AWTT staff members are excited to attend, for the first time ever, the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo in Philadelphia on May 20-23. We’ll be on the floor of the MuseumExpo during all hours that the Expo is open, so please stop by to see us. We’ll have posters, bags, mugs, greeting cards – lots of fun stuff. And some stunning portraits, of course.

AWTT offers a variety of ways to engage with its portraits and portrait subjects. Curate an exhibit choosing from the 280+ AWTT portraits. Exhibits are often built around themes of environmental justice, civil rights, indigenous issues, women’s rights, and more. Exhibits have been staged in universities, museums, schools, libraries, and churches around the country. Exhibits have been as small as 8 portraits to all 250+, no matter how large or small an exhibit, the impact is equally impactful.

This year’s meeting theme – The Museum Odyssey – feels like a perfect fit for our first outing with AAM:

“Time shapes our lives—marking change, preserving memory, and connecting us across generations. It shapes museums too. As timekeepers, travelers, chroniclers, and seers, museums help communities understand the past, make meaning in the present, and imagine the future.

“In 2026, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, museums have a unique opportunity to reexamine the past, embrace the present, and help shape what comes next. Philadelphia—the birthplace of American democracy and home to the nation’s first library, zoo, and combined art school and museum—offers the perfect setting for this reflection.

“The 2026 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo programming will explore the theme, The Museum Odyssey, through four tracks—Museums as Timekeepers, Time Travelers, Chroniclers, and Seers—in addition to a new track this year, Museum Essentials and Evolving Practices that focuses on core skills and strategies for every area of museum work.”

Go here for more info about 2026 AMM