At the 2023 TAM Conference in Memphis, our keynote speaker, Jeff Kollath of the Stax Museum, told a story about why the Stax Foundation chose to focus on preserving the story of Stax and the stories of the people who lived in its community. He said, “If we don’t do it, who will?” As the TAM Board was in the early stages of planning the 2024 TAM Conference in Murfreesboro, Jeff’s words kept coming to the surface. We decided to take his story as a challenge for the 2024 Conference . . . If Not Us, Who?

• Who will preserve the buildings in our town?

• Who will show the work of local artists to the public?

• Who will capture the stories of all the people who make up our city, county, or state?

• Who will take care of the art and artifacts in our possession?

• Who will educate school kids about the history of their hometown?

• Who will advocate for financial resources for Tennessee museums?

• Who will promote the good work being carried out by museums of all sizes in Tennessee?

If Not Us, Who? will be our rallying cry as we gather at the geographic center of our state, Murfreesboro, TN. This year’s conference will be different from past years. We are focusing on the theme and location as an opportunity to host the first Tennessee Museums Advocacy Day on Capital Hill in Nashville.

We will start the conference on the afternoon of Monday, March 18 with a training session to prepare us for visits to our state senator and representative on Tuesday. This half-day, free workshop will introduce pending legislation and issues impacting Tennessee’s museums. 

Tuesday morning, March 19, we will travel to Nashville to hold meetings with our legislators and rally on the hill to promote Tennessee museums. We will be back in Murfreesboro in time for lunch, which will kick off the rest of the conference. It will end at noon on Thursday, March 21.