Conference Registration
LBJ Presidential Library
Opening Reception
LBJ Presidential Library and the Briscoe Center for American History
Evening at the LBJ Presidential Library with special access to The Briscoe Center for American History
Conference Registration
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Breakfast with Exhibitors
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Opening Remarks and TAM 50th Anniversary Retrospective
Salons 3 & 4
Break
Roundtable with the Historic Sites and Houses Affinity Group (HSHAG)
Salons 3 & 4
Join the Historic Sites and Houses Affinity Group (HSHAG) for a dynamic roundtable session focused on the unique challenges and opportunities of preserving and operating historic sites and houses across Texas. This interactive discussion provides attendees a chance to ask questions and share ideas on topics such as preservation, maintenance, operations, and programming. Whether you're tackling structural concerns, engaging visitors, or developing innovative programs, this session offers a collaborative space to exchange insights, strategies, and solutions with fellow professionals dedicated to keeping Texas history alive.
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Alysha Richardson
Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum
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Steve Baird
Klein Historical Foundation
Educator Roundtable with the TAM Educators Committee (TAMEC) Affinity Group
Salons 3 & 4
Museum educators: looking for an opportunity for ideas and advice in a more informal, one-on-one format? Join us for an idea exchange/expert advice in a variety of Educator Interest Areas—Speed-date style! Participants at this year's Educator Roundtable will spend 10 minutes or less in small-group discussion of each of the following: ideas for docent & volunteer corps recruitment, post-visit activities (inexpensive and meaningful extensions) idea-share(steal), successful teen programming, hosting classroom teacher in-services at your institution, and community 'friend-raisers' events/programs/collaborations.
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Erin Whitmore
The Old Jail Art Center
There's No 'I' in Museum: Using Heritage Tourism to Teach Collaboration
Salon 1
This session highlights the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) unique approach to implementing the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, a traveling exhibition program serving rural towns across America. Exploring the program's heritage tourism potential, the THC designed its MoMS training to advance interdisciplinary partnerships and emphasize the strategic alignment of storytelling, experience development, and promotion. This approach made room for different kinds of community organizations and their unique skills. More importantly, it treated capacity-building, specifically in regard to the cultivation of robust heritage landscapes, as a community-wide or regional aim, not just an organizational one. Attendees will hear from THC staff and past MoMS participants on successful partnerships, challenges, and lessons learned. Key takeaways include strategies for regional collaboration, understanding different organizational needs, and best practices for heritage tourism initiatives.
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Jennifer Eckermann
Visit Brenham/City of Brenham
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Mallory Laurel
Texas Historical Commission
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Erin Shields
The Old Jail Art Center
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Shelby Curtis
City of San Augustine
Inspired: Small Museums Share Impact of IMLS Inspire Grants
Salon 5
The IMLS Inspire grant for small museums funds projects between $5,000 and $25,000 requiring no matching funds and those projects requesting funding between $25,001 and $75,000 do require a 1:1 match in two categories: Lifelong Learning and Collections Access and Stewardship. These funds can be transformative for small museums enabling giant leaps forward, incremental change, and exploration of new initiatives that would otherwise be unattainable due to limited resources. Inspire grant recipients share their experiences and the impact these project-specific grant funds have made on their museums. Participants will gain insights on the Inspire grant process through peer-to-peer learning from these case studies.
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Caitlin Clay
Art Museum of Southeast Texas
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Marcelo Ramirez Garcia-Rojas
International Museum of Art and Science
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Melinda McPeek
Institute of Museum and Library Services
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Michael Ables
Texas Maritime Museum
From the Magnificent to the Mundane
Salon 6
This session explores mundane programs like Docusign, practical programs like CatalogIt, and magnificent technology like the Omni Digital Dome. Come hear about three different institutions' experiences with very different technology. How can technology help your museum improve its operations or expand your visitor experiences?
