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Apply to AAMC Foundation 2026 Art Curators Conference Open Call

Submit your ideas around enduring and emerging curatorial topics for the 2026 Art Curators Conference!

AAMC Foundation is the flagship organization for art curators across the globe. Through leadership, connectivity, mentorship, and advocacy, AAMC Foundation supports and values the work of art curators at all stages of their careers across departmental affiliations. We are a compelling advocate and resource for those who care about the role of curators as agents of change, social impact, and multicultural understanding. Among our signature programs is our annual Art Curators Conference, which convenes art curators and art world leadership from across the world for a two-day conference. 

AAMC Foundation is seeking dynamic, fresh ideas for panel discussions and talks that bring responsive, representative, and critical topics, as well as innovative social models, to the 2026 edition of the Art Curator Conference, which is being held in New York City on April 30 and May 1, 2026. 

This is an OPEN CALL — you do not need to be an AAMC Foundation member to apply. 


TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

Please provide all session application materials listed below through this online portal by 11:59 PM ET on NOVEMBER 6, 2025.


Application Materials:

  • Session Title
  • Session Description (250 words) including:
  • How is your proposal about urgent, groundbreaking ideas about the sustained practice of curators? 
  • Why would your panel create an interested and engaged audience? 
  • What are the key takeaways and lessons learned?
  • Who are some sample panelists or participants?
  • Session leader or moderator biography or CV.

Please note: The session leader serves as the program moderator. Moderators and speakers must attend the Conference in person. Please do not contact potential speakers before submitting. AAMC Foundation will work with you to confirm final speakers - suggestions are welcome but not guaranteed.


Sample Topics:


Successful Proposals Will: 

  • Position curators as guiding voices while including multiple perspectives (not curator-only discussions).
  • Address broader contexts beyond the object: environmental, societal, heritage, and community frameworks.
  • Respond to the urgency of the current moment. 
  • Integrate experimentation and new research towards anticipating the future of the field.
  • Support inclusivity across identity, expertise, generation, scale, organization type, and geography.
  • Include audience Q&A or build discursive threads within the one-hour session.
  • Experiment with workshop or other interactive-style formats.


Additional FAQs:

  • The 2026 Conference will be held in New York City.
  • While the Art Curators Conference is intended for AAMC Foundation members and member-led panels will be strongly represented, we welcome cultural voices that are integral to shaping the field, participants from both nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and perspectives from within and beyond the visual arts.
  • Modest conference honorariums will be provided to moderators and speakers. 
  • Speakers and moderators are responsible for their travel, meals, and accommodation. 
  • One-year AAMC Foundation membership and complimentary Conference registration are provided to each moderator and speaker. 
  • Typical conference attendance is between 250-300 international curators. 
  • Special events and receptions are open to all Conference attendees.


Visit our website here for a complete archive of past Conferences.

AAMC Foundation