PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The theme for the Hawaiʻi Museums Association’s (HMA) first digital conference is ACCESS. Whether in regards to making museums more welcoming to underrepresented groups or of making collections available to their source communities, issues of access continue to transform current practices. Indeed, as we have witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, museums and related repositories have turned towards digital platforms (zoom, social media, etc.) to provide museum visitors with access to programs, exhibits, and collections. During their 2020 program series, Mākau Moʻomeheu: Cultural Competence in Hawaiʻi’s Museums, HMA invited guest speakers, comprising of museum professionals and Hawaiian knowledge holders, also expressed the importance of making their island institutions (and their profession) more accessible to Native Hawaiians and other Hawaiʻi communities. 

For HMA's 2021 conference, they have invited speakers to share their experiences of addressing issues of access in their professional or community work. Questions that they encourage conference attendees to consider as they attend each panel include: 

1. How does access relate to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and equity (DEAI) initiatives? 
2. How can Hawaiʻi’s museums better serve individuals with disabilities? 
3. What are some strategies and methods that museums can develop to make their online collections and programs more accessible? 
4. How can museum professions (grant writing, exhibition development, curation, education, etc.) become more accessible to a more diverse pool of candidates? 
5. Are their parts of the museum that should remain inaccessible to the general public?

The conference will be held on Zoom between Friday, April 16 – Saturday, April 17, 2021. Sessions will be recorded and made available for viewing for four weeks following the end of the conference. Real-time captioning for the panels is provided by The Caption Company, a local company serving Hawaii.

To register or learn more, visit the Hawai'i Museums Association conference web-site Access.

We are not static institutions; we are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our community and the collections we care for. At present, we are faced with formidable challenges and new frontiers: COVID-19, diversity, inclusion, experimentation, decolonization, cross-cultural understanding, new health and safety protocols, and the integration of current technologies. These developments, among others, are rooted in thoughtful, meaningful, and enduring change. As the guiding theme of the 2021 Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS) Biennial Conference, Evolution is an opportunity for members to share and learn about the new ways the field is adapting our professional standards in response to the major cultural shifts happening worldwide.

For more information on the 2021 ARCS Conference, visit the 2021 Montreal Conference.

The AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo 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 transformative. It’s 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.

The 2021 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo (#AAM2021) is taking place virtually May 24 and June 7-9.

Registration for #AAM2021 is now open! Get the answers to all of your registration, exhibitor, and sponsorship questions on the #AAM2021 FAQ page.

Join #AAMG2021--a chance to connect and reflect with one another!

Secure your spot and register today for this year's annual conference held virtually June 7-11! And calling all members, don't forget about the Professional Assistance Fund Registration--allows for FREE conference registration to qualified applicants!

aamg-us.org/registration2021/

AAMG’s 2021 conference will explore how academic museums and galleries are fostering wellness and embracing new understandings of equity in the midst of one of the most challenging social, political, and economic periods in American history. This year’s conference aims to find new paths and solutions to a more just and empathetic world. Presentations will address topics such as: How are museums and galleries becoming community hubs where emotional, psychological, and identity-centered fairness and solace can be explored, created, debated, and located? How have DEAI initiatives challenged or disrupted your institutional structure and internal practices, including collections, exhibitions, storytelling and teaching, and management? How do academic museums and galleries survive and thrive in this new higher education reality?