Jason Busch

are you up

to lately?

Like all of us, I’m getting used to a new way of working and indeed living. It’s odd to be in New York, a city that provides invitations upon invitations, and to spend so much time inside. I’ve relished keeping close contact with my AFAM colleagues and our board of trustees, and the ideas and camaraderie we’ve shared has been really exhilarating. Through the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), I participate in weekly conference calls and webinars with colleagues across the nation. We’re comparing best practices and learning from each other’s experiences.

On a more personal note, at 7 pm everyday my husband and I join people across the city to cheer on first responders — I ring an antique school bell that was given to me by a close friend 30 years ago. For us this is a way to say thank you and have a shared experience with our Midtown Manhattan neighbors, one of whom always plays Frank Sinatra’s Theme from New York, New York and Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind so that you can hear it on every corner of 49th Street and 2nd Avenue.

How has work changed for you?

The way we work has certainly shifted. My senior management team and I now communicate daily via Zoom about a range of current and future projects and plans, and how we will shape the museum with our colleagues upon the return of our visitors. Full staff get together every other week via Zoom, and it’s quite powerful to see all 30 faces on my laptop screen. Staff gatherings are common at AFAM, yet it hadn’t been our usual practice to get together every Friday evening. Once we all began to work remotely, our archivist Regina Carra started a Friday night virtual happy hour. It has become my favorite event of the week. My colleagues sometimes invite their children, partners and pets to join us too. It’s so much fun and a great way to decompress. We look forward to continuing this new tradition in some form when we return to the museum.

In what areas are you finding success?

First and foremost, it’s our staff. I’m so proud of my colleagues for rising to this occasion and demonstrating time and again their commitment to the museum’s mission. Once we decided to close the museum in mid-March, our team immediately set out to keep our community informed and engaged. We’ve rapidly developed new virtual programming including a community quilt project, virtual tours of exhibitions, “drink and draw” activities, and a monthly music series on Facebook Live. No matter the platform or program, we’re continuing to find new ways to present self-taught art across time and place. Plans are also underway for our 60th Anniversary in 2021 and some of our recent innovations will become a part of our anniversary program.

Do you think this will affect the industry in the long

term?

I think time will tell. At the American Folk Art Museum, we’re carefully considering how to keep our galleries safe for our staff and our guests when we reopen. In parallel, we’ll continue to find ways to further complement the visitor experience through our offerings online. How we chart success in visitor engagement, both onsite and online, will shift dramatically for museums, certainly over the next year. I know other museums are thinking the same as we seek to navigate this new environment.

Have any advice right now?

Check-in often with your colleagues and make sure to acknowledge the contributions they’re making. Some may be trying to focus on work at home while also understandably concerned about a family member who has tested positive and is trying to get past the effects of COVID-19. With everyone working remotely, it’s important to find time for your teams to share their progress on a particular project or plan. At a time when so many are juggling a new work-life balance, leaders have to ensure that our colleagues are cared for and remain engaged and empowered to provide their best for our audiences.