MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

Museums serve as vital hubs for civic action, reflecting their communities through exhibitions and programming. This session demonstrates how cultural sites use collections to inspire student programming. Participants will be introduced to the Exploring Civics Toolkit, an adaptable framework for museum practitioners that bridges historical narratives with civic themes to foster community engagement. Representatives from four diverse sites will share Toolkit-informed strategies and activities that empower students to explore their roles in their community. Attendees will learn practical methods to encourage students to advocate for positive change while gaining a deeper appreciation for the diversity inherent in the American experience.

Session Takeaways:
•Have a more complete understanding of possible civics driving questions and themes inherent in Museum collections and exhibitions
•Be able to access the Exploring Civics Toolkit for use at their own institution to cultivate civic mindset and action through collections and exhibitions
•Understand how they might implement similar programming at their own institution

Heritage and cultural travelers are hungry for authentic stories, and museums have them. But getting those stories in front of visitors takes more than great exhibits. Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)—local and regional tourism pros—can help. This interactive roundtable explores how museums and DMOs can team up to boost visibility, share resources, and bring more travelers through your doors. We'll dig into why these partnerships matter, what they look like in practice, and how to deepen your own relationships. Come ready to share your experiences and leave with practical ideas to put into action.

Session Takeaways:
•Understand the role and priorities of DMOs and how museums can align with them.
•Explore practical strategies for initiating or deepening DMO partnerships.
•Share success stories and challenges from participants to build collective knowledge.
•Identify specific steps for integrating museum programming into local tourism ecosystems.

he award-winning tour, Gilded Not Golden, contextualizes concepts like wealth disparity, labor conflicts, and capitalism on public tours of a Gilded Age home, Clayton. But how do you translate these challenging themes and complex narratives for younger learners? Beyond translation, how do you get those students to make deeper connections? To address these questions, staff developed participatory activities asking students to make connections between Gilded Age Pittsburghers, their resources, and impact. This session will share the process of developing these activities and give you tools to implement similar programs at your museum.

Session Takeaways:
•Develop hands-on activities for visitors to prioritize participatory learning over passive learning
•Create programs that respond to school curriculum with their institution’s mission and collection in mind
•Identify potential collaborators, both within and outside of their institution
•Evaluate and adjust activities to fine tune the experience and maintain relevance

What are the "pain points" that make deaccessioning such a challenge? Co-presenters and audience members will work together to examine the social, emotional, and practical inhibitions associated with deaccessioning. They will explore how institutions can work through these challenges to create solid policies and practices that support financial, environmental, and operational sustainability.

Session Takeaways:
•Understand and gain insights into the deaccession process
•Consider how deaccessioning can support institutional sustainability
•Evaluate their own deaccession "pain points" and consider how they might be overcome

Creating a new strategic plan can feel like a daunting exercise. Explore potential roadblocks and pathways with experienced strategic planners from The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and The Rosenbach Library & Museum. In this session, we will look at five themes or questions executives and Board leadership will want to consider before launching a new strategic planning process. Whether you have never had a strategic plan at your institution or are an old hat at it, this session will energize you to develop a living strategic plan with broad stakeholder buy-in.

Session Takeaways:
•Learn what questions to ask to determine what type of strategic plan you need and if you need the help of a consultant
•Think about how to create the best planning team for a smooth and effective strategic planning process
•Identify strategies to create board alignment and staff buy-in so the plan stays in people’s hands instead of on the shelf
•Differentiate between internal and external goals to create a metric-based, but streamlined plan for public consumption and flexibility for your organization.