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Paul Cato
Neill-Cochran House Museum
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Daniel Carey-Whalen
Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens
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Nikki Diller
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Break
Museum Emerging Leaders of Texas (MELT) Roundtable with the MELT Affinity Group
Salons 3 & 4
Forms and policies are part of everyday life in museums and cultural institutions. These look different not only in different departments but also across different types and sizes of institutions. Join the Museum Emerging Leaders of Texas (MELT) Affinity Group in a roundtable discussion and idea share for all departments: collections, exhibits, education, administration, and volunteer management. Please bring your own policies and forms for peer review and feedback.
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Chris Dyer
Dr Pepper Museum
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Rachael A. Nadeau Johnson
Dr Pepper Museum
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Coyote Balderrama Shook
Bullock Texas State History Museum
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April Love
Mayborn Museum
Creative Solutions for Museum Preservation by the Collections Managers Committee (CMC) Affinity Group
Salons 3 & 4
Join the Collections Managers Committee (CMC) Affinity Group to discuss creative solutions. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the field, come prepared to share your stories, challenges, and successes in collections while navigating budget constraints.
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Aubrey Nielsen
Brownsville Historical Association
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Cecilia Abad
Texas Historical Commission
STEM Lens on History and Culture
Sponsored by MuseWork and Texas Science & Natural History Muesum
Salon 1
This panel will provide museum and cultural site education and interpretation staff with tools to create STEM and STEAM programming successfully. Panelists from the Texas Historical Commission describe, analyze and assess their STEM and STEAM programming with the intention of providing inspiration and support for participants who wish to incorporate STEM and STEAM concepts in educational programming. Panelists share images, stories, successes, and lessons from programs they created or helped to create at their historical and cultural sites. They offer a short, easy hands-on example for participants to experience the exploration of STEM and STEAM concepts in a historical and cultural setting.
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Erin Frigo
Texas Historical Commission
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Lauren Siegel
MathHappens Foundation
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Morgan Oldham
The Alamo
Designing Community Spaces in Historic Buildings
Salon 5
How is your museum balancing the use of spaces to accommodate community gatherings, programs, and exhibits? Museum directors from Flower Hill Center in Austin and Heart of the Hills Heritage Center in Kerrville and Chief Operating Officer/Partner at Quatrefoil Associates exhibit design firm will share ideas about designing flexible spaces at museums in historic buildings that balance the use of their unique and limited spaces to offer programs and exhibitions. Each unique perspective will provide insight into how small museums are taking different approaches to create vibrant hubs for their communities.
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Roula Tsapalas
Quatrefoil Associates
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Natalie George
Flower Hill Center
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Angela Kennedy
Heart of the Hills Heritage Center
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Nina Murrell
Flower Hill Center / Murrell Office for Development and Architecture, LLC
Listening, Learning, and Working: Five Years into an Alternative Future
Salon 6
Join longtime TAM member Craig Farrell as he shares the journey of the Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History, Inc. (GCAM) and its evolution in preserving Houston’s LGBTQ+ history. Dr. Brian Riedel of Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality will provide broader context on GCAM’s impact within Houston’s LGBTQ+ community, drawing from his research and involvement with other key organizations. Joyce Gabiola, LGBTQ+ History Research Librarian at the University of Houston, will discuss the transition of GCAM’s collection to the university and how it is now being used for research.
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Craig Farrell
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History, Inc.
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Joyce Gabiola
University of Houston
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Dr. Brian Riedel
Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University
Lunch Buffet
Zlotnik Ballroom
Beyond the Numbers: Turning Data into Strategic Action for the Arts
Salons 3 & 4
This keynoye address explores how to leverage data in the museum field to inform strategic change, foster equity and inclusion, and support advocacy efforts. Starting with grounding in recent trends in data across the sector, we’ll discuss easy options for data collection around a range of topics, share available sources of data, and discuss how they can be activated. Case studies will be woven into the discussion to illustrate how museums of various types and sizes are leveraging research and data as helpful tools for their work.
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Dr. Jen Benoit-Bryan, Research Director
SMU DataArts
Break
Making the Most of Your Earned Income - Let's Hear Your 2 Cents! with the TAM Executive Leader (TAMEL) Affinity Group
Salon 6
Explore innovative ways to maximize revenue while staying mission-driven with the TAM Executive Leaders (TAMEL) Affinity Group. Bring your ideas, challenges, and best practices—we want to hear your two cents! This session is only open to Executive Directors and CEOs.
