2025 Annual Conference

The theme for this conference is: LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE

For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. 

Virginia is fortunate to have a rich and diverse museum community that preserves, protects, and interprets the Commonwealth’s cultures, arts, sciences, lives, and histories. The quality of collections, programs, and exhibits in the Commonwealth is exceptional. Creative collaborations between museums and other organizations lead to innovative approaches that have the power to transform communities.

As museum professionals in Virginia, we are blessed with a strong network of supporters and a thriving cohort of talented peers who deeply care about their work and each other. Virginia is a good place for museums and museum professionals. Yet we all know how hard our work sometimes can be. Budget cuts, pandemics, and natural disasters are just a few factors that have impacted our work in the past. With more unknown challenges on the horizon, let’s take a moment to look at the past and reflect on how we, individually and collectively, can use the past to create a more resilient and diverse Virginia museum community.

If you are a student, you may be interested in the following opportunities:

• Conference Scholarships
• Mentorship Program
• Student Poster Competition

_{All VAM Conference Attendees will need to acknowledge the following:}

• _{I understand that the top priority of VAM during this conference is the health and safety of our attendees. I understand that attending any public event could carry inherent risk and agree not to hold VAM liable for any health issues that may arise as a result of attending the conference.}
• _{I agree to abide by any social distancing or masking recommendations in place from the CDC at the time of the conference, as well as follow any guidelines about COVID exposure quarantine that are in place in March.}