Texas museums are facing many challenges in these uncertain economic times. In addition to managing in a slower economy, many of our museums in Texas are also recovering from devastating weather conditions and are busy at work restoring their institutions. As non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting natural and cultural history and the visual arts, we take our missions very seriously and refuse to be “derailed.”

The Association of Professional Model Makers 2010 Conference 'Revolutions in Model Making - Creating the Future Faster'. The keynote speaker is Neil Gershenfeld, Director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms and author of the book "FAB...the coming revolution on your desktop - from personal computer to personal fabrication". Saturday and Sunday are workshops on the latest model making materials, techniques, tools and resources as well as career essentials. Friday and Monday are tours of Boston area model facilities at DEKA, RISD, Continuum, BOSE, Rhode Island School of Design, Hasbro, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Boston City Model and MIT. Student Model Making Contest with a $500 first prize and a RepRap personal fabricator to the winner's school.

Store managers and buyers, museum retail staff, marketing directors and volunteer service coordinators – whatever your position at your institution, you won't want to miss the 2010 Conference and Expo.

Store managers and buyers, museum retail staff, marketing directors and volunteer service coordinators – whatever your position at your institution, you won't want to miss the 2010 Conference and Expo.

Neuroscience confirms that play significantly effects the development of a young child’s brain. Social science studies indicate that play helps a child build interpersonal and self-regulation abilities. Futurists point to the global economy and the need for a workforce that can imagine, innovate and empathize. As leaders in early childhood education, children’s museums engage infants, toddlers and children through play to think critically and creatively. Exhibits and programs provide children with tangible interactions that challenge them to accomplish small and large feats. Museum outreach and community partnerships ensure that children of all backgrounds and abilities find ways to play and learn about the world in which we live. The results of these efforts yield dramatic rewards — children with critical cognitive, motor, social and emotional competencies that enable them to reach their full potential and to be ready to participate as 21st century learners and contributors.

This year's theme, Museums Without Borders, will explore the connections between cultures from around the world and in our own backyards. New to the 2010 meeting, AAM is introducing an International Track with sessions simultaneously translated in Spanish and Mandarin.

We invite you to join us in celebrating "The Garden Canvas: Colors of Success" at the 2010 APGA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is a vibrant, energetic metropolis of over five million people. With a rich cultural heritage, fine dining, sports, and entertainment, it attracts people from all over the world who find warmth in its famed southern hospitality.

SPEAKING UP FOR MUSEUMS; Institutional Advocacy

Mingle with the world's leading museum professionals. Don't miss out - 7th-9th June 2010 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Oklahoma offers the perfect locale for examining how the winds of opportunity can alter an economy, change a life, or build a community. As home to major oil and gas producing giants, Oklahoma is keenly aware of market fluctuations and national trends. As energy prices skyrocketed in 2008, it also allowed the oil and gas industry to increase their support of cultural and arts activities. Some of the companies that experienced dramatic revenue growth shared some of those profits with museums and cultural entities resulting in substantial support for the development of new museums, renovations, exhibits and program support, and contributions to endowments.

The premier event for zoo and aquarium professionals, AZA's Annual Conference brings together leaders in our community for 6-full days of: Networking with peers, Exploration of new ideas and best practices, Sharing of successful programs, ad Learning about new technology, products, and services. Attendees are guaranteed to be challenged with vibrant speakers from inside and outside the community, expert-led educational programming, face-to-face meetings with colleagues, more than 120 service providers in the Exhibit Hall, exciting networking and social events, and the famous Zoo Day!

We’ll make it easier than ever before to network with your colleagues who are facing the same challenges. We’ll introduce you to creative thinkers who engineered out-of-the-box innovations and best practices for their centers. And we’ll equip you with cutting-edge strategies for creating community partnerships and exciting your visitor base. Join us in Honolulu!

Each year, hundreds of museum professionals convene at the AMM conference to network and share valuable information about the museum profession. In 2010, AMM will host a conference in Cleveland, Ohio at the historic Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel will serve as the host hotel for the conference.

Museums are often asked to prove their value as collection stewards, educators, community centers, and contributors to the economy. It’s incumbent upon all of us to help find the best ways to promote museums’ value. This proof will take many forms, from benchmarking data to the eyewitness account of a delighted six-year-old.

How can historic house museums remain relevant to their audiences, when terms as 'the old home place' and 'family' now carry different definitions than they did for the original occupants? Conference topics range from new theories and learning systems to practical applications and revisited methods for guiding germane museum programming, given today’s museum-going public differs greatly from previous generations.