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Liz Jackson
Briscoe Western Art Museum
Starting Conversations About Volunteer Best Practices
Salon 1
Volunteers are an integral part of museums, yet volunteer issues are rarely discussed at conferences. Session attendees will examine real-world examples (including questions about firing a volunteer and grappling with federal labor regulations) and identify the best resources available to them. We will then facilitate a guided conversation in small groups to cross-pollinate ideas so that attendees can begin to outline volunteer best practices for their museums.
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April Love
Mayborn Museum
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Kaleigh Reid
Mayborn Museum
Working Together: Raising the Profile of Black Austin History
Salons 3 & 4
This panel will acquaint participants with the historical meta narrative of Austin history, which has been narrow and often exclusionary, and then will share the ways the included sites are challenging that traditional narrative. Participants will walk away with tools and ideas to expand the narrative frameworks in their own communities.
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Dr. Tara A. Dudley
NHCM
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Cathy Runnels
Carver Museum
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Dr. Rowena Dasch
Neill-Cochran House Museum
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A. Arro Smith, Ph.D.
Save Austin Cemeteries
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Michael Ward
Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms
Collection Clues: Identifying Photographic Processes
Salon 5
Since the invention of photography, the methods used to take photographs have changed drastically. Identifying the processes used in photography can help date an image and determine vital information about the people, places, and events captured in the photograph. Additionally, identifying photographic processes will assist collections managers in preserving and caring for their photographic objects.
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Alexandra Vanderhider Cuthbert
Texas Historical Commission
Break
Speed Networking
Sponsored by Primesite Web
Salons 3 & 4
Bring your business cards and your badge for a chance to meet fellow TAM Annual Meeting attendees. Through rapid-fire facilitated conversations, share what you’re doing, where you’re from, what you’re excited about, or what you want help with. Come ready to talk—the time goes quickly!
Break
Preparing For a Website Redesign: Where the Heck Do You Start?
Salons 3 & 4
In 2014, the Bullock Museum revamped its website with a custom CMS. As our strategy evolved and our CMS became unsustainable, we knew it was time for an overhaul. This session will share our journey of developing a content strategy and preparing for a website redesign. We’ll discuss engaging staff through a strategic planning framework and surveys, leveraging data from Google Analytics, and navigating the challenges we faced along the way. Participants will gain practical skills and ideas to employ in their own website and content strategy projects.
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Mel Tamporello
Bullock Texas State History Museum
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Emily Henne
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Be a Solution, Not Just a Resource: Meeting Schools and Communities Where They Are
Salon 1
Join the Discovery Center Collective to explore a community-driven approach to education and outreach. Learn how we expanded summer camps to low-income schools, brought museum experiences directly to students, and hosted inclusive events for neurodiverse individuals. Discover strategies for fostering inclusivity, building partnerships, and meeting evolving needs. Engage in group brainstorming to generate solutions for your community.
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Daniella Ramos
Don Harrington Discovery Center
Bridging the Gap from Idea to Reality: How the Briscoe Center for American History Solved Exhibit Challenges Using Practical Solutions
Sponsored by Museum Arts
Salon 5
Through stewardship, scholarship, and outreach, the Briscoe Center for American History cultivates historical knowledge and fosters exploration of our nation’s past. As a small museum whose mission is to showcase historically significant collections, the Center utilizes rotating exhibits in a flexible gallery space to maximize its program, often with limited resources. This session will feature an open discussion between members of the Center’s exhibits team focusing on the approaches, challenges, and lessons learned from successful installations. In the context of the Center’s recent exhibits, the session will explore themes of practicality, resourcefulness, and collaboration to illuminate creative ways for small museums and archival institutions to display their unique collections to a wider audience.
