This session focuses on how museums bridge generational gaps to ensure long-term vitality. Leaders from the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Nora Eccles Harris Museum, and Kimball Art Center share innovative strategies for engaging children, college students, and seniors. This panel explores how tailoring programs to specific life stages fosters community engagement. Attendees will walk away with a "Life-Stage Toolkit" to broaden their audience base and build sustainable, inclusive institutional models resonating across the patron lifespan.

Museums in historic buildings come with their own set of challenges such as accessibility, environmental concerns in collections, and ongoing building maintenance. Because of these issues, our "wins" or measures of success often look different from those museums in purpose-built, modern facilities. Explore how reframing those metrics can demonstrate relevance to your community, improve staff mental health, and celebrate the unique things historic buildings can offer that more traditional museums often cannot.

Discover how the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden's "50 for 50" initiative is redefining collections care through a national model that shares American art across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Examining the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art's role as the host venue for Utah, this session highlights creative strategies for reimagining storage and stewardship through cross-institutional partnerships. Attendees will walk away with practical approaches to enhance collections care and access through intra-museum collaboration.

This session will address three of the top strategies that museums of various sizes can use when seeking funding from a variety of sources: Individuals, Foundations, Corporations, Government Agencies, Membership, Planned Gifts, and Capital Campaigns. These skills can be used by development professionals and any other staff involved in fundraising requests. This session covers basic Development skills as explained by seasoned Development professionals.

What does it mean to lead with vulnerability in museum spaces? Grounded in Brené Brown's research, this panel explores how courage, trust, and authenticity strengthen teams and institutional culture. Presenters will share real-world examples, challenges, and practical strategies for applying vulnerability-based leadership in museums. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to foster connection, resilience, and innovation within their organizations.

$62

Sponsored by Blue Rhino Design

This luncheon is open to Directors, Deputy Directors, CEOs, CFOs, Leadership Team Members, and Trustees. The Luncheon will feature guest speaker Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D, Louise Taft Semple President & CEO, Taft Museum of Art. Discussion will follow. 

$28

The Registrar’s Committee Western Region (RCWR) Annual Business Meeting Luncheon is open to RCWR members, collection professionals, and related vendors.

$62

Especially for curators, development officers, educators, evaluators, exhibit designers, and all who make possible the engaging stories that museums tell, but open to all. The recipient of the Charles Redd Award for exhibit excellence will present on the winning exhibition.