2019 TAM Annual Conference

March 20-22, Clarksville, TN

Community engagement is not a new topic for museums. John Cotton Dana wrote over 100 years ago that “Learn what aid the community needs: fit the museum to those needs.” (1917). Today, more than ever, museums rely on their local communities as resources vital to the sustainability of our institutions. They provide financial support, volunteer time, rich stories about community history, beautiful art for exhibit installations, and more.

This year’s conference will focus on the question: How can museums in Tennessee better cultivate these valuable community resources, connect to new audiences in our backyard, and use them to become more sustainable institutions?

The city of Clarksville and its surrounding towns provide a rich backdrop to the discussion of community engagement. With settlements dating back to the Mississippian Indians and earlier, Clarksville has been a gathering place to bring groups of people around common interests. The Cumberland River offered a natural way to share news and ideas as well as providing sustenance to those who settled in the region.

In 2019 as TAM gathers near the river in Clarksville, the sessions and evening outings to local museums allow time to discuss issues related to using our local resources to advance our missions within our communities. Get ideas on how to cultivate and connect to your community from the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, Austin Peay State University, Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center, Historic Collinsville, and the Don F. Pratt Museum at Fort Campbell.

Connecting to community is critical for sustainability for cultural institutions. Let’s gather in Clarksville as a museum community to share successes, learn from failures, and gain valuable information on how to make our institutions critical community assets.