About

Our Mission

In partnership with diverse museums, heritage and related organizations,[Museumwise] the Museum Association of New York (MANY) strengthens the capacity of New York State’s cultural community by supporting high professional standards, strong organizational development, and by providing advocacy, training and flexible information networks so that all may better serve their missions and communities.

Our Vision

To be the key resource for fostering healthy museums in New York. This vision is grounded in good governance, standards attainment, transparency, accountability, and leadership. Our vision flows from a mission that is squarely focused on delivering innovative education and training opportunities, timely and trusted information, and advocacy of the highest quality, and by facilitating flexible communications networks that encourage information and resource sharing.  

About the Museum Association of New York 

Formed in 2012 from two independent statewide museum service organizations (Museumwise and MANY) to provide a new standard of service to the state’s diverse museum community of nearly 2,000 organizations. Our balance of programmatic strengths fully integrates direct technical service and standards attainment with larger policy issues and trends analysis, publishing, and advocacy.  An issues-based annual conference, regional networking, and in-person/virtual training programs round out the programmatic mix.  Many of these activities have gained regional and national recognition for the association.     

Who We Are / What We Do

Chartered by the New York State Education Department, [Museumwise] MANY is a nationally recognized state museum association committed to strengthening the organizational development of the state’s diverse museum and heritage organization communities. As a member-based information and advocacy resource serving nearly 500 institutional, individual, and corporate members across New York State, [Museumwise] MANY engages in a variety of programs and services addressing legislative and policy issues, analyzing and collecting trend data, and building information networks. It brings the collective contributions and issues of museums and heritage organizations to the attention of policy makers and residents, and it works on behalf of all museums in the state to foster healthy institutions based on good governance and leadership.

[Museumwise] The Museum Association of New York is a not-for-profit corporation governed by an elected board of directors whose members represent museums and historical organizations form across the state.

Museumwise & MANY Investigate a Joint Service Model

• Announcement to our Membership 4/8/11 – Revisioning the Service Organization Model in NYS
• Progress update 5/31/11
• Progress update 6/29/11
• Progress update 8/12/11
  • Museumwise-MANY Shared History Timeline
• Museumwise-MANY Membership Survey Invitation
• Progress update 10/19/11
• Progress update 12/12/11 - Museumwise and MANY move forward with consolidation
  • Museumwise-MANY Member Survey Summary
• Progress update 1/27/12
  • Museumwise-MANY Consolidation FAQ
• 2012 Business Meeting presentation 4/23/12
• Progress update 6/8/12
• Progress update 8/23/12
• Happy New Year! Museumwise is Museumwise: The Museum Association of New York
• Stronger Together - Museum Association of New York 5/13/13