2022 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
CONFERENCE DATES: AUGUST 10th through 12th – Miami, Florida
Renewal, Revival & Remembrance
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Please join us for the 44th annual Association of African American Museums conference. We invite proposals that consider the idea of diaspora, examine the role of cultural landscapes in shaping communities, and reflect on how our ties to land and place influence the approach of communities and museums to our work.
Renewal, Revival & Remembrance
- The COVID-19 pandemic has vastly changed the world, especially our field. Though many of our institutions and organizations were forced to close, necessity created new methods of programming and engagement. The AAAM community has weathered the storm.
- The 2022 conference theme acknowledges the hardship experienced by the AAAM community in the last two years. Inspired by Merriam Webster – our conference theme is defined as:
- Renewal – to begin again, to make like new, to restore to existence
- Explore how institutions have re-opened and made adjustments to the “new normal”
- Explore the means through which history is restored through historic preservation, programming, collections, and other means
- Explore the impact of historic protections, urban planning and other initiatives/ policies have had on preserving and promoting Black history. Providing these stories with new life.
- Revival – to return to consciousness or life, to make strong healthy or active again
- Revival has a significant spiritual meaning within the African American Protestant tradition. Revival is a time where spiritual relationship is restored.
- Explore how relationships with the community and stakeholders has been restored under the “new normal”
- Explore how aspects of Black history, art, and culture have received new life, new attention through programming, exhibitions, and digital content
- Remembrance – to commemorate, to retain in memory
- Throughout the pandemic, AAAM has lost a number of members and supporters. How have museums and communities memorialized the dead
- Explore the methods of memory and remembrance in the cultural, historical, and artistic landscape
- Explore the preservation of sites of memory and remembrance from sites of historical trauma and tragedy to African American cemeteries and memorials.
- Explore the role of protest in memory and remembrance
AAAM 2022 conference is a unique opportunity for our community to come together face to face after a long absence. In this hybrid dialogue, our hope is that we can explore the ways in which our members have evolved and adjusted to this globally historic pandemic as well as once again connect and fellowship as a community.
By submitting your proposal, you agree to AAAM’s Code of Conduct. If AAAM needs to switch to a virtual environment, you are willing to present, and agree to have your session recorded and used by AAAM at a later date. https://blackmuseums.org/code-of-conduct-agreement/
Session Topics should address best practices in one of the following areas:
Track 1: Audience Diversity (Relevance, Outreach and Responsiveness)
Track 2: Collections Information Management and/or Digitization (Archiving & Conserving)
Track 3: Financial Stewardship (Resource Management and Institutional Advancement)
Track 4: Leadership Development (Strategic Forecasting and Succession Planning)
Track 5: Organizational Development (Mission, Governance and Operations Planning)
Track 6: Visitor Experience (Education, Curation, Interpretation, Public Programs, and Exhibits)
Track 7: Advocacy (Creating Buy-In, Alliance Building among Funders and Policy Makers)
Track 8: Marketing (Social Media, and Audience Engagement)
Within these tracks, we encourage proposals for interactive trainings that engage the nuts and bolts of all aspects of your work from conception to implementation.
Tips for Online Proposal Submissions:
Proposals must be submitted online via the AAAM online submission portal.
Proposals must be submitted by a Current AAAM Member.
Session Organizers must input a User ID (email) and self-selected Password for use when submitting proposals on the AAAM website.
Both the user ID and Password should be retained in a safe place for future reference.
All required fields must be filled in order for the online application to be submitted.
Click the Register button to begin your session proposal online application.
Deadline for Session Proposals: March 13th, 2022 (11:59 am PST)
CFP Open December 20, 2021 to March 13, 2022
*Please Note: Since we do not know what ability we will have to join physically together in any capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we plan to have all of the breakout session panels be virtual even if we host a portion of the annual conference in Miami. By submitting your proposal, you agree to AAAM’s Code of Conduct, are willing to present in a virtual environment, and agree to have your session recorded and used by AAAM at a later date. https://blackmuseums.org/code-of-conduct-agreement/