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Dr. Sarah Sonner
Briscoe Center for American History, UT Austin
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Suzanne M. McGarraugh
Suzanne M. McGarraugh Exhibit Design Services
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Michelle Rossomando, AIA, RID
McKinney York Architects
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Aaron Taylor, AIA
McKinney York Architects
Small, but Mighty! Corporate Sponsorship Programs for Small Organizations
Salon 6
Are you looking to launch or build your corporate sponsorship program, but not sure how to start? Get some practical ideas on how to identify, attract, and steward corporate donors. We’ll also cover the bonus benefits that corporate partners can bring to your mission – including prospective board members, volunteers, in-kind services, and publicity. The discussion will be intended for implementation by organizations with few or no development staff.
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Jacqui Schraad, CFRE, CNM, CFRM
Texas State History Museum Foundation
Small Spaces Big Ideas: Interpreting Sensitive Content Through the Eyes of Children
Salon 1
This session explores the challenges and insights gained in developing an exhibition on children’s experiences during World War II. From addressing sensitive topics in an age-appropriate way to overcoming space limitations while creating immersive environments, the exhibition’s concept evolved—from placing children in the role of soldiers to examining how the war shaped their daily lives and families. Learn about the creative solutions and lessons learned throughout the process.
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Chris Frison
National Musuem of the Pacific War - D|G Studios
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Brad Parker
BPI
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Nicole Huang
BPI
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Aaron Scarlata
Exhibit Concepts, Inc.
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David Shields
National Museum of the Pacific War
Innovative Programming: Filling the Gap
Salon 5
Every museum has a gap in who they reach in their community and it can be overwhelming to come up with different ways to engage with your gap audiences. This session will look at ways the Log Cabin Village and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History have developed programs with their gap communities in mind.
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Shae Nawoj
Log Cabin Village
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Bethany Cuthbertson
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
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Rebecca Reed
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Demystifying Collections Insurance: How This Valuable Tool Can Help Safeguard Your Museum’s Mission
Salon 6
Collections insurance plays a crucial role in safeguarding your museum’s mission. In this informative session, we’ll explore the ins and outs of collections insurance, demystifying its purpose, coverage, and who needs it. Whether you’re a curator, museum director, registrar, board member, or collector, understanding collections insurance is essential for protecting your irreplaceable collection. Join us as we unravel the complexities of collections insurance and empower you to make informed decisions for your museum collection.
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Nonie Tompkins
Distinguished Fine Art and Collectibles
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Joy S. Simpson
Higginbotham
Texas and America's 250th Anniversary
Sponsored by The Bullock Museum
Salons 3 & 4
Curious about the Semiquicentennial in 2026 (like how to pronounce it) and what you can do to participate? Join the presiding chair of the Texas America250 Commission for insight into this historic anniversary and learn how Texas is key to this national conversation. This 25-minute, fast-paced informational session will include time for questions and idea-sharing.
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Margaret Koch
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Exhibitor Reception
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Join us for a lively evening of networking, featuring an Austin-inspired cocktail and the latest innovations from our exhibitors. Connect with industry peers, explore new services and solutions, and don’t forget to visit each exhibitor for a chance to win a free registration to the TAM 2026 Annual Conference!
Directors and CEOs Reception hosted by the Harry Ransom Center
Harry Ransom Center
Museum leaders and current and past TAM Councilors from across the state mix and mingle during this special VIP Invitation Only event. The Harry Ransom Center exhibitions will be open to VIP invitees during the reception.
50th Birthday Bash at the Bullock Texas State History Museum & Capitol Mall
Bullock Museum and Capitol Mall Sites
Join your Capitol Mall colleagues in celebrating TAM’s 50th anniversary! Behind-the-scenes tours at the State Library and Archives, Capitol Grounds, The General Land Office, and historic Gethsemane Catholic Church, plus Great Promise for American Indians and special guest musical performances, whiskey tasting, 1970s throwback movie reels from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, curators/archivists/educators meet-up, Tamster photo-ops, and delicious hors d’oeuvres await!
Conference Registration
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Breakfast with Exhibitors
Zlotnik Pre-Function
TAM Annual Business Meeting
Salons 3 & 4
Join us as TAM introduces its newest Council members and holds its annual business meeting, where members will review the organization’s top priorities and direction for 2026 and beyond.
