We just finished our group’s annual conference – this time in beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. We were privileged to experience the island’s warm hospitality, the beautiful city of Old San Juan and outstanding food!
Among our opportunities to experience the culture that is uniquely Puerto Rico was a collaborative visit by a dozen of our members to the Museo de Art Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (Museum of Contemporary Art – MAC).
Truly, MAC is not what we might typically think of in terms of “museum.” Yes, they have an extensive collection of modern artistic expression by Puerto Rican artists along with some international ones. And yes, the collection is housed in a beautiful historic building. But this is not a museum contained by walls. Its staff very thoughtfully and passionately invite artists and visitors to come together at the museum in innovative ways to impact one another and society as a whole. And, they go beyond the brick walls to reach out to neighborhoods and marginalized communities, using art as a tool for these groups to express their identity, give voice to their heritage and communicate their social concerns.
Some of the museum’s art inspires. Some disturbs. All invites conversation and challenges perceptions.
Our group brainstormed with museum staff to identify ways in which we, as public relations professionals, can assist them in addressing communication and development challenges faced by MAC. Some areas we’ll be working on in the next 90 days include clarifying their brand and messaging, as well as identifying opportunities for fruitful connections with audiences and funders on the mainland U.S.
This collaboration is a first of its kind for our 20-year-old network of nearly 50 experienced communication professionals from markets across the U.S. We hope that our collaboration will have a meaningful and positive impact on the MAC. We know that we already are richer for our experience there.
By: Barb Harris and Sharon Kreher of teamworks
With more than 25 years of experience in communications, teamworks has deep roots in providing nonprofit organizations and consumer retail clients with sound counsel, creative content, branding expertise and exemplary media relations results. Business partners Barb Harris and Sharon Kreher both come from big agency backgrounds and took this experience to manage several national communication programs after starting their firm in 1997. When they’re not helping their clients tell their stories, they’re busy cooking, reading and traveling.