American Alliance of Museums

10/12/2026

On Indigenous Peoples Day, we honor and celebrate the traditions, cultures, and histories of Indigenous communities across the nation, as well as their invaluable contributions to our society.

Explore inspiration and examples from across the museum field on decolonization, building relationships with Indigenous communities, and more resources:

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the second Monday of October, we honor and celebrate the traditions, cultures, and histories of Indigenous communities across the nation as well as the invalu…

10/10/2026

Last call for book pitches!
AAM Press, in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, is seeking proposals on timely issues facing the museum field.

Priority topics include:

Audience and visitor experience
Collections and interpretation
Financial and environmental sustainability
Leadership and workplace culture
Marketing and communications
Technology and AI

Have a book idea that could help move museum practice forward?

📅 Submit your pitch by October 12, 2026: https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-aam/aam-press/

10/09/2026

“Ask for an informational interview” is common career advice. The harder part? Knowing how to reach out, what to ask, and how to turn a conversation with someone you don’t know into a genuine professional connection.

Join NEMPN and AAM on November 2 to learn how to approach different stages of an informational interview and then actually practice!

Register: https://lnkd.in/gP-bF_4E

Informational interviews can be one of the most useful tools for building your professional network! But, reaching out to someone you do not know, knowing what questions to ask, and trying to estab…

10/09/2026

A meaningful visitor experience doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with a plan.

Join a cohort of museum professionals for a new four-week, live online course exploring the principles and practices of interpretive planning. Together, you’ll learn how to design museum programs that align with institutional goals while centering visitor needs and experiences.

Through live instruction, case studies, collaborative exercises, and practical tools, you’ll explore how to define interpretive goals, develop themes, understand audiences, and embed evaluation into your planning. You’ll leave with the skills to draft an interpretive plan tailored to your own institution or project.

📅 Begins October 21
👥 Space is limited to 30 participants, so save your spot!
Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4ytoMwA

10/08/2026

Looking for a digital tool that could change how your museum works or connects with visitors?

Join us online October 20 for our free Industry Showcase, where you’ll hear concise presentations on technology developed to advance museum practice, including a branded AI chatbot, 3D digital storytelling, and new approaches to digital experiences.

We’ll hear from industry partners World Retina, Urban Insight, Luci Creative, and Field Theory, and get a closer look at what they’ve built.

📅 October 20 | 1–5 p.m. ET
💻 Free + online

See the lineup and register: https://bit.ly/3VdPef1

10/07/2026

Want to have a voice in AAM’s new Affinity Communities?

Join an Advisory Team and help shape the programming, content, and activities these communities provide.

No minimum years of experience in the museum field are required. We welcome museum professionals across career stages and experience levels.

⏱ About 1–3 volunteer hours per month
🤝 Monthly leadership meetings + programming
🎟 Complimentary AAM Professional membership during your service

Apply by October 15: https://bit.ly/4yAVEn5

10/06/2026

The AAM Exhibitions Affinity Community is launching the inaugural AAMies - part exhibition design challenge, part science fair, and part friendly competition.

For 2027, the challenge is Fostering Human Connections: develop a small exhibit concept that helps combat social isolation and encourages visitors to interact with friends, family, or strangers.

The preliminary round is entirely digital, and you do not need to build anything to apply.

Entries will be judged on:
Originality
Impact
Feasibility
Visitor experience

Finalists will bring their concepts to life at the 2027 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo in Houston, where attendees can experience the exhibits and vote for the winners.

Whether you work at a small museum, a larger institution, or an exhibition design studio, the goal is the same: bring a strong idea that could inspire the field.

Learn more and join an informational webinar on October 14: https://bit.ly/4y3khrA

Applications are open through December 1, 2026.

10/05/2026

Ready for what’s next? From early-career to executive roles, explore a few of the newest listings on AAM’s JobHQ (including a new role at AAM!):

Assistant Director, Communications & MarComm Operations at the American Alliance of Museums
$90,000
Full-Time

Director of Collections & Registration at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
$80,0000
Full-Time

Director of Experience Design at Wisconsin Historical Society
$42-$47/hr
Full-Time

Museum Educator at USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial
$37,777-$63,000
Full-Time

Start your search on JobHQ: https://lnkd.in/dAyB237

10/01/2026

We've been hard at work building an all-new digital home for museum people, and excited to announce that a new AAM website is coming this fall!

With easier access to resources, stronger professional pathways, and a more connected member experience, our new website is tailor-made for the curiosity, rigor, and vibrancy of our incredible field. We look forward to sharing it with you.

▶️ Get a first look at the overhauled design with this video, and stay tuned!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

09/30/2026

A great museum experience is about more than what visitors see. It’s about how the entire visit makes them feel.

From the welcome at the front desk to wayfinding, gallery interactions, food service, accessibility, and everything in between, visitors don’t experience museums as separate departments.

They experience one continuous journey.
That idea sits at the heart of the latest issue of Museum magazine.

Across the issue, museum professionals share how they are rethinking visitor experience in practical and creative ways, from building neurodiverse needs into programming and reimagining gallery security roles to using digital tools, renovations, and interactive experiences to create stronger connections with audiences.

Our collections, buildings, expertise, and programs matter, but so does how people experience them.

For museums working to become more welcoming, relevant, and memorable, this issue offers plenty of ideas to explore.

AAM members can read the latest issue of Museum magazine now:

https://www.aam-us.org/programs/museum-magazine/