Expect the Unexpected: Embracing and Managing Change, Uncertainty, and Surprise
Thanks to everyone who submitted an abstract or program idea! The 2024 meeting in Salt Lake City is going to be excellent.
We will announce the 2025 meeting theme in late spring, and submissions will be due by September 15. Please review the Abstract Guidelines when preparing your abstract. We hope you will plan to join us in Minneapolis next year!
Meeting Theme
In his novel
Slapstick or Lonesome no More! Kurt Vonnegut wrote “history is merely a list of surprises… it can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” For those of us working to study, treat, and preserve cultural heritage our jobs often involve encounters with the surprising and unexpected. We may encounter unanticipated materials on an object, have to change treatment methodology as new information comes to light, uncover new aspects of an artistic practice, discover unexpected advantages of a collaboration, or navigate shifting institutional or client priorities. While these types of uncertainty can be exciting, terrifying, and stressful, they present real opportunities for growth and learning. At AIC’s 52nd Annual Meeting—May 20-24, 2024, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah—we want to hear your stories of encountering the unexpected, of the surprising things you’ve learned and the pivots you’ve had to make. Through sharing our experiences, we can help our community be prepared to be surprised (yet) again and to embrace and take full advantage of the opportunities presented when the unexpected occurs.