MAC 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Museums Association of the Caribbean will be holding its 2023 Annual General Meeting on Thursday, November 16th, 2023 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm EST. The agenda for the AGM and relevant materials will be circulated to members ahead of the AGM.  Register for the AGM to join us on  Zoom.  Our AGM is an open public meeting for members as well as anyone with an interest in the organization. We welcome all ideas to improve on services that MAC provides. This year will be an election year but only members can vote, so we encourage you to renew or sign up for ...

Read More


CARIBBEAN CULTURAL NEWS AND RESOURCES

Compiled by Isabella Rivera News from Within the Region Vincentian cultural group honors outstanding educator, remarkable cultural ambassador (Caribbean Life, September 1, 2023) History, heritage and culture in Grenada – The business of museums (The New Today, July 22, 2023)  The Bahamas Has a New Museum of Junkanoo (Caribbean Journal, July 7, 2023) Inside Barbados' Historic Push for Slavery Reparations (TIME, July 6, 2023) Home of St. Kitts & Nevis’ Robert Bradshaw to be transformed into a museum (Caribbean National Weekly, May 4, 2023) ...

Read More


Institutional Spotlight: Society of Friends of the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama (SAMAAP)

Interview with Mr. Arcelio Hartley, President of SAMAAP By Lourdes Ranero clic para español Cliquez pour le français In December 1980, the Panamanian government founded the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama. A year later, the government created SAMAAP, an organization that supports the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama by raising funds for the maintenance and expansion of the institution's work. SAMAAP is a non-profit organization dedicated to sponsoring activities that contribute to the social and cultural development of the community of Afro-Caribbean ...

Read More


MAC 2023 Conference Keynote!

Join us on March 1 from 6-7 PM for the MAC 2023 Conference Keynote! This event will be live-streamed from the Bahamas.

Read More


Meet Our 2023 Conference Travel Fellows!

Ms. Bernardia Vitalis Msgr. Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre Saint Lucia Micheline Sildillia Chargée du service des publics - Museum Educator Ecomusée de Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe Mirielle Esther Robles Collections Manager Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá Nigel Encalada Global Facilitator, Belize Fritz-Gerald Louis Fritz-Gerald Louis, Historian and PhD Candidate in Museology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada Sarabel Santos Negrón Director Museo de Arte de Bayamón (MAB), Puerto ...

Read More


Conference Scholarships Are Back!

2019 MAC Conference Fellows MAC is pleased to be able to offer several conference scholarships to its 2023 Conference. Sponsored by the Office of Strategic Partnerships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian initiative Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, the Programme is a professional growth opportunity that provides financial support for Caribbean-based museum professionals at any stage of their career to attend the MAC Annual Conference. The fellowship aims to promote greater inclusivity of museum ...

Read More


MAC 2022 VIRTUAL AGM SET FOR NOVEMBER 17

MAC’s  2022 Annual General Meeting will be held virtually on November 17th from 10:00 am – 12:30 PM EST.  Register for the AGM to join us on  Zoom.  Our AGM is an open public meeting for members as well as anyone with an interest in the organization. We welcome all ideas to improve on services that MAC provides. This year will be an election year but only members can vote, so we encourage you to renew or sign up for membership now in order to participate in the change you want to see.  Read More

Read More


#MACBahamas2023

The 2023 MAC Conference will take place in Nassau, The Bahamas from Wednesday, March 1 to Sunday, March 5, 2023. This will be MAC’s first in-person conference since 2019 and will feature panels by museum and cultural heritage site professionals from across the Caribbean and its diaspora, tours of museums and cultural heritage sites in The Bahamas as well as networking and social events highlighting the cuisine, music, art and culture of The Bahamas.   Read More

Read More


Power of Museums Program Series

Join us for the first of our virtual program series on the Power of Museums. Practicing DecolonialityWednesday, April 6th from 1:30-2:30 PM EST. English Leiden University Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies Csilla Ariese will be presenting her newly released book Practicing Decoloniality: A Guide with Global Examples. The presentation will be followed by a discussion of additional perspectives on decolonizing museums across the Caribbean and beyond with Kevin Farmer and Sumaya Kassim, and is moderated by Shani Roper. French Csilla ...

