I am proud to share the museum’s strategic plan, which will guide our work at KAM through 2027. We crafted our first comprehensive plan in well over a decade with the support of Dina Bailey, CEO of Mountain Top Vision, a strategist who has worked with cultural institutions across the globe.
Many strategic plans that we initially examined sideline diversity and inclusion as one pillar in an overall plan. Our team, by contrast, was determined to infuse our equity, accessibility, and justice work throughout—a distinct quality of our plan. I am grateful for the frank conversations with both our dedicated team and observant stakeholders across the region. They made it clear that they expect KAM to live up to our stated values and commit to what we know we can do. This compass will guide all our work over the next three years, and we anticipate you holding us accountable to our pledges.
We agreed that art and inquiry must be front and center. After all, art is what we do, and inquiry is our approach to everything. KAM’s commitment to cutting-edge research will remain, as we continue as a major force within our research university. And, we will pursue new and better ways to generate knowledge—in community, by collaborating, and through co-creating. We will continue to share what we know, while de-centering ourselves so that our communities can participate in developing KAM exhibitions, programs, and collections.
Only through engagement and belonging can this knowledge connect to the here and now. By building long-term relationships, we commit to stronger and more equitable ties with our students, our neighbors, and our communities in need. Our recent strides in visitor service and hospitality will deepen into a richer welcome and a focus on universal accessibility—which can only happen through more reciprocal relationships with our communities—ensuring that KAM will be more open, responsive, and reflective of our place and our world.
Our last cornerstone, sustainability, naturally encompasses how KAM will dedicate itself to environmental health. But sustainability also ensures resources for the long-term well-being of the museum’s building and staff, maintaining our prominence within the university, and nurturing the vigor, connectedness, and retention of our amazingly talented staff.
There is so much more to share—groundbreaking exhibitions, a stunning reimagination of KAM’s pre-Hispanic Andean holdings, and growing relationships with our communities.
Let me know what you think,
Jon L. Seydl, Director
Fall 2024
