Care in Action: Using Data as an Advocacy Tool

MUSEUM WORKERS ADVOCACY DAY, MARCH 14, 2025

Organized by the The National Emerging Museum Professionals Network (NEMPN)

Presenters: Liz Levine, Martina Tanga, & Sierra Van Ryck deGroot

The 2023 Museums Moving Forward (MMF) Report on Workplace Equity and Organizational Culture in U.S. Art Museums found that it takes an average of twelve years to receive a promotion in an art museum. This finding prompted MMF to convene cultural workers across the country and delve deeper into the issue of career advancement, particularly for early career professionals. At MMF, we believe that data allows cultural workers to contextualize their personal experiences within broader structural contexts. If you’ve ever felt as if you just aren’t trying hard enough to achieve a long-term museum career, this session is for you!

This interactive session, led by three museum professionals with diverse career paths, will build on the findings from MMF’s 2023 Report and share new models of collaboration and care from across the sector — including a Career Advancement Care Manual, which is currently in development at MMF. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about how to use data as an advocacy tool and share their voices and experiences to enrich our understanding of the state of the field.

Presenter Bios:

• Liz Levine is the Head of Programs at Museums Moving Forward, a research organization devoted to envisioning and creating a more just museum sector by 2030. She is a former museum worker and union organizer with a degree in Creative Writing from Ithaca College.
• Martina Tanga is a curator and art historian with over a decade of Museum experience in both curatorial and education departments. She received her BA and MA from the University College London and her Doctorate from Boston University. She currently lives and works in Rome. 
• Sierra Van Ryck deGroot (she/her) the Assistant Educator, College and University Programs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has a BA in Art, Design, and Interactive Media, Fine Art, and Art History from Seton Hall University and a MSEd in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education.

Register here.