Read More


Call for Interns! | Deadline: March 30, 2022

The Museums Association of the Caribbean is an organization dedicated to aiding museums and related organizations in the Caribbean diaspora in networking and the sharing of experiences and skills, creating common policy and developing links with international, regional, and national museums. MAC is currently welcoming students to apply for our internship program. Successful applicants will be working with members of MAC’s board in the carrying out of their duties and the planning of events and projects. Past projects have included workshops for disaster manage...

Read More


‘COVID’ Talk Series

The Museum’s Association of the Caribbean (MAC) and the special MAC COVID Collecting Committee, hosted an online exhibition, entitled Collecting Our Voices in the Caribbean Diaspora (COVID).  The exhibition features work by artists from the English, French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, with representation from ten countries: The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Suriname.   View the exhibition COVID: Collecting Our Voices In Dialogue (Part 1) During ...

Read More


MAC Partners with NMAAHC, CTM, and ICOM to Facilitate Disaster Management Workshop

No cultural heritage organisation or site is fully safe from disaster, no matter where in the world they are located. In the context of cultural heritage preservation, “disaster” can take many forms: natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and ...

Read More


MAC Conference Keynote

We are excited to announce the 2021 MAC Conference opening Keynote Speaker – Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, Mark Raymond! Mark will kick off our conference on Wednesday, November 3 at 3:00 pm, EDT. His address, “Soon Come: Anticipating Memory” will be livestreamed on MAC’s YouTube channel. The noted architect and educator will reflect on the role museums and architecture can play in helping us to responsively engage our past, embrace our unprecedented contemporary struggles and imagine ...

Read More


APPLY FOR A 2021 MAC CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP

Deadline: September 15thMAC is pleased to be able to offer conference scholarships to its 2021 Conference and AGM. Sponsored by the Office of Strategic Partnerships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the AGM Fellowship Program is a professional growth opportunity that provides financial support for Caribbean-based museum professionals at any stage of their career to attend the MAC Annual General Virtual Meeting and associated virtual conference. The goal of the fellowship is to promote greater inclusivity of museum professionals working in ...

Read More


Collecting Our Voices in the Caribbean Diaspora (COVID)

Français The Museum’s Association of the Caribbean (MAC) and the special MAC COVID Collecting Committee, is thrilled to host an online exhibition, entitled Collecting Our Voices in the Caribbean Diaspora (COVID).  The exhibition features work by artists from the English, French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, with representation from ten countries: The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Suriname.   Responding to the pandemic and its impact on the creative ...

Read More


2021 MAC Conference Announcement

Save the Date! November 10-14, 2021 MAC looks forward to reconvening our members both in person and virtually next November for its 2021 AGM and Conference. We are excited to announce that our 2021 hosts are the National Gallery of the Bahamas and the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery. Stay tuned in the New Year for more information about how to join us both in the Bahamas and online. National Gallery of the Bahamas Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery

Read More


A Letter from Outgoing President Natalie Urquhart

Growing our ability to serve museum professionals in multiple languages was a central part of this objective and one that was reflective of the pan-regional mission on which MAC was founded. Building on the work of our predecessors, in the past three years we have taken great strides in this area widening, and diversifying our membership across the region, as well as presenting workshops and training in four languages. A highlight of this work was the hosting of MAC’s 30th anniversary conference and annual AGM at the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique ...

