Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Tuesday and Wednesday, May 24-25, 2016
Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington DC
Deadline for Submissions: Monday, November 30th, 2015

Communities in Dialog: Models of Best Practices for Academic Museums, Galleries, and Collections
AAMG is spearheading a national effort to compile best practices for academic museums, galleries, and collections through their educational activities, advocacy efforts, and partnerships. In support of this critical initiative, this year’s conference is dedicated to gathering and sharing benchmarks and best practices in face of the many challenges we share.

Although many of our professional practices are aligned with the wider museum community and AAM standards (especially with regard to accreditation), as museums and galleries working within larger institutions we have unique missions and operational issues. AAMG is looking for models of best practices — governance, teaching, museum studies, collaboration, community partnerships — that can contribute to the development of procedures, policies, and systems that will serve and inform the academic museum and galleries field today and for years to come.

AAMG intends to share accepted conference proposals with its membership post conference. Session papers will help inform AAMG’s best practices documentation, which has a target completion date of December 2016.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The AAMG conference committee requests proposals on topics that address and can help establish guidelines, benchmarks, and best practices in all areas of academic museum and galleries including, but not limited to: collections care and registration, governance, assessment, community engagement, teaching and museum education, exhibitions, public programming, fundraising and professional development. Topics may address systemic challenges and present model programs that could become “templates” for the field.

AAMG seeks proposals that are representative of a cross-section of the academic field, including anthropology, art, history, science, and natural history museums, galleries, and collections. AAMG particularly encourages students and faculty to submit.

SUGGESTED FORMATS

• Panel Proposals: 3-4 person panel (20-minute presentations each speaker) followed by a moderated panel discussion and audience participation. Panel Chair may present.
• Solo Proposal: solo presentation or paper that may be paired by AAMG with other like-minded papers as part of a panel or remain freestanding depending on the conference schedule and the breath of the paper topic.
• Unconventional Presentation: a new or different format that engages audiences in exciting ways.
• 20×20: Short “show and tell” style presentations ideal for sharing a new project, exhibition or recent accomplishment, 20 slides at 20 seconds each.
• Workshop: Hands-on workshop style presentation geared toward practical applications and nuts and bolts of the field.

Submission Guidelines:  A one-page outline of presentation proposal plus a contact list and CVs of each participant should be sent electronically to Vice President of Programs Leonie Bradbury, vp-programs@aamg-us.org  If multiple presenters please add a one paragraph abstract for each paper or subtopic.

Review and Selection: All proposals will be reviewed by the 2015 AAMG conference committee. Selected presenters will be notified by January 15, 2016.

Conference Schedule at a Glance
Tuesday, May 24
5-7:30pm Evening Reception with “20×20” Presentations
Location: Renaissance Marriott, Dupont Circle Hotel
1143 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037

Wednesday, May 25
8am -5pm AAMG Conference Sessions
Location: Katzen Arts Center, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20016
5-10pm Evening events
Location: TBA

Proposers must be members of AAMG at the time of the conference, either individual or institutional. Membership applications can be found at: https://aamg-us.org/wp/membership/ To verify your institution’s membership visit https://aamg-us.org/wp/membership/member-log-in/ or contact membership@aamg-us.org

MISSION STATEMENT
The Association of Academic Museums and Galleries is the leading educational and professional organization for academic museums, galleries, and collections. In recognition of the unique opportunities and challenges of its constituents, the AAMG establishes and supports best practices, educational activities and professional development that enable its member organizations to fulfill their educational missions.