From 19 – 22 May 2022, museum professionals met in Boston for the AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. This was the first time that members of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) had been able to gather in person since 2019’s event in New Orleans.
In 2020 and 2021, the organisation still managed to connect people and provide support for the museum community with virtual conferences, but attendees were grateful for the chance to reconnect face-to-face for this year’s meeting. In addition, the trade show, MuseumExpo, provided a chance for attendees to discover products and services in person. This year, the floor was also shared with the Museum Store Association (MSA).
Instead of one overarching theme, the AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo this year focused on four key focus areas: Museums in Society, Organizational Culture, Innovation, and Financial Wellness. This meant that attendees were able to customise an experience that fit their needs.
AAM’s Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo brings together museum professionals from venues of all types and sizes, from art and history museums as well as zoos and botanic gardens. It is an opportunity to share ideas and make connections that can transform the sector.
Day one – a warm welcome to the AAM Annual Meeting 2022
After such a gap between in-person events, AAM hosted a special welcome event on the evening of 21 May, where attendees were greeted by a performance by the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, made up of members of Boston’s medical community. Then, Laura Lott, president and CEO addressed the attendees. In her speech, she praised the work done by museum staff throughout the pandemic.
As well as being a chance to mingle, catch up with old friends and meet new faces, the event also featured welcome remarks from Carole Charnow of Boston Children’s Museum and Dr Lee Pelton of the Boston Foundation. The event then wrapped up with a performance from members of the Boston Children’s Chorus.
Day two – museums in society
On Friday, Laura Lott began the opening session of the AAM Annual Meeting 2022, saying:
“It takes courage to step back into a professional conference, to travel again for the first time in several years, and it takes courage to think about the future we get to build together.”
She gave three pieces of advice for attendees going into AAM 2022: get lost in a museum exhibit, grow your network by meeting two new people during the event, and challenge yourself to learn about one new area of museum work. Lott also celebrated the Facing Change Fellows, welcoming them to the stage. The organisation is preparing to release the DEAI Impact Report and action steps for embedding DEAI throughout institutions.
This was followed by an insightful keynote address by Thomas L. Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist. During this, he took a closer look at the state of the world, how we got here, and what we can do about it.
Friedman says he works to break down concepts so that people can understand them, living by the Marie Curie mantra:
“Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
The future of museums
Throughout the day, concurrent sessions ran around the first of the four focus areas, Museums in Society. This included discussion on topics such as sustainability, repatriation, community dialogues, and much more. A highlight was the AAM 2022 TrendsWatch session, with Elizabeth Merritt of the Center for the Future of Museums. She asked:
“How can we be a good neighbour… and extend a protective shield around our communities to help protect from disasters?”
TrendsWatch 2022 is now available for download here.
Elsewhere, another session looked at Communities for Immunity. Speakers explored how their museums had helped to improve vaccine confidence during the pandemic.
Day three – innovation and financial wellness
The second day of the AAM Annual Meeting 2022 explored the focus areas of innovation and financial wellness. This began with a keynote address by Michael Bobbitt, executive director of Mass Cultural Council. Speaking on the topic of the path to financial recovery and resilience, he also had some strong words on the need to do things a new way:
“Missions must change when the world needs you to do something different. If you aren’t innovating, you’re dying. If you’re not diversifying, you are dying…You must adopt a change friendly culture.”
Following the early keynote address, attendees had a wide range of sessions to choose from on Saturday morning. This included discussions on planning events, building financial knowledge, promoting inclusion through financial literacy, growing endowments, and more.
Spotlight on innovation
In the afternoon, the focus switched to the topic of innovation. It began with a keynote speech by Jake Barton of Local Projects, looking at how museums can draw on their unique skills and properties to help them innovate, finding new ways to create immersive, authentic, kinetic and emotional experiences.
Sessions then continued after this, exploring subjects like how to engage with diverse audiences, making experiences multilingual and inclusive, NFTs, travelling exhibitions, data collection, and more.
