Just over a week ago, Bryce Cebula, Holly Van Eperen, and I returned from the American Alliance of Museums annual meeting and conference in Baltimore. It was the first visit to Baltimore for each of us; for Holly and Bryce, it was their first taste of the conference, held in a different city around the country each year.
Besides touring the waterfront, eating delicious food (crab cakes, anyone?), connecting with museum colleagues, and learning strategies and insights we hope to implement at the Woodson Art Museum, it was a privilege to tour some of the more respected museums in the country including the Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Museum. Seeing how our peers organize exhibitions, write labels, display artworks, greet visitors, and provide accessible experiences is one of the most beneficial aspects of these trips.
Bryce and Holly explore the Inner Harbor
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Walters Art Museum
The site of the conference – the Baltimore Convention Center – literally across the street from Camden Yards, also made it inevitable we would find our way to a Baltimore Orioles game. In the small world of things (bad dad alert), on the Wednesday we went to see the Orioles play, my son’s little league team – also named the Orioles – were playing a game back home. While I would have rather watched Brooks Foss (coincidentally named after legendary Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson) play than Adley Rutschman that day, Camden Yards is a beautiful ballpark, and it was fun to take in a game while there.
Entrapment.
As Bryce, Holly, and I settle back into our offices and catch up on what we missed while we are gone, we will remember the days we spent in “The Charm City” with fondness. That said, while the cultural attractions and bustle of Baltimore was nice to experience, I am thankful to be home and watching the smaller Orioles play tonight.
Another Oriole named Brooks…
