The high desert museum will create a community of practice to support museum professionals and their community partners in the intermountain west

The High Desert Museum received a $966,003 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the 21st Century Museum Professional Program (CFDA 45.032), effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028. The award funds the creation of a Community of Practice designed to support museum professionals and community partners across the Intermountain West in developing and delivering public programs. Approximately 60 participants from small to medium-sized rural museums and partner organizations will participate, with each community sending two museum representatives and one community partner representative.

The primary deliverables include two field-tested programming models focused on families, youth, or adults that participants will select and implement in their home institutions. The project will provide technical assistance and training to help participants gain knowledge and skills related to their chosen model, develop original community programs, strengthen collaborative relationships with community partners, and contribute to a place-based programming toolkit for the field. Through these activities, the High Desert Museum will advance workforce development and professional networking within the rural museum sector of the Intermountain West region.

Participants will include rural museum practitioners and their community partners in the intermountain west who create and deliver public programs. Each community will send two people from the museum and one from a partner organization, and most of the 60 participants will come from small to medium-sized institutions. Participants will choose to learn about one of two field-tested programming models focused on families, youth, or adults. High desert museum staff and collaborators will help the participants gain knowledge and skills related to the chosen model, implement an original community program, deepen collaborative relationships, and contribute to a place-based programming toolkit for the field.