@carnegiemnh Happy MolluskMonday! #Pittsburgh #naturalhistorymuseum
♬ original sound – CMNH
One interesting talk was on the topic of TikTok in museums. This featured insights from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Sacramento History Museum and Old Salem Museums and Gardens, who shared their tips for success.
Elsewhere, a session called Decolonizing the Collection Through Teen Voices looked at a project at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. This organisation has been enabling teenagers to explore collections through their own lenses, leading to powerful and diverse perspectives.
Day four – organisational culture
The final day of AAM 2022 began with a keynote session led by Sandra Jackson-Dumont, director and CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. For a discussion called Speak the Truth and Point to Hope, she was joined by Mikka Gee Conway, chief diversity, inclusion, and belonging officer and EEO director at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C, as well as Ben Garcia, executive director of the new American LGBTQ+ Museum.
Introducing the conversation, Jackson-Dumont said:
“The world is moving, so the question is, how will our institutions and practices move forward with it? There’s no one-size-fits-all … Today, in what we like to believe is the tail-end of a pandemic, we’re radically addressing this.”
Both panellists agreed that a human-centred approach is key. Mikka Gee Conway said it’s important to remember that collections are a tool to serve people. Plus, Ben Garcia added: “We don’t trust institutions, we trust people…we need to build organisations full of trustworthy people.”
Sessions on organisational culture followed. Through these, attendees explored subjects like DEAI, engagement, volunteering and HR policies, as well as the ‘Great Resignation’.
Exhibitors at the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo 2022
MuseumExpo opened on 20 May and ran alongside the conference on Friday and Saturday.
The trade show floor allows exhibitors from across the museum sector to connect with an engaged gathering of museum professionals, including directors, curators, financial officers, exhibit design professionals, educators, and registrars. This year, over 200 exhibitors were on hand to showcase new, innovative products in AAM’s MuseumExpo and the concurrent MSA event.
A huge number of products and services were being demonstrated, from cutting-edge audio-visual solutions from the likes of Electrosonic, a leading international audiovisual and technology services company and Mad Systems Inc., the award-winning audiovisual and interactive system designer and integrator, to design services by companies such as Art Processors, the experiential design consultancy, and Roto, a leading planning & design-build firm.
From the travelling exhibitions sector, attendees could discover popular shows from leaders in the industry. This included The Natural History Museum in London, which has over 30 years of experience in touring high-quality exhibitions internationally; the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), a major scientific and cultural institution; and Cityneon Holdings, a global experience entertainment company.
CRM solutions were also on show from Tessitura, a nonprofit technology company dedicated to helping arts and cultural organisations thrive. Meanwhile, the team from Lord Cultural Resources, the world’s largest cultural professional practice, was on hand to talk about the company’s offerings, including its Digital Strategy and IDEA Services.
Cheers to Boston
The vibrant and culture-filled city of Boston was an ideal choice to host the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo host city. It is home to almost sixty museums and many other cultural destinations, and also has a rich history.
During AAM 2022, attendees could also enjoy several social events, alongside the educational content. Highlights included the NAME (National Association for Museum Exhibition) party on Friday night. This took place at the USS Constitution Museum, home of the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
On Saturday evening, the AAM party was held at the Museum of Science, a 2021 Best of Boston award winner. Attendees could socialise while taking in the museum’s range of engaging exhibitions.
With their conference passes, AAM 2022 attendees could also enjoy free or discounted access to local museums and cultural institutions. This included venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Tea Party and Ships Museum, the Boston Children’s Museum and the New England Aquarium.
Sponsors of the AAM Annual Meeting 2022
This year’s Visionary sponsors were the Barr Foundation, Blackbaud and HTB. Meanwhile, Amazon, The Boston Foundation and Cityneon were Leader sponsors.
In addition to this, the Patron sponsors for AAM 2022 were Art Processors, Click Netherfield, Donor Search, ERCO, Etix, The Giving Block, Imagine Exhibitions, Kress, Northern Trust, Smith+Howard and Travelers.
AAM has also announced the next AAM Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. This will take place in Denver, Colorado, from 19 – 22 May 2023.
