2020 IOWA MUSEUM WEEK
The Dubuque Museum of Art will be joining in a statewide celebration of Iowa’s museums by participating in Iowa Museum Week this week of June 8-14. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa Museum Week will be virtual, raising awareness of the many aspects of museum work over the course of the week.
Iowans may follow the week’s buzz and special offers on social media by checking the hashtag #IowaMuseumWeek.
Iowa Museum Week is an initiative of the Iowa Museum Association (IMA), of which DuMA is a member. “The Iowa Museum Association is proud to count 85% of Iowa museums as members,” IMA Director Cynthia Sweet noted. “The IMA serves as a communication and resource hub, provides educational opportunities, and advocates on behalf of the field. Iowa museums are significant community assets, providing employment, purchasing goods and services, and attracting businesses as well as tourism to their communities. In addition, they are educators, providing lifelong learning opportunities, for all ages. The stewardship role of the museum industry is incredibly important, encompassing everything from heritage seeds and plants to wildlife to archival documents, art, and historic places.”
The National Governors Association has reported that businesses looking to relocate want access to cultural resources and museums. Sweet stated, “Museums are vital to a healthy local and state economy. Not only are they employers and consumers of goods and services, communities wishing to attract new business and industry invest in and support their cultural infrastructure.”
Iowa museum factoids:
- Iowa’s 400 museums range from arboretums to zoos. While museums are different in many ways, they are all educational collecting organizations, providing careful stewardship for future generations.
- Iowa museums offer over 60,000 public programs every year, many of them free.
- By providing learning in an “active” environment, museums offer all ages unique ways to learn, fostering lifelong interests. Active learning environments such as those offered by museums allow for choice and encourage problem solving, critical thinking skills, and creativity.
- The American Alliance of Museums reports that the nonprofit arts and cultural industry annually generates over $135 billion in economic activity, supporting more than 4.1 million full-time jobs and returning over $22 billion in local, state, and federal tax revenue.
Social Media Schedule:
MON | June 8 | Museums are Valued Educational Resources
Theme: Iowa’s museums provide educational resources and programs that support educators, expand learning opportunities for all ages, and provide active learning environments.
TUES | June 9 | Museums are Substantial Economic Contributors
Theme: Iowa’s museums enrich our communities and contribute to the state economy through job creation, industry attraction, and worker retention; the purchase of goods and services; and as leading visitor destinations, attract tourism revenue to their communities and the state.
WED | June 10 | Museums Serve as Stewards to Iowa’s Collections
Theme: Iowa’s museums play a crucial role in preserving the historical fabric, natural resources, identity and memory of our state through the careful stewardship of art, artifacts, archives, the built environment, flora, fauna, and historic sites.
THURS | June 11 | Museums Communicate and Document Our Stories
Theme: Iowa’s museums have risen to the challenging environment created by the COVID-19 virus and provided virtual exhibits and educational activities and collected and documented the COVID-19 pandemic.
FRI| June 12 | Museums are Essential to Our Communities
Theme: Iowa’s museums are essential community anchor organizations and enhance the quality of life throughout our state.
SAT/SUN | June 13 & 14 | Celebrate Being a Museum Professional or Volunteer
Theme for Museum Professionals: Encourage, entice, or coerce your staff members and favorite museum professionals to use the “I’MA Museum Professional” Facebook profile frame and have them add the hashtag #IowaMuseumPro to their posts. Share your likes, dislikes, and funny/horror stories about working in the museum field.
Theme for Museum Volunteers: Get your volunteers to show their museum pride by sharing something about their volunteer service with the hashtags #MuseumVolunteer.
