Initial Proposals for Honolulu WMA Meeting

By Kippen de Alba Chu

The lovely and historic Tantalus home that architect Vladimir
Ossipoff designed for Betty and Howard Liljestrand was the
site of the WMA Program Committee meetings.

The Western Museums Association's Program Committee had its first meeting in Honolulu on January 20th and 21st to commence the process of sorting through workshops and session proposals for the upcoming Annual Meeting scheduled for September 23rd - 26th at the Hawai'i Convention Center. 

Over 80 proposals and a dozen workshop topics were received by the Committee. The task of the Committee members is to first select proposals that are relevant and provocative, and then work with the various proposers to edit their submissions according to the questions and concerns that arose during the review process. The Committee convenes again in early March in Los Angeles at the Getty Center for final selections and to shape the overall conference program.

One of the most exciting developments for this year's WMA is the nature of the many collaborations taking place between different organizations. For the first time, WMA is partnering with the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) to collaborate on a truly joint conference that will feature a distinct "indigenous" track for sessions, workshops, and additional events. Working with WMA as co-hosts are the Hawai'i Museums Association and the Pacific Islands Museums Association to bring a decidedly pan-Pacific flair to this gathering.

Session topics range from practical advice for collections management practices to exploring the illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts from the Asia - Pacific region. These sessions are meant to provide a wealth of experiences and information for attendees to use and adapt to their own situations and to provide the opportunity for valuable networking between far-flung institutions.

The WMA Program Committee would like to acknowledge the generosity and time of Bob Liljestrand and house manager, Trudy Couillard, for allowing the Committee to use the beautiful Liljestrand House to hold its meetings. A big mahalo as well to the wonderful staff at the Hawai'i Convention Center for the site visit and delicious evening reception, and to HMA's president and secretary, Stacy Hoshino and Celeste Ohta, for handling logistics and overall assistance.