Joint Western Museums Association/Utah Museum Association Conference

Western Museum Association’s 2026 Annual Meeting will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 23-26, produced in partnership with the Utah Museums Association.

With the theme of ASPIRE, WMA 2026 invites museum professionals to imagine boldly, reaching beyond inherited boundaries to shape futures not yet written. To ASPIRE is not simply to dream; it is to take intentional steps toward transformation. In museums, this means embracing innovation, confronting historical silences, and cultivating practices that reflect the diverse realities of the publics we serve. Whether expanding community engagement, rethinking stewardship, or exploring new interpretive strategies, the act of aspiring requires us to hold space for possibility.

ASPIRE to do, to be, and to see great things.

This year we gather in Salt Lake City, a place shaped by layered histories, evolving communities, and ongoing efforts to reckon with land, identity, and belonging. Against this backdrop, ASPIRE invites us to forge stronger partnerships, uplift underrepresented voices, and build frameworks that honor both local stories and global perspectives.

ASPIRE with us in Salt Lake City as we envision what museums can become when we commit to growth, empathy, and accountability!

Requests for proposals will open in February 2026.