Q&A
Metropolitan Museum of Art's special opening for veterans and collaboration strategies
0:44:58
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85 sec
Commissioner James Hendon discusses the Metropolitan Museum of Art's recent special opening for veterans and the strategies used to make such events successful. Council Member Robert Holden expresses interest in expanding such initiatives.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently held a special Wednesday opening exclusively for veterans, attracting 350 attendees
- The museum reached out to elected officials for support, such as sponsoring transportation for veterans to attend
- DVS amplified the event information through their networks and worked with elected officials to facilitate attendance
- Hendon emphasizes the importance of collaboration between cultural institutions, DVS, and elected officials to maximize veteran participation
- Council Member Holden expresses interest in compiling a list of veterans' programs offered by various museums to help promote these opportunities
James Hendon
0:44:58
May I add something to that, mister Chadds?
0:44:59
I just have to say this.
0:45:01
It's and to to say everything he said, but it to be it's public announcements.
0:45:05
It's our veterans advisory board meetings.
0:45:06
It's community engagement sessions we hold with veteran leaders.
0:45:09
It is council hearings like this.
0:45:11
It's the different speeches that are given, etcetera.
0:45:13
Those are things.
0:45:14
We're still a young organization and we're learning.
0:45:16
So one thing we're learning, I wanna call out I think the group is gonna speak later today is the Met the the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
0:45:21
They're gonna speak.
0:45:22
They had a a Wednesday session a few weeks ago where they opened up the museum to veterans.
0:45:27
Wednesdays are the day when the museum goes dark, and so they opened it up for select communities to come.
0:45:32
They had 350 veterans come.
0:45:34
And, one of the things they did, the secret sauce
Robert Holden
0:45:36
What was that?
0:45:36
The Met
James Hendon
0:45:37
this is the Met.
0:45:37
It's the
Robert Holden
0:45:38
The Met.
James Hendon
0:45:38
Morrison.
0:45:39
I remember the name.
0:45:39
I mean, it was just 350 people came out.
0:45:42
It was their 2nd time doing this, their 2nd year doing this.
0:45:45
And something we're gonna start do taking a lesson from them is they reached out to elected officials and said things like, hey, can you sponsor a bus to get folks out here?
0:45:52
So you have the cultural institution which is turning a light on saying, hey.
0:45:55
We're open.
0:45:56
Come through.
0:45:56
But then you've got the groups like us.
0:45:58
We amplify the word.
0:46:00
We do what we can to spread the word to our rolodex.
0:46:02
We know.
0:46:02
But then you've got us tying lockstep with the electives too and others saying, hey.
0:46:06
Would you support us physically making it possible to solve that riddle of how do we get that veteran to that place?
0:46:12
So I think you'll see us try to pull that, out as well and use that as another way to, to, to get this, to a good place.
Robert Holden
0:46:22
Yeah.
