Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center Pivoting Back to In-person Content After Weathering 2020 Online

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center (WVMCC) Executive Director Keni Sturgeon gave the East Wenatchee City Council an update on the museum's progress through the pandemic and its plans for the fall.

While in-person attendance was just 6,844 in 2020 because of the shutdown, the museum's online attendance was about 118,000. After adding participation through the museum's affiliates, the total attendance for 2020 was 282,891.

Sturgeon said, "It's all kinds of programs. It's science activities for kids, art activities for kids, tours of gardens that were done virtually. So all those kinds of programs that we recorded ahead of time and posted online. A lot of them free, a few of them with a charge. Most of them without a specific charge but a suggested donation."

WVMCC was able to upgrade its community space during the closure. Improvements included creating the ability to live stream programs, improved acoustics and an ADA ramp to the stage.

The museum's summer exhibit, 'Tomfoolery: Vintage Fun From Wenatchee Cycle & Toy' is already on display. WVMCC's Maker's Space is also ramping up and their Super Summer Adventures camp for kids is soon to begin again as well.

Upcoming in-person activities include the haunt in October, a juried art show, Día de los Muertos, a social justice series and Christmas Family Fun. The popular 'A Night at the Museum' fundraiser, which normally happens in March, will be October 2nd.

The museum will begin working on a strategic plan in the coming months. An architect will also be looking at better ways to use some of the museum's space and may suggest some further upgrades, which could potentially mean a capital campaign by the WVMCC in the future.