Small Museum Association
Small Museums Working Together
38th Annual SMA Conference
Seizing the Moment
Opportunities for Radical Change
Small museums are uniquely positioned to pivot quickly to respond to the changing needs of our audiences. As we reflect on the impacts of the dual pandemics that came to the forefront in 2020, that of COVID-19 and racial injustice around the world, how can we seize the moment to create lasting, meaningful change for our institutions and our communities? If not now, when?
Sunday, February 20 to Tuesday, February 22, 2022
The conference is currently being rescheduled to a spring date to be announced soon!
The Hotel at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland
About
The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues. We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers.
Registration
Find out more about registration rates and register online.
Health Protocols
The Small Museum Association is committed to protecting all attendees and conference hotel staff during the ongoing health crisis. Please see our Health Protocols page for more information.
Sessions
Detailed schedule coming in the New Year!
- Assimilate, Repurpose, Adapt: Case Studies (Michael Burns)
- Intentional and Impactful Design (Sara Clarke-De Reza)
- Experiential Learning For Young People (Anne Comer)
- Participants not Patrons: Assistive Technology (Lindsay Crawford)
- Safeguarding Your Collection (Emilia Boehm Emig)
- Board Conversations (Ellen Endslow)
- The Great Outdoors: Utilizing Outdoor Spaces (Hannah Gaston)
- Creating a Flexible, Radical, and Accessible Audio Guide (Auni Gelles)
- Let's talk about Race (Artura Jackson)
- Using Youtube: Education & Fundraising (Libby Jones)
- Creating a Community-Based Museum (Mia Kang)
- Developing Tours for Social Justice (VJ Kopacki)
- Workshopping a Continuing Education Workshop (Mike Kuethe)
- Pandemic and Social Unrest at the NIH (Michele Lyons)
- Cultivating Your Mindset : Professional Development (Beth Maloney)
- Amstel House: Re-Organization & Conservation (Kelsey Marino)
- Fundraising for Impact: Making Your Case (Kathryn K. Matthew)
- Time to Think Big: Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (Regan Moore)
- BORED of Directors: Refocusing Your Committees (John Orr)
- Centering Silent Voices (Leigh Ryan)
- Bridging the Virtual Divide (Rachel Serkin)
- StoryTroves: Difficult Conversations (Christopher Stapleton)
- The Cards We're Dealt (Aaron Stoyack)
- Disaster Planning (Allison Titman)
- Foundation for Change (Matthew White)
- A Home Run: Creating Homeschool (Abbie Wilson)
- The Library of Congress into Your Small Museum (Michelle Zupan)
Hotel
Find out more about the conference hotel and room block.
Accessibility
The Small Museum Association is committed to holding events and programs that are open and welcoming to all. Please see SMA's Accessibility Statement for more details.
Sponsorship & Support Opportunities
The Small Museum Association invites you to attend the conference to meet our members and attendees, and at the same time, support the small museum field. Your support makes this conference possible! This year, the content of the SMA conference is focusing on Museums as Catalysts of Social Change and will attract over 300 museum professionals from across the country. The SMA conference is the ideal market for your museum-field services and products! Support opportunities include mask sponsorships, resource hall tables, scholarship underwriting, and more.