2022 Affiliations Virtual Conference

DISRUPTION AND TRANSFORMATION
October 25-27, 2022

We invite you to join us in 2022 for our Smithsonian Affiliations Virtual Conference where our theme, Disruption and Transformation, will bring Smithsonian Affiliates and Smithsonian colleagues together to think beyond pandemic pivoting, to have conversations about how we are not only being responsive to the moment we are in, but how we are continuing to innovate and continuing to develop and sustain new ways of working. The conference will focus on the how disruption can be a catalyst for transforming our work, our organizations, our community, and our environment. How are we asking ourselves the difficult, sometimes disruptive questions to make real change in what we do? How are our answers transforming our work from within the organization as well as in our community?

Registration Fees

Fees include all 3 days of the virtual conference. There are no single day or single session options.

$225.00 Affiliate Institution (minimum 3 registrants; maximum of 12)
$125.00 Affiliate Staff (individual registration, not part of a group)
$100.00 Speaker* (individual registration, not part of a group)
Free Smithsonian Staff**
Free Affiliate Executive Leadership Meetings Only***

*Speakers may join their session at no cost. If speakers are interested in joining any additional sessions, Speaker registration will apply. Affiliate speakers are encouraged to take advantage of the Affiliate Institution rate.
** Please email BugbeeE@si.edu to inquire if we have space for interns and/or volunteers.
***Executive Leadership meetings are only for executive level staff at Affiliate organizations and invited Smithsonian guests.

Thank you for being patient while we build our registration platform. We anticipate opening registration in late August.

Virtual Conference Schedule

Overview

The 2022 Smithsonian Affiliations Virtual Conference is three half-days of programming October 25 – 27. There are additional opportunities for focus groups and leadership meetings outside of the formal conference. Please note, session times may change as we develop the program and session titles may also change. See below for an overview:

Monday, October 24 (pre-conference Director meetings and informal discussion groups)

Tuesday, October 25 – Thursday, October 27
Formal Virtual Conference programming. Sessions and workshops begin at 12:00 pm EASTERN TIME and conclude at 5:15 pm ET. There will be 15- 30 minute breaks between concurrent sessions.

Friday, October 28 (post-conference Director meetings)

Conference Topics (each session will indicate which topic it addresses)

Organizational Culture and Management
K-12 Education
Community Relationships
Digital Experimentation
Disrupting Traditional Narratives

Session and Workshop Intended Audience (each session will indicate a target audience, but all career levels and interests are welcome to join)

October 24

October 25

All times are in EASTERN TIME. Topic and intended Audience follow each title.

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Opening Idea Starter

1:15 – 2:15 PM Concurrent 60- Minute Sessions

Back to the NEW Normal: Exploring Critical Questions About the Future and What We Can Do in the Present to Shape it (Organizational Culture and Management) (Directors/CEOs)
Advancing Environmental Justice Together (K-12 Education) (Educators)

2:30 – 3:30 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

The Crux of Teaching Women’s History in the 21st Century (K-12 Education) (Educators)
When Education and Exhibition Teams Come Together to Build Long-Term Community Relationships (Community Relationships) (All Staff)

3:45 – 5:15 PM Concurrent 90-Minute Workshops

Seeking Symbiosis with Teens: An Exhibition Case Study in Collaborating with Youth Audiences (Community Relationships) (Exhibit Developers/Designers)
Labeling Legacies – Applying Today’s Language & Identities to Historical Figures (Disrupting Traditional Narratives) (All Staff)

October 26

All times are in EASTERN TIME. Topic and intended Audience follow each title.

12:00 – 1:30 PM Concurrent 90-Minute Workshops

Dreaming Together–the Power of Collaboration (Organizational Culture and Management) (All Staff)
3D Digitization with Girlhood: It’s Complicated (Digital Experimentation) (All Staff)

2:00 – 3:00 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Making the Unfamiliar Familiar: Answering Children’s Questions in a Transforming World (K-12 Education) (Educators)
Sharing Our Human-Centered HR Practices Will Uplift Us All (Organizational Culture and Management) (Directors/CEOs)

3:15 – 4:15 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Gathering the Diaspora: A Case Study of the Arab American National Museum’s Virtual Festival (Community Relationships) (All Staff)
The African American Crafts Initiative: Transforming American Craft Narratives (Disrupting Traditional Narratives) (Curators / Collections Managers)

4:30 -5:30 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Visitors on the Cutting Edge: Museums and Researchers Partnering to Share New Science Research with Public Audiences (Other) (All Staff)
The Size of the Exhibition Doesn’t Matter; Its Impact Does (Disrupting Traditional Narratives) (Exhibit Developers / Designers)

October 27

All times are in EASTERN TIME. Topic and intended Audience follow each title.

12:00 – 1:00 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Local Voices, Lasting Impact: Using SITES Exhibits to Balance Community and Institutional Needs (Community Relationships) (Exhibit Developers/ Designers)
Equity and Inclusion in Internships: Scalable Strategies for Museums and Cultural Organizations (Organizational Culture and Management) (Intern / Volunteer Managers)

1:15 – 2:15 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Embracing Risk to Enhance Engagement: How rotating interactives can engage diverse audiences, involve volunteers, and complement exhibits (K-12 Education) (Educators)
A Little Help From My Friends: Collaborative Social Media Strategies (Digital Experimentation) (Marketing / Membership / Development)

2:30 – 3:30 PM Concurrent 60-Minute Sessions

Hostile Terrain 94: Intersections of Museum Education and Exhibit Installation (Community Relationships) (All Staff)
Strategies for Engaging and Representing Latinos in Museums (Organizational Culture and Management) (All Staff)

3:45 – 5:00 PM Closing Idea Starter Session

October 28

Questions? Comments? Need more information about the 2022 Virtual Conference? Email Elizabeth Bugbee, BugbeeE@si.edu.

Conference FAQs

2021 Highlight

A Conversation About the Future of The Museum Field
Our dynamic opening session centered youth advocates and their views on the future of the museum field alongside Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science & Research, and Kevin Young, Director of the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

More session recordings available on the 2021 Virtual Conference page.

The Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference is for current Smithsonian Affiliates and Smithsonian staff members only. If you are interested in learning more about a Smithsonian Affiliation, please visit our Applying for Affiliation pages.