I recently attended the annual CWAM meeting in Laramie. Being relatively new to the small museum world I noticed (but was not too surprised at) the lack of cultural/ethnic diversity. I was not the only one--one of the speakers from the East mentioned it to me as well. I wonder how much of this is 'intentional' and how much can be attributed to the museum profession overall. When I first began searching for employment in a small museum, I thought I was missing opportunities because I was new to the small museum world. However, after speaking with many people at CWAM, I have learned that many (but not all) small museums that house ethnographic collections (specifically Native American) feel threatened by Native people. I know that the large institutions have felt this way in the past, but they seem to be overcoming this fear. Just as I was about to give up and take a job at a large museum again, I was offered a job at a Victorian museum where my ethnic background was not a concern (good thing I learned about Victorian culture in some of my Anthropology classes!). Since I am new to CWAM, I was wondering if the issue of Diversity has ever been discussed, either as a theme for annual meetings, or elsewhere. Have other museum associations that cater to small museums addressed this issue? Or has anyone else observed what I have? I would be interested to hear what anyone has to say on the issue. -- <> <> <> Shannon Pelot Valerio <> <> <> Executive Director, Golden Landmarks Association Astor House Hotel Museum