Wednesday, July 22
There are three types of conference registrations – Virtual Only, Virtual + Single Day, and Virtual + In-Person. No matter which one you selected, you have access to our “Virtual Day” of programming.
The following activities will be hosted in Zoom Webinar or Zoom Meeting. Login and dial-in information will be available to registered attendees in the conference virtual platform (Sched). Zoom’s built-in transcriptions will be provided. ASL interpretation will be made available up on request during registration.
Come be our guest in the Midwest from wherever you are!
AMM Annual Business Meeting
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM CT (9:30 AM – 10:00 AM ET)
AMM Member Business
Prior to our opening sessions, AMM members are invited to join us live for our 2026 Annual Business Meeting for board election advance voting results and other announcements. (You don’t have to be a member to tune in. All are welcome!)
Opening Session
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM CT (10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET)
Whose Truths? Exploring the Chicago Monuments Project
Organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
We’re kicking off Virtual Day programming with a presentation exploring the significance of Chicago’s monuments in reflecting and shaping the city’s core values, particularly around race, history, and identity.
Click here to learn more about the session.
Virtual Networking
11:00AM – 12:00 PM CT (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET)
What We’ve Tried, What’s Next, and the Truth at the Center
Come as you are and connect with your peers across the region! We’ll gather in breakout rooms for facilitated discussions around a variety of common questions, share steps we have taken and solutions we have tried, and consider “who” or “what” were at the center of those decisions. Looking back, would we change our approach? Looking ahead, who or what will inform our next step?
Sponsored by H.E. Branch Advisors
Concurrent Sessions
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CT (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET)
Preserving Culture for Future Generations: Stewardship Beyond the Gallery
Collections Stewardship
Climate change is testing the foundations of collections stewardship. This session connects preservation ethics, public trust, and environmental stability, offering scalable tools and real-world lessons to help museums act with foresight, even with limited resources.
Presenters: Jeremy Knoll, BNIM; Steve Waterman, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art; Ryan Evans, BNIM; Jeff Kling, GDS
Creating Safe Spaces for Community Dialogue
Programs
Converse with some of Chicago’s diverse cultural centers about how they have facilitated opportunities for dialogue around current events and addressed concerns around public safety. In roundtable discussions, exchange about when it was best to answer the call with events, programs and exhibitions and when it was best to employ alternative methods.
Presenters: Mónica Félix, Chicago Cultural Alliance; TBD, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center; Kim Vigue, Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum; Fernando Aburto, OPEN Center for the Arts
Virtual Tour
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM CT (3:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET)
TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Concurrent Sessions
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM CT (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)
Proactive Preservation Part 1: A Framework for Developing Your Emergency Plan
Management & Operations / Collections Stewardship
Don’t face disasters alone. Join museum peers in this virtual session to discuss risks facing museums, determine essential components of an emergency plan for your organization, share best practices and exchange institutional resources. Facilitators will provide a framework for creating your emergency plan and bring real world examples to the conversation.
Presenters: Stacy Button, Distinguished Fine Art & Collectibles; Eric Dougal, HUB International
A Museum Without Walls: Bringing Community-Based Experiences to Every County in Wisconsin
Exhibitions
Explore how the Wisconsin History Makers Tour redefines where exhibitions happen! In this panel discussion, hear from the team behind the Tour as they share adaptable traveling exhibit models and practical strategies for bringing history into communities statewide.
Presenters: Mallory Hanson, Wisconsin Historical Society; Sara Batkie, Wisconsin Historical Society; Juan Ochoa, Wisconsin Historical Society; Sarah Taylor, Wisconsin Historical Society
Virtual Tour
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT (5:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET)
TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Pre-recorded Sessions
A handful of additional sessions will be made available as recordings for access on-demand, when it is convenient for you.
SPARK! A Creative Engagement Program for People with Memory Loss & Their Care Partners
Programs
Interested in a creative aging program at your museum? SPARK! is creative engagement for people with early-to-mid-stage memory loss and their care partners. Participants stay actively engaged in their community through experiences that stimulate conversations, provide support and inspire creativity through engagement in comfortable environments led by trained staff.
Presenters: Heather Placko, Muskegon Museum of Art; Catherine Mott, Muskegon Museum of Art; Nancy Armitage
Small Shops, Big Connections
Leadership & Advancement
Unlock the power of personalized fundraising in Small Shops, Big Connections! Learn to identify, evaluate, and engage donors using screening tools, templates, and tracking sheets, all through hands-on exercises and interactive participation. Perfect for small teams ready to build lasting, meaningful donor relationships.
Presenters: Eric Heininger, EDEN+ Fundraising Consulting; Ashlen Sheaffer, Des Moines Children’s Museum
Museum Endowments: Building Blocks for a Solid Financial Structure
Leadership & Advancement
What is an endowment? Why are they important? This session will help museum leaders gain a better understanding of why endowments are a good foundation upon which we can build a solid financial structure.
Presenter: Jim Croft, JWC Consulting Inc.; Wes Moran, Museum of Contemporary Art