IMLS Convening: Museum Leadership in Dynamic Times

Museum leaders across the nation have demonstrated resilience, and an eagerness to build on lessons learned during the global pandemic – including reminders of the inspirational and healing role of museums in times of crisis, their importance in the preservation of our rich heritage, and the invitation of all to share in their missions. These new and strengthened capacities helped many museums respond to the call to create new opportunities for dialogue and healing.

These opportunities also brought universal leadership and management challenges to the fore, including issues of: defining programmatic excellence for internal and external stakeholders, business models for financial stability, partnership potentials, service to communities, and civic leadership and engagement. As the largest investor in museums’ missions and capacity-building, IMLS is uniquely positioned to serve as an equitable convener of museum leaders to discuss the future of museums.

This invitation-only convening will bring together 100 museum leaders from across the field (including, size, discipline, geography, etc.) to discuss lessons learned from the past three years. This day-and-a-half long program will be structured around plenary sessions, panels, and discussions to share evidence-based practices, burning questions, and inform future strategies for field capacity building at IMLS and beyond.