TAM Awards Ceremony
Salons 3 & 4
Celebrate the best of Texas museums with us! This is a chance to recognize museum industry award winners for their incredible work. Featured winners include the Jo Stewart Randel Outstanding Trustee Award, Jack Nokes Outstanding Service Award, Mitchell A. Wilder Publication Design Award Competition, the Texas Association of Museums Media Innovation & Excellence Awards (TAMMIEs), and the inaugural Texas Association of Museums Advocacy Award.
Networking Break
Award Winners Join Us on Stage for Pictures
Informed Decisions: Using Museum Visitor Data to Envision, Plan, and Make Change
Salons 3 & 4
Each fall, American Alliance of Museums and Wilkening Consulting partner to gather visitor data from Texas museums, with the Annual Survey of Museum Goers. The data collected reveal statewide, regional, and museum-specific trends, giving insight into museum visitor desires, and values. In this panel, participating Texas science, art, and history museum leaders share their experiences with the Survey, including process, methodology, analysis, and the practical application of museum data for strategic planning, board education, community outreach, and more.
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Regina Faden
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
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Amanda Blake
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
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Noël Koehn
Wilkening Consulting
On the Road: Teacher Travel Professional Development
Salon 1
In 2024, for the first time, the Alamo hosted multiple free travel professional development programs for teachers to Texas Revolution sites and Mexico City. Educators gained new perspectives and enthusiasm that invigorated their teaching practice, engaging students in the historical content more vividly. Participants will consider offsite teacher education and how it may strengthen their professional network, grow their teacher audience, and address permanent or temporary space constraints.
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Rosemary Kriegel
The Alamo
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Alexander Rivard
The Alamo
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Heike Jenkins
Texas Historical Commission
Transformations: Physically and Intellectually Moving Museum Collections
Salon 5
Join the Collections staff of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Crow Museum of Asian Art to learn about moving collections under two very different circumstances. One moved during a global pandemic, the other moved into a museum under construction.
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Stephanie Allen-Givens
Crow Museum of Asian Art at the University of Texas at Dallas
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Charles Camp
Crow Museum of Asian Art at the University of Texas at Dallas
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Devorah Hale
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
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Karen Morton
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Museum Hot Seat: What’s on Your Mind?
Salon 6
What’s on everyone’s mind in the museum world? You tell us! In this interactive session, we’re tackling the most pressing topics submitted anonymously by TAM members—no question is off-limits. A moderator will guide the discussion, diving into the challenges, trends, and hot topics that matter most to you. Whether you’re here to listen, share insights, or get advice, come ready to talk and engage in a dynamic conversation shaped by your peers.
Networking & Exhibitor Break
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Lunch Buffet
Zlotnik Pre-Function
Lunch and Keynote: Creative Aging Comes of Age - In Museums
Salons 3 & 4
Teresa Bonner will give an overview of the Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums initiative that helped art museums strategically reframe their relationships with older adults – to understand them as essential, competent, creative and contributing participants in the life of the museum – and to create Vitality Arts programs designed for them. Each museum developed art-making programs for older adults to address the growing awareness of ageism in our society and in recognition of the role that art museums can play in providing creative aging opportunities to the community. Paul Coffey will address how the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Glassell School of Art achieved the ambitious goals of the Vitality Arts Project in collaboration with underserved communities of older adults in Houston, Texas. The project What I Know and When I Knew It is MFAH’s answer to Vitality Arts proposition.
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Teresa Bonner
E.A. Michelson Philanthropy
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Paul Coffey
Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Break
Inclusive and Belonging Leadership: Building Stronger Teams and Organizations with the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Affinity Group
Salons 3 & 4
Join IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access) for a presentation from special guest speaker Tonya Veasey, President and CEO of Open Channels Group+.
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Tonya Veasey
Open Channels Group+
'The Color Inside' with the Art Affinity Group (AAG)
Meet in the AT&T Center lobby at 1:15 to travel as a group to the Landmark public art installation.
