Access 

The Access Peer Group is a forum for museum education colleagues interested in accessibility.  The goal of the group is to be a convener for best practices, professional development, and resources. 

The Access Peer Group is currently without a coordinator. For more information on leading the Access Peer Group, please email info@nycmer.org.

Adult Programs        

Join us to discuss all aspects of adult programs production from conception to evaluation.  Monthly sessions provide opportunities to talk about best practices and resource sharing among peers.  

For more information, please contact Francesca D'Alessio and Kristin McCool, Adult Programs Peer Group Co-Coordinators.

(Virtual) Artist/Educators

This peer groups serves teaching artists as well as practicing artists working as educators in museums, schools, and other cultural organizations. In this group, we will address the challenges of balancing work as an artist with teaching responsibilities, share strategies for engaging students with all types of experience making art, and discuss other issues at the intersection of contemporary art and informal education. You need not be teaching directly from an art practice to share your experiences with the group. We will have diverse monthly meeting that will include: lively discussions, guest speakers, studio shares, and field trips. Come to the Artist/Educators peer group and connect with your fellow artist educators.

For more information please contact Vera Sheehan, (Virtual) Artist/Educators Peer Group Coordinator. 

Book Club #NYCMERReads

The #NYCMERReads Book Club meets periodically throughout the year to discuss texts on specific topics.

The #NYCMERReads Book Club is currently without a coordinator. For more information on leading the #NYCMERReads Book Club, please email info@nycmer.org.

Docent, Intern and Volunteer Supervisors 

Working with docents and volunteers can present its own challenges, uniquely different to the supervision of paid employees. This peer group seeks to bring together docent and volunteer supervisors from various museums and cultural institutions across New York City to learn from each other, share resources and ideas.

For more information please contact Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Docent, Intern, and Volunteer Supervisors Peer Group Coordinator. 

Early Childhood                 

Join the Early Childhood Peer Group to exchange ideas about audience development, program evaluation, pedagogy, professional development, programs for early childhood, family audiences, and more.

For more information please email Laura Kujo, Early Childhood Peer Group Coordinator

English Language Learners & Cultural Diversity

The English Language Learners & Cultural Diversity Peer Group supports museum educators in better serving the huge variety of linguistic and cultural communities in the NYC area, including people learning English as a new language (ENL/ELL).

The English Language Learners & Cultural Diversity Peer Group is currently without a coordinator. For more information on leading the ELL & Cultural Diversity Peer Group, please email info@nycmer.org.

Evaluation    

Mention the word 'Evaluation,' and chances are anxiety levels will rise and palms will sweat. But it doesn't have to be that way! The Evaluation Peer Group is intended to serve any educational professional who has been tasked with answering "Were we successful?" in program design and delivery. Join us as we explore and share best practices in evaluation -- from strategies and methods to tools and techniques. 

The Evaluation Peer Group is currently without a coordinator. For more information on leading the Evaluation Peer Group, please email info@nycmer.org.

Exhibitions and Interpretation

Join the E&I peer group to share ideas as we discuss a wide range of topics, such as interactive exhibit design, the latest tech, and how to tackle sensitive material in interpretation. Meetings alternate between site visits for a close look at exhibits, and casual happy hour meet-ups for networking and discussion. For professionals at all stages of their careers.

For more information, please email Christa May, Exhibitions and Interpretation Peer Group Coordinator.

Historic Sites

Historic sites offer specialized support to educators working in a wide variety of cultural institutions of all sizes including historic houses, libraries, and City, State, and Federal sites. 

For more information, please email Maggie Weber and/or Scott Brevda, Historic Sites Peer Group Co-Coordinators.

Managers    

One of the causes of employee dissatisfaction is related to how a person is managed. From micromanaging to macro-managing, a manager must find the balance that works best for their team in order to thrive. Join us as we start the discussion of efficient managerial practices and how to be an effective leader. Throughout the year we will tackle topics such as diversity and inclusion, managing up, down, and across, the art of giving fruitful feedback, and much more. This group is open to all museum professionals who manages staff, interns, volunteers, project, or a mixture of all four.

The Managers Peer Group is currently without a coordinator. For more information on leading the Managers Peer Group, please email info@nycmer.org.

Outdoor Education

Outdoor education engages students directly with nature, encourages a scientific mindset, and ignites curiosity. At the same time, teaching in this field comes with many challenges day-to-day, like unpredictable weather, and systemically, like part-time or low-paying opportunities. The Outdoor Education Peer Group provides a space to share resources for all learners, reflect on practice and build community. We meet virtually and in-person. Some meetings will be structured around a topic, some will be informal.

For more information or to suggest a meeting topic, please email Caryn Hummell, Outdoor Education Peer Group Coordinator.

Queer Peers 

Queer Peers seeks to provide a safer, braver space for LGBTQ+ museum educators, museum workers, and museum professionals. This NYCMER Peer Group is for connecting and networking, sharing ideas and best practices, building community, and developing programming about/for the LGBTQ+ community within museums and cultural institutions.

Founded in 2019 by Michael Stevens, Queer Peers continues to meet each year - starting with LGBTQ History Month in October and ending with Pride Month in June. Sign up here to stay informed.

For more information, please email Roberto Chavez, the NYCMER Peer Group Leader for Queer Peers.

Technology    

But what about digital media and technology? It’s a great question and one of many we’ll explore in this peer group! If you’re not sure what role digital media and technology play in your museum; if you’re curious about how others have used technology and you’re eager to learn how it can support missions and programming, as well as increase learner and visitor engagement; or if you’re just curious about what’s going on with museums and our increasingly digital world, then come join in the conversation! We hope to spend the year meeting, chatting, sharing skills/tools, and planning meetups to explore how digital media and technology are reshaping the museum experience.

For more information, please email John Sapida, Technology Peer Group Coordinator.

Teen Programs