The Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center

Making Museums Matter: Nina Simon’s TEDxSantaCruz Talk

Posted by Nina on November 19, 2012

In September, I got the chance to share our vision at the MAH with the world through the TEDxSantaCruz conference. This inspiring event brought together hundreds of people for electrifying talks on the theme of openness. We heard about everything from open space to open government to open minds. It was an energizing, powerful opportunity to learn and share the ways that we can make our communities more vibrant through inclusivity.

I shared the MAH story: how we have transformed our museum into a thriving cultural center by opening up to our community. By collaborating with diverse groups, celebrating the unique forms of culture in Santa Cruz, and honoring the participation of all our visitors, we’ve been able to make more museum more popular, more dynamic, more financially stable, and ultimately, more successful. I hope you will enjoy watching this fifteen minute video, which is full of stories of how our visitors are changing both the MAH and Santa Cruz County. From comment cards to memory jars, poetry nights to fire festivals, YOU have made this museum thrive. THANK YOU for inspiring me and making this story possible.