The Art Affinity Group (AAG) roundtable exploring public art as an educational tool will take place at the “The Color Inside” by James Turrell on the University of Texas at Austin campus. This installation, a work in the Landmark public art collection, is a naked-eye observatory on top of the WCP building, where visitors view the sky through an oculus in the ceiling. Begin the session with a mediation in the space led by Landmark Education Coordinator, Catherine Whited. A roundtable conversation facilitated in part by Whited will follow.
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Catherine Whited
University of Texas at Austin, Landmarks
'Not Another Furniture Tour!': Connect Historic House Museums with the 21st Century Community
Salon 1
Focusing on historic house museums with varying collections and visitor involvement, this talk looks at options for staff to encourage interest in their sites through programs and exhibits grounded in a reexamination of their objects. Based on current initiatives at art and history museums, we will discuss using collections as a starting place for dialogs that connect audiences with contemporary social and community interests. We hope to provide curators and interpreters with a new framework for looking at material culture by walking through examples using artifacts from the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Sites.
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Jamie A. Ross
Texas Historical Commission
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Sara Nezamabadi
Texas Historical Commission
Most Expensive Mistakes Museum Administrators Make You Easily Can Avoid
Salon 5
Want to make sure your institution follows both the letter and the spirit of laws related to collections and exhibitions? Laura Fowler, from Fowler Law Firm, will discuss how to turn “best intentions” into best practices in ownership, use, and promotion of art and artifacts, sharing what to do before, not after, you discover an issue.
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Laura Fowler
Fowler Law Firm
Bridging Art & Play: Creating Public Spaces for Community, Culture, and Collaboration
Salon 6
When designing outdoor art that is meant for public interaction, what perspectives are important to consider? From playscapes to monumental bronze, how can we honor our heritage and serve our communities through the design process? This session explores two diverse projects—life-size mammoth sculptures at the Mayborn Museum and an outdoor children’s exhibit at Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites, the interactivity and creativity involved, and what we didn’t realize we didn’t know!
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Jenny Townzen
Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill SHS (Texas Historical Commission)
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Gavin Miculka
Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill SHS (Texas Historical Commission)
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Trey Crumpton
Mayborn Museum
Break
Rising from the Rubble: Community Building in the Wake of Disaster
Salon 1
In Feb/March of 2024, the largest wildfire in Texas history ripped through the Panhandle. Feeling helpless, Discovery Center staff identified ways we could think and act outside the box to be a present and helpful member of our community. DCC staff will share strategies for connection and support, from opening their doors to the public to hosting Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday with our neighboring wildlife rescue. This session will identify ways museums can connect in unique ways with other organizations to support communities during and after loss.
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Daniella Ramos
Don Harrington Discovery Center
When Museums and Libraries Collide
Salons 3 & 4
On university and college campuses, exhibits in non-museum spaces are not uncommon. Libraries, in particular, are expected to have dedicated exhibit spaces to showcase their collections. While the core mission of academic libraries revolves around access and research, they are also home to rare materials that are only sometimes found in typical museums. These exhibit spaces enhance the library's mission by providing context and insight into the institution's unique holdings
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Kali Mercy
Perot Family Collections
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Rachel Lavenda
University of Pittsburgh Library System, Archives & Special Collections
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Megan Massanelli
University of Pittsburgh
Who's Got the Buckets: Bailing Yourself out of Situations You Weren't Trained For
Salon 6
Every museum leader faces challenges that feel overwhelming—burnout, imposter syndrome, unexpected disasters, and more. How do we navigate these situations, stay in control, and lead effectively when our degrees didn’t prepare us for everything? In this session, we’ll share strategies to prioritize problems, manage crises without reaching burnout, and put difficult moments into perspective. Attendees will learn how to step back, maintain balance, and recognize their role as professionals equipped to handle tough situations with confidence. Join us to gain tools for managing yourself and your team through life’s most difficult moments.
