2024 Art Curators Conference Theme & Call for Proposals

The 2024 Art Curators Conference taking place in San Francisco, California, cass for session proposals. All sessions and keynotes will be on Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3, with other activities held Wednesday, May 1 and Saturday, May 4.

The 2024 theme is Now/Next and seeks to recognize that museums, arts organizations and professionals, collectors, artists, and advocates are in constant motion addressing the past, present, and future to ensure the relevance, meaning, and value of this work for generations to come. Multiple concerns give pause on ways in which to pursue the Now/Next, which inspires the theme.

A few questions that might spark panel themes include:

• What can curators and organizations do to further prioritize and advance inclusion and belonging across a complex understanding of identity?
• Are there existing or new organizational models that will best support and grow the current and future relevance of this work?
• How can exhibition priorities and planning schedules be creatively thought through and managed in order to better respond to timely topics?
• Are there additional opportunities to investigate and bring forward multi-narrative perspectives and non-linear histories in acquisitions, labels, installations, permanent collections, exhibitions, and more?
• Are there new ways of working and technological advancements that can help address and change entrenched behaviors impacting climate concerns, such as travel carbon footprints, storage and transportation for loans and permanent collections, escorts/trips for fairs, donor programs, and the like?
• Proposals should consider varying ways in which curators can be a guiding voice in the Now/Next, but all panels should seek to garner expanded views and should not be curator-only panels.

Association of Art Museum Curators & AAMC Foundation anticipate dialogues at the Conference reflecting the topic from the standpoint of environmental, societal, racial, equity, and heritage. Proposals must consider the full spectrum of interpretations, investigating issues holistically and not solely through the curatorial lens. Panels should propose discussions acknowledging the communities curators serve. Speakers from for-profit and non-profit sectors are welcome and are not limited to the visual arts sector.

Requirements

• Only current AAMC members, or those eligible to be a member of AAMC, can submit a proposal.
• Session proposals are submitted by the moderator. If you are sending in a proposal, you are accepting to be the moderator.
• All moderators are required to attend the Conference in person.
• Only one moderator per session.
• Panel participants, including moderators, receive complimentary Conference registration and receptions; a complimentary one-year membership, if eligible for membership; and a $100 stipend. We do not support travel or accommodation to participate.
• Anyone eligible to be a member of AAMC & AAMC Foundation (working 50% or more as a curator) are invited to submit session proposals through this online portal no later than no later than 12pm ET on July 31, 2023.

Application Instructions