Open Forum

AAMG's 2022 annual conference will focus on how academic museums and galleries embrace resilience and an array of emergent forms of sustainability. Marking a return to gathering in person, AAMG will convene a first-ever hybrid conference that aims to continually expand equitable opportunities for participation parallel to a renewal of in-person collegiality. This year's conference seeks diverse perspectives, ranging from nuanced philosophical ideas, and creative pragmatic solutions to thoughtful debates about leadership and our field, including:

How are we transforming our missions and lived values to contribute to community wellbeing? How do climate change, power-imbalances, and social injustice force a reinterpretation of the meaning and care of collections, archives, and the communities we serve? How are museums and galleries promoting active and impactful citizenship and driving change for social, environmental, and economic action; what should we do, and do better, to lead in an evolving world? 

Possible proposal topics: 

• Embedding sustainability across institutional strategy and leadership
• How to reconcile expanding our organizations with current climate/social/ethical forces  
• How sustainability and resilience are woven into your institution's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices
• Changes made to prioritize sustainable practices
• How sustainability and resilience are used as interdisciplinary opportunities for campus and public programming
• Fundraising, membership and volunteer models for promoting sustainable and equitable practice
• Advocating for greater sustainability at the national and international levels
• Reclaiming civic leadership and advancing democratic ideals
• Student research and internship projects featuring conference themes and values

We, of course, always welcome proposals having to do with general academic museum issues and practices, such as governance structures, membership strategies, collections management, and outreach/programming.