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Alysha Richardson
Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum
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Emily Smith
Temple Children's Museum
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Veronica Amoe
City of Nacogdoches Historic Sites Division
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Logan Baird
Museum Professional
Playing Detective: Maintaining Outdoor Public Art When Information is Lacking
Salon 5
In a perfect world, outdoor artworks would have detailed maintenance manuals full of instructions, photos and advice. In reality, many collections managers must don their detective hats to deduce the best means to maintain particular artworks. In this session, public art professionals will highlight recent maintenance projects which required creative thinking in finding information, determining when to consult outside experts, executing the task, and archiving projects. Topics discussed will include: working with incomplete or inaccessible documentation; assessing and adapting to physical issues; and communication challenges. The presenters will also share multiple pathways to success that were found or forged from these instances, and how such experiences can lead to better records, strong networks of diverse specialists, and longer lifetimes for public artworks.
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Kirstin Cutts
City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture
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Lindsay Hamm Havekost
Landmarks, the public art program of the University of Texas at Austin
TAM Academic Project Showcase Competition
Bullock Museum Austin Room
See the future of Texas museum professionals on display at the Bullock Museum’s Austin room, where students will present their research contributions to the museum field before a state-wide audience of scholars and museum professionals.
Austin Museum Activations
Bullock Museum Austin Room
TAM is excited to offer educational activities highlighting Austin’s local institutions. Join us across the street at the Bullock Museum’s Austin room for hands-on engagement experiences.
Evening Events
Texas Science and Natural History Museum
Join your Capitol Mall colleagues in celebrating TAM’s 50th anniversary! Behind-the-scenes tours at the State Library and Archives, Capitol Grounds, The General Land Office, and historic Gethsemane Catholic Church, plus Great Promise for American Indians and special guest musical performances, whiskey tasting, 1970s throwback movie reels from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, curators/archivists/educators meet-up, Tamster photo-ops, and delicious hors d’oeuvres await!
Evening Events
The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center
Building Bridges: Advocacy for Impact at the State Legislature
Salons 3 & 4
Join us for a timely panel discussion on the power of legislative advocacy in shaping the future of Texas museums. Learn how to effectively navigate policy-making from experienced experts, and come away with tools to secure vital support and resources for our cultural institutions.
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Chris Kiley
Texans for the Arts
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Representative Vilma Luna
Government Affairs & Legislative Consulting
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Aschelle Morgan
Dallas Museum of Art
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Jenny Parry
Texas Cultural Trust
TAM at the Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
Join us at the Texas State Capitol to hear TAM's 50th Anniversary proclomation read. After, consider staying to visit your state representative at the Capitol for an opportunity to advocate for your museum and share the importance of cultural institutions in your community.
Putting It All Together: Preparing for 2026 at Small History Organizations
Salon 1
The U.S. 250th is an opportunity to share history that tells everyone's story and to strengthen the history field. AASLH has developed key resources to help practitioners both conceptually and concretely plan for this commemoration's transformative potential. Attend this workshop to learn more about the Making History at 250 field guide, our new handbook of low-resource programming ideas, and how to effectively apply these tools to your site or organization.
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Melissa Prycer
Prycer Consulting
Full S.T.E.A.M Ahead: How to Foster the S.T.E.A.M. Mindset in Your Museum
Salon 2
Everything is science! Everything is art! Explore how you can incorporate a S.T.E.A.M. mindset into your facility using cross-curricular, multi-modal approaches to help connect all learners to your core subject matter. S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) has been a buzzword for some time and is often used to help justify field trips or get donors on board with an eye to workforce preparedness. Recently, an A for Art has been added to change the S.T.E.M. to S.T.E.A.M. but, rather than treating art as a science and vice versa, art is often used superficially to convey scientific concepts. Additionally, museums that do not deal directly with science or art as a core subject matter, may find it more difficult to make meaningful connections to S.T.E.A.M. in their programming and displays. Looking at subject matter in a cross-curricular, multi-modal way is fundamental for making all learners feel successful, creating equitable pathways for discovery and creating meaningful connections to content.