Read More


MAC Call for Artists and Museum Testimonials on COVID-19

Deadline: November 30, 2020 Learn More

Read More


COVID-19 SUPPORT TO CARIBBEAN MUSEUMS: MAC’S VIRTUAL PROGRAM

In August, MAC launched a Virtual Program of conversations, workshops and webinars to support Caribbean Museums in these challenging times. Join us in conversation with museum leadership and museum experts from different linguistic regions of the Caribbean ( English, Spanish, French, and Dutch) as they discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their museums, how their institutions initially adapted to the crisis, engagement strategies used in lockdown, move to reopening, and looking to the future of the sector. Through MAC’s ongoing partnership with the National ...

Read More


MAC PANELS AT THE 2020 AAAM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Several of MAC’s board and general members will be participating in the 2020 African American Association of Museums Virtual Conference, August 5-7, 2020.  We hope you can join us for one or more of the panels and encourage you to register for the wider AAAM Virtual Conference for the latest developments in the museum field. MAC sessions include a panel discussion on “Caribbean Genealogies” (Aug. 6 @ 10:30 AM EDT), a roundtable on "Imagining a Future of Caribbean Urbanization" (Aug. 6 @1:00 PM EDT), and a roundtable on the “Impact of Covid-19 on the Caribbean Museum Sector” (Aug. 6 @4:00 PM EDT).

...

Read More


MAC Joined UNESCO and ICCROM to discuss ‘Museums After the Pandemic’

MAC President Natalie Urquhart joined international colleagues on 23 July for a UNESCO and ICCROM panel discussion about ‘Museums after the Pandemic’. Exploring the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the international museum community, the panel addressed critical questions and decisions about the future of our museums. In order to successfully overcome the ongoing and future challenges of a post-COVID-19 world, it will be crucial for museums to adapt and proactively demonstrate their value to society. This includes not only enhanced outreach, but also ...

Read More


L’AMC se joint à l’UNESCO et l’ICCROM lors d’une discussion sur “les musées après la pandémie”

Natalie Urquhart, la présidente de l’AMC, s’est jointe à des collègues internationaux le 23 juillet pour une table ronde de l’UNESCO et de l’ICCROM sur les « musées après la pandémie ». En explorant les effets de la pandémie COVID-19 et son impact sur la communauté muséale internationale, le groupe d’experts a abordé des questions critiques concernant l’avenir de nos musées. Afin de surmonter avec succès les défis actuels et futurs de « l’après-COVID », il sera crucial pour les musées de s’adapter et de démontrer de manière ...

Read More


CARIBBEAN MUSEUMS ONLINE: PART TWO – VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS

 Caribbean museums have been innovative in their response to the global pandemic by adapting to serve their communities online, despite enormous challenges to general operations. For the second in our three-part series on digital engagement by member museums, we take a look at several new virtual exhibitions that have been developed, or adapted for an online experience, during lockdown.

...

Read More


COVID-19 : PROGRAMME DE L’AMC EN SOUTIEN AUX MUSÉES DE LA CARAÏBE

En août, l’AMC lancera un programme virtuel en 2 parties en soutien aux musées de la Caraïbe. « Série de conversations avec l’AMC », où nous discuterons avec des directeurs de musées des différentes régions linguistiques de la Caraïbe (hispanophone, anglophone, francophone et peut-être néerlandophone) de leur expérience du confinement, de leurs stratégies numériques et de leurs projets pour l’avenir alors que nous émergeons de la crise vers une nouvelle réalité. Ateliers et Webinaires, Première partie: « Digital Museums in a New Era ...

Read More


TABLE-RONDES DE L’AMC A LA CONFERENCE VIRTUELLE 2020 DE L’AAAM

Plusieurs membres du conseil d’administration et membres généraux de l’AMC participeront à la conférence virtuelle 2020 de l’African American Association of Museums (l’Association Afro-Américaine des Musées), du 5 au 7 août 2020.  Nous espérons que vous pourrez assister à une ou plusieurs de ces tables rondes et vous encourageons aussi à vous inscrire à l’ensemble de la conférence virtuelle AAAM pour ne pas manquer les derniers développements dans le domaine des musées. Les présentations de l’AMC comprendront une discussion en panel d’experts sur la généalogie de la Caraïbe ("Caribbean Genealogies") (le 6 août à 10h30 HAE), une table-ronde sur l'urbanisation future des Caraibes ("imagining a Future of Caribbean Urbanization") (le 6 août à 13h00 HAE) et une table-ronde sur l’impact du COVID-19 sur le secteur des musées de la Caraïbe ("Impact of Covid-19 on the Caribbean Museum Sector") (le 6 août à 16h00 HAE).

