About SoCal Museums

SoCal Museums is a group of marketing and communications employees of museums of varying sizes, disciplines, and missions from all over Southern California.

The mission of the organization is to foster dialogue between these marketing and communications professionals in order to learn from each other, network, conceptualize and execute ways to increase visitation to and awareness of museums in Southern California, and develop collaborative opportunities between member institutions. SoCal Museums meets quarterly in various locations across Southern California.

How To Become A Member

To be a member of SoCal Museums, an institution must be in one of the following counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, or Ventura.

An institution must be an accredited museum as recognized by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), including art, historical, and science museums; zoos; aquariums; botanical gardens; and others. Non-accredited museums are also eligible so long as they fit within AAM’s definition of a museum.

Art galleries, historical landmarks, auction houses, and other organizations not fitting AAM’s definition are not eligible to join.


All eligible institutions must have a full-time dedicated communications and/or marketing person on staff, preferably at the senior level. Part-time employees and consultants are not eligible to join.

To remain a member in good-standing, members must attend at a minimum one meeting per year and offer to host (if the institution has the capacity to do so) every three years.

How to Become An Affiliate

For institutions that do not qualify to be a member of SoCal Museums, institutions can join as a SoCal Museums Affiliate. Affiliates are institutions that are accredited museums as recognized by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) or non-accredited museums that fit within AAM’s definition of a museum. However, these institutions do not have a full-time dedicated communications and/or marketing person on staff which is required to be a SCM Member. Affiliate Institution will pay a nominal annual dues. Affiliates are listed on the SoCal Museums website and offered participation in SCM events, but do not attend the SoCal Museums quarterly meetings or retreat.

SoCal Museum Membership Tiers

Membership Benefits
• Quarterly meeting attendance
• San Gorgonio & Jepson can have a maximum of 3 representatives attend in-person meetings
• Anderson, Big Horn & Dragon’s Head can have a maximum of 2 representatives attend in-person meetings
• Attend annual retreat
• Listed on SoCal Museums website
• Networking and collaborative opportunities within our community of colleagues
• Access to Google Drive and Slack
• Collaborative resources with over 100 marketing and communications professionals from within SoCal Museums
• Opportunities for organization-wide digital campaigns and press releases
• Inclusion on special digital and printed materials, such as Free Museum Days map
• Ability to be on Executive Team and lead subcommittees

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