UNMAM to host AAMG 2025 annual conference

The University of New Mexico Art Museum has been selected to host the upcoming Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Annual Conference. This marks the first time UNM will host the prestigious annual conference, as well as the first time it will be held in New Mexico.

Organizationally and socially, campus-based museums and galleries are woven into university operations, pedagogy, and culture. AAMG leads national efforts to ensure best practices for academic museums, galleries, and collections through its educational and advocacy initiatives.

The 2025 conference theme, Belonging: Storytelling Across Campus and Community, invites participants to continue the conversation on belonging that started with last year's virtual conference. Belonging informs the work they do with their collections, exhibitions, programs, communications, and fundraising as well as their internal organizational infrastructure and culture.

It is also a critical aspect of their respective institutions' relationships with students, campus and local communities. When examining how we create belonging in its multiple forms, how does that inform the stories we tell?

"This collaboration between AAMG and UNM promises an enriching experience for all attendees, bringing together prominent institutions in the academic museum and gallery sphere," said Devin E. Geraci, UNMAM's associate director of operations. "The conference will showcase the diversity of UNM's museum landscape with its varied collections, services, and educational programs. Our national audience will also have the opportunity to explore resources such as Tamarind Institute and the Center for Southwest Research in addition to our museum spaces."

"UNMAM is proud to be an active partner of AAMG," said Arif Khan, UNMAM director. Khan served as the mountain-plains regional representative from 2021 - 2023, before becoming an at-large board member and currently serves as conference committee co-chair for 2024-2025. Geraci has been an AAMG member since 2018, having attended and presented at multiple conferences, and now serves on the conference committee.

For the 2024 virtual conference, several UNMAM staff members served as proposal reviewers and led presentations alongside student employees. Additionally, UNMAM sponsored the keynote conversation between artist Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith (enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) and UNM Assistant Professor of Art History Marcella Ernest (Gunflint Lake Ojibwe and an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior).

"I am excited for our university to host the AAMG conference, marking the first time that it has ever been in New Mexico," said Khan. "I look forward to showcasing UNM's world class museums and collections with our nationwide colleagues and to provide this opportunity for our students and faculty to engage with this prominent organization."

Academic museums and galleries strive to ensure all students belong. They consider belonging from many angles unique to the field, but above all else, belonging is a shared value-central to our relationships with students, faculty, local and regional communities, as well as our connections within the AAMG community, Geraci said.

"It is an honor to welcome AAMG to The University of New Mexico," said Geraci. "Each year, the AAMG conference is a source of inspiration, resource-sharing, and network building among the academic museum community. I am excited to see UNM serve as the host of such a powerful event while highlighting the important role that museums play in the overall campus experience."

This event will attract museum professionals, curators, educators, and students from across the country, fostering dialogue on current trends and challenges in the field. It aims to cultivate a sense of belonging by connecting people with our collections, programs, and mission, thereby investing everyone in our shared impact. This opportunity will connect students with the individuals who make museums belong in 21st-century education.

"AAMG is thrilled to partner with The University of New Mexico museums to host our 2025 annual conference," writes Kristina L. Durocher, AAMG president. "It is our first to be held in the culturally, geologically and ecologically rich environment of Southwestern U.S. The region holds immense natural history significance with diverse ecosystems for conference attendees to study and explore. The UNM Art Museum's renowned collection of photography and modern and contemporary art, reflects the distinctive character of Albuquerque and the state; its rich cultural history, blending Native American, Hispanic, and modern influences, provides endless inspiration for creativity and expression. This conference promises to be incredibly special and one not to be missed."

The Association of Academic Museums and Galleries is the leading educational and professional organization for academic museums, galleries, and collections. In recognition of the unique opportunities and challenges of its constituents, the AAMG establishes and supports best practices, educational activities and professional development that enable its member organizations to fulfill their educational missions.

The conference is set for June 24 - 27, 2025. The call for proposals for the conference is open through Nov. 27.