SUMA Students Redefine Museum Engagement at AAMG
Published: April 17, 2026 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 5 minutes
Students at Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) recently took their work to a national audience, presenting at the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Student Summit.
Their presentation, “Student Engagement, Sidekicks, and Social Media”, highlighted how SUMA’s student-driven approach is reshaping how museums connect with college audiences. Representing SUMA were MFA Arts Administration candidates Julia Dixon, Rebecca Hughes, and Amanda Lowry Wiberg, and BFA Studio Arts major Kalia Jorgenson-Thompson.
A central focus of the presentation was SUMA Sidekicks, a free membership program for SUU and Southwest Tech students. Through a punch-card rewards system inspired by Utah’s soda and cookie shop culture, exclusive art-making sessions, and a 20% gift shop discount, the program encourages students to engage with the museum in ways that feel approachable and rewarding. Just as importantly, it reflects a broader philosophy: museums don’t need to feel intimidating to be meaningful.
“I hope that other museums took away the idea that it’s not a bad thing to tailor some museum experiences and content to those who are unfamiliar with art,” said Dixon. The first step should simply be getting people interested and leaving them with a positive impression.”
That emphasis on accessibility resonated with conference attendees, many of whom were eager to learn how SUMA builds student buy-in. Hughes noted that the presentation offered a chance not only to share their work but to demonstrate the impact students can have within an institution. “It was a great opportunity to showcase how we, as undergraduate and graduate students, contribute to the work of the museum,” she said. “Despite our university and museum being smaller on a national scale, we are able to provide an experience that benefits our community.”
The experience also carried a sense of personal growth, particularly for Jorgenson-Thompson, who was presenting in a professional conference setting for the first time. “It’s really helped me understand the environment and jobs available at museums,” they said, reflecting on both the presentation and their broader experience at SUMA. “Working here has given me experience in multiple areas and helped me feel prepared to continue in this field after graduation.”
That breadth of experience is intentional. Unlike many academic museums where student roles are limited, SUMA integrates students into nearly every aspect of its operations. From social media and marketing to programming and visitor engagement, students are trusted with meaningful, visible work that contributes directly to the museum’s success.
“At most academic museums, students are given front desk positions,” said Lowry Wiberg. “But at SUMA, they have students in every department. They trust student employees with important and serious work.”
Opportunities like presenting at AAMG are a natural extension of that trust. Students are not only encouraged to participate, but they are also positioned as representatives of the museum and its mission. That level of responsibility allows them to build confidence, develop professional skills, and see themselves as contributors to the broader museum field.
For students interested in following a similar path, the presenters emphasized that getting started doesn’t require a formal position right away. Attending events, volunteering, and simply spending time in the museum can open doors and build connections.
Ultimately, their presentation highlighted what makes SUMA distinctive: a commitment to student involvement that goes beyond participation. At Southern Utah Museum of Art, students are collaborators, creators, and ambassadors, and as their presence at the AAMG Student Summit demonstrated, their work is making an impact well beyond campus.
To learn more about Southern Utah Museum of Art and upcoming exhibitions, visit www.suu.edu/suma.
About Southern Utah Museum of Art
Southern Utah Museum of Art, on the campus of Southern Utah University, features the artwork of regional artists known for their landscapes, faculty and student artists from the SUU Department of Filmmaking, Art, & Design, as well as emerging and distinguished artists from around the country and the world. Strengths of the nearly 2,000-object permanent collection include several works by famed Western artist Maynard Dixon, important regional women artists Eve Drewelowe and Edith Hamlin, and a comprehensive collection of work by Jimmie F. Jones that exemplifies his notable career in the region. Within SUMA’s holdings is an especially robust collection of prints that includes well-known artists such as Marc Chagall, James McNeill Whistler, Kawase Hasui, Thomas Hart Benton, and Käthe Kollwitz, among others. A number of gifts and acquisitions have focused on photography, such as Brett Weston, Gary Edward Adams, and a portfolio called DE | MARCATION: A Survey of Contemporary Photography in Utah. Named the best-designed museum in Utah by Architectural Digest, SUMA’s building, designed by Brooks + Scarpa and inspired by the region’s famed slot canyons, is an artwork in and of itself.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Contact Information
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu