VAM 2027 Annual Conference: Back to Basics: Museum Building Blocks

March 13 - 16, 2027 - Charlottesville, VA

How to keep your museum relevant, mission-minded, and invest in your internal community- staff?

VAM 2027 plans to continue the revolutionary spirit while focusing on practical relevance for museum staff and visitors. Museums need to keep guests engaged, encourage repeat visits, and need to provide support for staff retention and promote career growth. In the spirit of Revolution, VAM 2027 is seeking presentation proposals about how your institution has gotten back to basics to support visitors and staff.

This is also an opportunity to share how institutions have shifted to make their space more accessible and relevant. How has your institution increased visitation, collaborated with local groups or government, and in general expanded the museum or site’s local presence?

Some museums have added programming, collaborations, and local connections in a way that expand relevance and access to their world. Other museums have added gathering places onsite, creating a third space for guests to enjoy. This continued investment in your institution increases visitation opportunities despite economic shifts. It also shows more justification for staff support as roles adapt and expand to fit institutional goals.

  • How has staff support changed to reflect those expanded programming options?
  • What strategies can be implemented to support both groups?

VAM27 provides a venue to discuss strategies that make museums relevant spaces and how museums have aligned community engagement and mission. It will also give space for participants to share local practice, discuss problem solving strategies, how staff support has increased, and showcase collaborations both in and out of the field.

  • How can we transform museums into both revolutionary and relevant spaces?
  • What kind of building blocks are your institutions using to make your space both revolutionary and relevant?

CALL FOR PROPOSALS NOW OPEN!

CALL FOR PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOW OPEN!

Check our Conference Page for Updates - Annual Conference - Virginia Association of Museums

upcoming Events

June 16 - Burnout & Belonging Webinar
June 23 - Advocacy Webinar - Museum Advocacy in Action: Building Support at the Local and State Level
June 24 - Central Regional Meet-up - Richmond, VA
July 9 - Shape the Future of VAM - Strategic Planning Lunch Session
July 15 - Connecting Classrooms and Museums: Supporting Virginia SOLs Through Collaboration - Bristol, VA
July 15 - Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee Regional Meet-up - Bristol, VA & TN
August - STEM & Civics Webinar - Details and Date coming soon!
Click HERE to visit our Events Page to Register!

Our Mission

VAM advocates for the importance of museums in our communities and strengthens the cultural sector by supporting museum professionals throughout their careers with professional development, networking, and thought leadership.

Our Vision

We envision a network of collaborative museums and passionate museum professionals throughout the Commonwealth serving as essential community anchors working together to enhance cultural awareness and community identity for all.

Thank you to our supporters

Career Center

Explore our Career Center for downloadable resources on internships, questions to ask in an interview, and resume tips. Then search our job board for open positions, or request a review of your resume (member benefit.) 

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MUSEUM DIRECTORY

Visit VAM's museum directory to find out more about Virginia's museums.  We are proud of our diverse family of museums and hope you enjoy exploring all of the art, history, science, and heritage that our Virginia museums have to offer to visitors.

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