...

Read More


LES MUSÉES DE LA CARAÏBE EN LIGNE: 2ème PARTIE – EXPOSITIONS VIRTUELLES

Les musées de la Caraïbe ont fait preuve d’innovation dans leur réponse à la pandémie mondiale en s’adaptant pour servir leurs communautés en ligne, malgré d’énormes défis à relever pour continuer leur travail. Pour le deuxième volet de notre série en trois parties sur l’engagement numérique des musées membres, nous examinons plusieurs nouvelles expositions virtuelles qui ont été développées, ou adaptées pour une expérience en ligne, pendant le confinement.

...

Read More


MAC’S STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY

We at MAC stand in solidarity with those mourning the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many more in the United States. The events heighten our collective awareness that there is still much work for us — as individuals, as museum professionals, in our region and around the world — to dismantle systems of oppression that have long impacted and continue to decimate Afro-descendant and indigenous communities. We acknowledge that, even within our own institutions, we may have continued practices that play a part in upholding inherited power ...

Read More


COVID-19 REPORT – IMPACT ON CARIBBEAN MUSEUMS

In April, while the Caribbean was under lockdown, MAC carried out a regional survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on the Museums and Heritage Sector. A total of 49 museums from 24 countries participated. The results of the survey were sobering. Over 90% of respondents reported that they were in a lockdown situation and currently closed. Most respondents were very concerned about the situations in their countries and had already lost, or were at risk of losing, funding. 13% of museums fear that they may have to close permanently.

...

Read More


MAC 2020 AGM GOES VIRTUAL

Due to the pandemic, MAC will host our 2020 Annual General Meeting virtually this November, where plans for the 2021 conference will be shared. The virtual AGM will take place on Thursday, November 19, 10 AM-12 PM EST . Board Nomination Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 4:00 PM EST MAC MAC will not offer travel scholarships in 2020. The travel program has been closed. 

Read More


L’AGA 2020 DE l’AMC SE TIENDRA EN LIGNE

Par excès de prudence, le congrès conjoint de l’AMC  et l’AAAM n’aura pas lieu en août comme prévu. La santé de nos membres, de nos collègues et des délégués au congrès est primordiale et les deux organisations ont convenu que cette ligne de conduite était la mesure la plus sûre pour tous. 

...

Read More


Workshop Update

Our first scheduled training program for 2020, which was to be a French-speaking five-day workshop on Disaster Risk Management to be held in Martinique has now been postponed until later in the year. The workshop is the result of a collaboration between ICOM, the Museums Association of the Caribbean, and the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique, with support from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and the French Ministry of Culture.

...

Read More


Moving Online: A Report from MAC Member Museums

Despite COVID-19 related closures, many museums around the Caribbean remain committed to providing access to their programs and collections throughout the shutdown. Here are examples of how MAC Member institutions are highlighting their digital resources or moving them online through their websites, social media channels, podcasts and blogs.

...

Read More


Digital Engagement in the Time of Coronavirus

Article by Dushanthi Jayawardena, Exhibitions Consultant, Lord Cultural Resources

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has launched us into a time of uncertainty in a matter of months.  In the cultural sector, most major institutions around the world, including museums, galleries, theaters, and libraries, have now closed their physical doors indefinitely to the public.  This lockdown, coupled with a looming economic recession, has left the museum sector grappling with extraordinary challenges. But in a positive light, we are also seeing museums rapidly rise to the occasion as they shift to a largely digital engagement platform. Staff are finding creative ways of doing what is in a museum’s core interest – to engage audiences in meaningful ways as places of public trust – but this time, remotely.