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Kathleen Havens
Houston Museum of Natural Science
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Nicole Temple
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Innovative and Non-Traditional Strategies: Relaunching Your Museum for The Future
Salons 3 & 4
In today's competitive environment, museums must continuously innovate and adapt their fundraising, hiring and social enterprise strategies to ensure sustainable growth and success. This workshop will explore cutting-edge approaches to expanding social enterprise/branding, fundraising operations and hiring practices, focusing on practical examples, audience participation, and diverse perspectives. Attendees will learn how to effectively diversify their funding sources, leverage community partnerships, and implement best hiring practices and new technology-driven tools, implement board diversification strategies and new fundraising solutions and social enterprise opportunities. Guest panelists include; Teresa Heidt, Neiman Marcus; Catharine Recht, Frontiers of Flight Museum; and Allison Allen, GTN Consulting.
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Abigail Erickson-Torres
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Preserving Moving Images: Building Confidence with Archival Media Formats
Salon 5
Cultural workers face a challenging lack of hands-on educational opportunities to learn the basics of preserving archival audiovisual materials. Our workshop addresses the growing need for media preservation skills among archivists, historians, curators, genealogists, and generally those who work with historic materials. In this 3 hour workshop, participants will learn how to identify common media formats, conduct preservation assessments, and digitize video formats. Attendees will become confident in their ability to identify and preserve analog film and video formats and gain the skills necessary to work with these materials when encountering them in the field. This workshop is hosted by Ari Negovschi Regalado, Technical Director of Texas Archive of the Moving Image.
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Ari Negovschi Regalado
Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Don't Just Prepare for the Last War: Informed Emergency Preparedness
Salon 6
Emergency preparedness is as much about understanding the risks a museum faces and mitigating those risks as it is about gathering resources to recover from their impacts. Using risk assessment and after-action review tools, online resources, and active mitigation steps, museums can target their emergency preparedness efforts and resources effectively amid changing staff, climate, and demographics. THC historic sites speakers will present experiences with some of the most common emergencies with lessons learned, and basic long- and short-range preparedness steps. This will focus on medical emergencies, grassland fires, and severe weather events.
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Stephen Kelly
Texas Historical Commission
Landmarks Tour: Public Art at UT Austin
AT&T Hotel and Conference Center Lobby
Join a walking tour with Landmarks staff to see highlights from UT Austin’s award-winning public art program. Comprised of 50 modern and contemporary works by some of the most admired artists of our time, the collection is one of the most distinguishing features of the main campus. On this tour, you will see installations by artists José Parlá, Raoul Hague, and others, and learn about Landmarks’ process for selecting and funding new projects. Participants will be on foot for the entirety of the tour.
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Catherine Whited
University of Texas at Austin, Landmarks
Briscoe Center for American History Tour History and Fate: The Goodwins and The 1960s
The Briscoe Center: Please meet the shuttle outside the west entrance of the conference center on Whitis Avenue between 20th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The shuttle will pick up between the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center and Rowling Hall.
History and Fate: The Goodwins and the 1960s Join Dr. Sarah Sonner, Associate Director for Curation at the Briscoe Center for American History, for a private guided tour of History and Fate: The Goodwins and the 1960s, an exhibition that presents the events and pivotal figures of the decade through the papers of Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard N. Goodwin. The exhibition traces the entwining stories of the Goodwins' relationship, their proximity to power, and reflections on a tumultuous era seen in its most intimate moments. On the tour, Dr. Sonner will also talk about working with archival materials and the role Dr. Goodwin played in the creation of the exhibition. Attendees meet at the entrance to the Briscoe Center for American History
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Dr. Sarah Sonner
Briscoe Center for American History
Black Austin History Tour with Visit Austin
Please meet the shuttle outside the west entrance of the conference center on Whitis Avenue between 20th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The shuttle will pick up between the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center and Rowling Hall.
Join celebrated tour guide and native Austinite Harrison Eppright on an exploration of Black Austin history from the city's founding up through school desegregation in the 1970s. The tour will visit important sites of Black Austin history in Central Austin and then explore the East Side, where the Black community consolidated in the twentieth century. Optional: Pay your own way lunch at Hoover’s after the tour. Further info will be sent to registrants.
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Harrison Eppright
Visit Austin