2026 Museum Association of New York Conference
Albany, NY
The 2026 Museum Association of New York Conference in Albany, NY was a tremendous professional development opportunity for me personally, but also a great opportunity for the Oneida Community Mansion House. The conference was held at the New York State Museum and other area museums over the course of three days. There were a number of highlights from the conference I would like to point out.
The first day offered an exclusive tour and program at the Shaker Heritage Society outside Albany. This was one of the highlights of the trip because not only was it a great tour of a Shaker site (similar in many ways to OCMH; and our sites have been historically linked since the 19th century), but it was a great opportunity to connect with these colleagues and plan future joint events and partnerships.
The sessions themselves were also terrific. Some of the best ones had to do with interpreting your existing collections to highlight climate change and using old collections in new ways. Another session that was especially fruitful dealt with long term and expensive capital projects. I learned some valuable fundraising and project management techniques and commiserated with colleagues about setbacks and snags. There was another really interesting panel about how to leverage your historic preservation project into innovative programming. Ideas like new tours, digital content, and other ideas will be immediately implemented at OCMH. I was also able to meet 1-1 with key funders in New York State. This included a lovely “Night at the Museum” program with NYSCA staff members. I was able to secure a spot on an upcoming review panel and able to ask program officers about new capital and general operating grant opportunities OCMH will be pursuing this year. I was also able to pitch the Greater Hudson Heritage Network on a grant to conserve our iconic painted ceiling in our Big Hall. A project that we will be undertaking later this year.
The joy of these conferences is to connect with other museum professionals across the state. It was great connect, commiserate, and celebrate with colleagues in regions of New York from Buffalo to Albany and from the North Country to Long Island. We cooked up ideas for collaboration, exchanged contact information for future planning and mentorship, and exchanged ideas about programs, exhibits, and more. This kind of connection cannot be overstated.
None of this would have been possible without the generous support and funding of CLRC. Thank you!
Thomas Guiler, Director of Museum Affairs
Oneida Community Mansion House
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