...

Read More


Art Contest-Living Ocean

MAC is supporting the Living Oceans Foundation 2020 Science Without Borders® Challenge, an international student art competition focused on ocean conservation. Students can win up to $500 in prizes for the best artwork from middle and high school students. The Challenge is open to primary and secondary school students 11-19 years old and work can be done at home, photographed and uploaded onto their application page. The theme for the 2020 Science Without Borders® Challenge is “Take Action: Protect Coral Reefs.” For this year’s contest, students are asked to use their artistic talents to create a piece of artwork that illustrates what can be done to save coral reefs.

...

Read More


Annonce concernant les ateliers

Notre premier programme de formation prévu pour 2020, qui devait être un atelier de cinq jours en Français sur la gestion des risques de catastrophe en Martinique, a été reporté à la fin de l’année. L’atelier est le fruit d’une collaboration entre l’ICOM, l’Association des Musées des Caraïbes et la Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique, avec le soutien du Smithsonian National Museum of African American History - Culture’s Office of Strategic Partenariats, et le ministère français de la Culture.

...

Read More


Passer en ligne : un rapport sur les musées membres de l’AMC

Malgré les fermetures liées au COVID-19, de nombreux musées des Caraïbes demeurent déterminés à donner accès à leurs programmes et à leurs collections tout au long de la fermeture. Voici quelques exemples de la façon dont les institutions membres de l’AMC mettent en valeur leurs ressources numériques ou les déplacent en ligne via leurs sites Web, leurs médias sociaux, leurs podcasts et leurs blogs.

...

Read More


Engagement numérique à l’époque du coronavirus

Article de Dushanthi Jayawardena, consultant spécialiste en expositions, Lord Cultural Resources

La pandémie de coronavirus (COVID-19) nous a lancés dans une période d’incertitude en l’espace de quelques mois.  Dans le secteur culturel, la plupart des grandes institutions du monde, y compris les musées, les galeries, les théâtres et les bibliothèques, ont maintenant fermé leurs portes indéfiniment au public.  Cette fermeture, couplée à une récession économique imminente, a laissé le secteur muséal aux prises avec des défis extraordinaires. Mais point positif, nous assistons à une adaptation rapide de la part des musées qui se montrent à la hauteur en se tournant vers une plate-forme d’engagement largement numérique. Le personnel trouve des moyens créatifs pour conserver l’intérêt fondamental d’un musée et continuer à engager le public de manière significative, mais cette fois, à distance tout en restant un lieu de confiance.

...

Read More


Coucours d’art plastique-Living Ocean

L’AMC soutient le coucours organisé par Living Oceans Foundation intitulé «2020 Science Without Borders® Challenge », un concours international d’art pour enfants axé sur la conservation des océans. Les élèves du collège et du secondaire peuvent gagner jusqu’à 500 $ en prix pour la meilleure œuvre d’art. Le défi est ouvert aux élèves du primaire et du secondaire de 11 à 19 ans et le travail peut être fait à la maison, photographié et téléchargé sur leur site internet. Pour le concours de cette année, le thème est « Agir pour protéger les récifs coralliens ». Les élèves sont donc invités à utiliser leurs talents artistiques pour créer une œuvre d’art qui illustre ce qui peut être fait pour sauver les récifs coralliens.

...

Read More


ICOM/MAC Workshop in Disaster Risk Management

French-speaking Museum professionals from the Caribbean region will participate in the five-day workshop on Disaster Risk Management to be held in Martinique. The workshop is the result of collaboration between ICOM, the Museum Association of the Caribbean, and the “Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique.” It will be supported by the National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian Institution and the French Ministry of Culture.

...

