hope to share more information with you as those plans come together. All registration fees will be refunded.

Thank you for your flexibility and continued support of VAM programming. We hope you’ll be able to join us when Field Forward is rescheduled, and we look forward to gathering with you then.

Address

Richmond, VA

Website

http://www.vamuseums.org/

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