2022 NYS Museums Conference Call for Proposals

The Museum Association of New York has announced a call for proposals for their 2022 NYS Museums Conference, “Envisioning Our Museums for the Seventh Generation,” set for April 9th through 12th, 2022, in Corning, NY.

The Seventh Generation is a core value among the Indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. The principle, which is rooted in the preservation of Indigenous culture, underscores the importance of the human continuum. It advocates for informed, long-term decision-making that recognizes and draws from the past while laying the groundwork for the future.

Conference sessions will offer an opportunity to ideate and share practical approaches to address the changing museum landscape. Sunday keynote speaker Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Executive Director, Association of African American Museums will talk about opening museums to the voices of the communities which have lacked representation in American history.

Closing keynote speaker W. Richard West Jr. (Former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Autry Museum of the American West and Founding Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian), will address the challenges and successes of adapting, evolving, and responding to the present day while keeping an eye on the generations that follow.

Conference plans include Saturday Workshops, Conference Capstones, special events, and more than a dozen sessions that aim to advance professional practice and develop leadership skills.

Organizers are seeking proposals from New York’s museum professionals for sessions that address the theme, that are engaging and interactive, and offer multiple perspectives. In addition to sessions that meet the Envisioning Our Museums for the Seventh Generation theme, they are looking for sessions about how museums:

• Change systems to address diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and justice
• Build financial stability
• Create digital access to collections and born-digital content
• Partner to share collections and resources
• Revisit foundational policies and procedures to adapt to change
• Break down barriers and convey that museums are for everyone
• Strengthen community engagement
• Employ and expand the use of technology
• Support staff leadership
• Reconstruct interpretation
• Expand board engagement and resource development
• Respond to pandemic-related challenges

All proposals are due by 5 pm on Wednesday, January 5th, 2022. For more information, email conference@nysmuseums.org, call (518) 273-3400, or visit the Museum Association of New York website.