Read More


Formation ICOM et MAC sur la Gestion des Risques Naturels

Les professionnels francophones des musées de la région Caraïbes participeront à un atelier de formation professionnelle de  cinq jours sur la gestion des risques naturels qui aura lieu en Martinique. L'atelier est le fruit d'une collaboration entre l'ICOM, l'Association des Musées de la Caraïbes (MAC) et la Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique. Il sera soutenu par le Musée national d'histoire et de culture afro-américaine, la Smithsonian Institution et le Ministère français de la Culture.

...

Read More


Inaugural Awards Winners – 2019

As part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations, MAC was delighted to present our inaugural Awards Program which has been developed as part of our ongoing commitment to the advancement of the Caribbean museum sector. This program will seek to recognize and celebrate, on an annual basis, the accomplishments of individuals and institutions in advancing the Caribbean museums and heritage sector, as well as museum and heritage sector careers across the region.

...

Read More


Lauréats des premiers prix

Dans le cadre de nos célébrations du 30e anniversaire, l'AMC a été ravie de présenter notre programme de récompenses inaugural qui a été développé dans le cadre de notre engagement continu pour l'avancement du secteur des musées des Caraïbes. Ce programme visera à reconnaître et à célébrer, sur une base annuelle, les réalisations des individus et des institutions dans l'avancement des musées et du secteur du patrimoine des Caraïbes, ainsi que les carrières dans les musées et le secteur du patrimoine dans la région.

...

Read More


Looking Back at the 2019 Conference

Over 92 delegates from 36 institutions in 19 countries gathered to celebrate MAC’s 2019 30th Anniversary Conference hosted by the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (CTM) from 12 – 17 November.

...

Read More


Retour sur le congrès 2019

Plus de 92 délégués de 36 institutions de 19 pays se sont réunis pour célébrer le congrès 2019 du 30e anniversaire de l’AMC organisé par la Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (CTM) du 12 au 17 novembre.

...

Read More


New Board for MAC 2020

The 30th Conference of the Museums Association of the Caribbean concluded on Friday, November 15 with an Annual General Assembly at the CTM’s Hotel de l’Assemblée. The delegates, from some 20 Caribbean countries and their US and European diasporas, sat in a plenary session.

...

Read More


Nouveau conseil d’administration pour l’AMC 2020

Le 30e congrès de l'Association des Musées de la Caraïbs s'est achevé le vendredi 15 novembre par une assemblée générale à l'Hôtel de l'Assemblée de la CTM. Les délégués, originaires d'une vingtaine de pays des Caraïbes et de leurs diasporas américaines et européennes, ont siégé en séance plénière.

...

Read More


Silent Auction 2019

One of the highlights of our annual gathering is the silent auction which always takes place during the conference. We are reaching out to solicit auction donations from you or your organization. The funds raised from your contribution will help MAC continue serving the interests and professional needs of Caribbean museums, galleries and heritage sites.

...

Read More


MAC Members Corner: Mariel Quiñones Vélez

The MAC Members Corner is a way to get to know MAC members and learn about the ongoing work in and challenges of museums around the region. In this first edition, we present an interview with Mariel Quiñones Vélez. She works as a curator at the Dr. Pío López Art Museum, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey.

...

Read More


Le coin des membres de l’AMC: Mariel Quiñones Vélez

« Le coin des membres de l’AMC » est un moyen de découvrir les membres de l’AMC et de comprendre le travail continu et les défis des musées de la région. Dans cette première édition, nous vous présentons un entretien avec Mariel Quiñones Vélez. Elle travaille en tant que conservatrice au Musée d'Art Dr. Pío López de l’Université de Porto Rico à Cayey.

...

Read More


MAC at ICOM: What Defines a Museum?

In September, members of MAC attended the ICOM Triennial Conference in Kyoto. The conference was in the news in Japan every day. Even internationally, the conference was picked up by the news because of a huge debate that erupted: was ICOM going to change its definition of ‘the museum’?

...

Read More