Wednesday, May 26, 2010

AAM 2010 - Los Angeles

The annual AAM Meeting and Expo has come and gone, leaving its mark on Los Angeles. Overall reviews from attendees appear to be favorable. I was a volunteer at the Info Booth, advising people on downtown Los Angeles and the convention center itself. I didn't have enough time to visit the Career Cafe and have my resume looked at, but I managed to catch an educational session on exhibit design and narrative storytelling.

Of course there was plenty of swag:

-an official AAM flash light and tape measure (can't ever have enough tape measures, I must say)

-white cotton gloves from the Heritage Resources Management Program of Athabasca University in Canada

-reusable bags from the Registrar's Committee, Smithsonian Traveling Exhibits, the Packing, Art handling & Crating Info Network, Lexington (the design firm that makes the recycled material animals in the Skirball's Noah's Ark exhibit)

It was lovely to network with so many local LA museum volunteers and employees all week. And deeply illuminating to know that there are professional organizations right up my alley:
PACIN: the Packing, Art handling & Crating Info Network
RC: the Registrar's Committee
CAM: California Association of Museums
WAM: Western Association of Museums
American Society of Appraisers

The best gift was from the representative from University Products (we use them almost exclusively at the Rancho). About 30 minutes prior to the end of the Expo, he offered to give me any products from his show table that I liked. So now I have all these beautiful metal edged archival quality boxes and clear display tops, artifact tags, rare book protectors, a polypopylene textile storage box... I can't wait to share them with the museums I work at.

The site for AAM2011 is Houston. I believe a 4 hour volunteer shift will get you a one day free admission - saving you and your cash-starved non-profit hundreds of dollars at the door. Keep up with them on their blog.

See you then!