The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is set to highlight sustainability and community engagement as two of its leading topics during this year’s Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo programme. The comprehensive schedule of talks and discussions will cover a breadth of industry topics when it takes place in Denver from 19-22 May 2023.
“The AAM Annual Meeting is the only event of its scope and scale. It brings together museums of all types and sizes—from art and history museums to zoos and botanic gardens—to share ideas and make connections that are transformational.
“It is a place where all museum professionals learn from one another, create partnerships, and leave inspired to make an impact on their museums, communities, and the world.”
Elizabeth Merritt, AAM’s vice president for strategic foresight, will present the first session of the conference, “Diving into Strategic Foresight,” on Thursday 18 May. Merritt will also host the TrendsWatch 2023 Discussion Tables on 19 May, and provide an update on the results of the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers. She will then moderate the session ‘TrendsWatch: Building the Post-Pandemic World’ on 20 May.
Sustainability matters
Operating and educating on green topics remains an important subject for institutions worldwide, which is reflected in this year’s schedule. Sessions on 19 May include Putting Social Science to Work in Climate Change Interpretation, Museum Green Teams: Embedding Sustainability at the Core of Practice and “60 Sustainability Ideas in 60 Minutes” with Andrea Froehle of Event Network and speakers from Minnesota Historical Society, Minneapolis Institute of Art and more.
On 20 May, ‘Not just a fairytale: achieving carbon neutrality in travelling exhibits’ will feature a discussion with The Shipping Monster CEO and founder Robert Aspinall, Nomad Exhibitions CEO Tim Pethick, and Natural History Museum exhibitions partnerships manager Felicity Sylvester.
‘Conjuring Sustainable Traveling Exhibitions Models without the Wizardry’ will feature Luci Creative CEO AJ Goehle, Imagine Exhibitions COO and VP of exhibitions Debbie Donohue and speakers from institutions including Museum EXP and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
Other sessions of the day include Empowering Visitors to Engage in the Climate Crisis, Measuring What Matters, and Turning the Tide on Climate Change: Progress on a Joint Aquarium Commitment.
On 21 May, ‘The Art of Going Green’ will be presented by Denver Art Museum. Emissions will also be tackled with sessions such as ‘Culture Over Carbon: Measuring Energy and Carbon in Cultural Institutions’ and ‘Decarbonising the Museum Sector: Three Partnerships for Reduced Emissions’.
Communities
Other highlights will include Art Processors content director Christine Murray and speakers from Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Woody Guthrie Center discussing ‘Engagement or Partnership? Stronger Community Collaboration and Co-creation’ on 19 May.
On the following day, Lord Cultural Resources director Eve Moros Ortega will discuss ‘Cultural planning for museums: collaborating with culture to maximize impact’ with speakers from Mint Museum and the Museum of Arts and Sciences.
Topical talks
Luci Creative senior exhibit designer Isabel Singer will speak with presenters from the Science Museum of Minnesota, The Health Museums and Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites at the ‘Being Gutsy: The Rewards and Complexity of Health Based Exhibits’ on19 May.
Engaging experiences also remain high on the agenda, with the question ‘Is Immersive the new interactive’ being explored on 20 May. New technologies and their usage in museum environments will be covered in ‘Breaking New Ground in Mixed Reality’ on 21 May.
Attendees can also learn about NFTs in the session ‘Demystifying NFT and new models for digital revenue’ on 19 May, followed by ‘We were all wrong about NFTs! Are they a source of untapped potential?’ on 21 May.
Inclusion and accessibility will be covered with ‘Race & Community: Creating a Roadmap for Inclusive Exhibitions & Programs’ on 19 May, and ‘Access Journey: From One-Off Events to Creating a Culture of Accessibility’ on 20 May.
The conversation will continue on social media with the hashtag #AAM2023. A full schedule of events can be found on the AAM website.
The AAM recently confirmed the four biggest trends that the Center for the Future of Museums is tracking, aligning with the publication of its industry-leading journal feature TrendsWatch.
