Staff members discussed how Vesterheim could implement LGBTQ Welcoming Guidelines from the American Alliance of Museums.
When we say velkommen, or welcome, at Vesterheim, we want you to know that being open, friendly, and responsive is very important to us. In fact, we have made “Welcoming” the first of our museum’s key values.
Vesterheim is committed to being a welcoming place to visit through all of our activities. Perhaps you have joined in the welcoming atmosphere of one of our Cake Breaks in the Koselig exhibit. Maybe you’ve enjoyed the ease of our online class registration or shopping from a distance at our online Museum Store. You may be interested to learn we have added a new category, Metalworking, to the National Norwegian-American Folk Art Exhibition, welcoming other traditional artists who haven’t been previously represented.
Vesterheim is also committed to being a welcoming place to work. Staff are making time to educate themselves about best practices in being more inclusive—in the way we treat our visitors and the way we treat each other. Recently staff joined together to watch a webinar about intergenerational workplaces to learn how we can make space for each other to do our best work. Last month, staff discussed how Vesterheim could implement LGBTQ Welcoming Guidelines from the American Alliance of Museums, our accrediting organization. And we will continue to explore ways to may Vesterheim even more welcoming to everyone.
Whether you enter through our front door, our back door, or one of our virtual doors, Vesterheim welcomes you. Velkommen til Vesterheim!
You can further explore the AAM LGBTQ Welcoming Guidelines here.