The Quad Cities will play host to the Iowa Museum Association’s 2023 Conference from Sunday through Tuesday, Oct. 1-3, beginning with a kickoff event at the German American Heritage Center in downtown Davenport.
The Western Illinois University Museum Studies program, in conjunction with the Figge Art Museum and the Putnam Museum, will host the “Power of Place: Celebrating our Museum Community” conference.
“2023 will be the first time the Iowa Museum Association has held an in-person conference since it moved online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” WIU Museum Studies Director Heidi Lung said in a news release. “As former IMA Board president (2018-2022) and director of the WIU Museum Studies graduate program, it is an honor to welcome museum professionals and enthusiasts to the Quad Cities and the WIU Moline campus. This is a one-of-a-kind professional opportunity that is free to all WIU Museum Studies graduate students.”
The full conference will include Sunday kick-off events as well as Monday and Tuesday full sessions with lunch and refreshments included. The cost is $195 a person; students $100.
One-day options also are available Monday or Tuesday. Both include lunch and refreshments for $100 a person; $50 for students. Reservations for attending the Sunday night walking tour or exhibit tour are available and must be added to the conference registration.
The conference schedule includes:
- Sunday, Oct. 1, from 6-8 p.m., kickoff event to the 2023 Iowa Museum Association Annual Conference at the German American Heritage Center and Museum in downtown Davenport. Snacks, appetizers and beverages will be provided to all attendees. Optional activities include a modified version of the “Haunted Walking Tour” around a historic neighborhood at 6:30 p.m. and a guided tour of the permanent exhibition, “The German Immigrant Experience,” at 7:15 p.m. Space is limited for both activities.
- Monday, Oct. 2, sessions will be divided between the Figge Art Museum and the Putnam Museum where attendees will hear from keynote speakers, attend breakout sessions and participate in informal networking opportunities. Lunch will be at the Figge Art Museum.
- Tuesday, Oct. 3: The WIU Museum Studies program will host conference attendees at the WIU-Quad Cities campus along the Mississippi River in Moline. Attendees will hear from keynote speakers, attend breakout sessions and be given opportunities to meet with industry experts and businesses.
The deadline to register for the conference is Wednesday, Sept. 20. To register, visit bit.ly/45t4THR. For assistance registering, contact Director@iowamuseums.org or (319) 239-2236.
For more information on WIU’s Museum Studies program, visit wiu.edu/museumstudies.
