Since that founding, museums have proliferated across the United States, with more than 20,000 museums serving communities nationwide today. Museums are vibrant civic institutions that invite their audiences on a journey through time, encouraging people to step outside their daily lives and engage with history, art, science, and ideas in new ways. They inspire us to explore not only what was, but what can be.

This role of museums as travelers through time inspired the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo: The Museum Odyssey.

At a historic juncture for our field, 250 years into our nation’s history and amid important questions about the future of museums, it feels like the right moment to explore time. It is an opportunity to reflect on where museums have been, where they are today, and where they are going next.

This special issue of the magazine offers a first look at how the meeting will bring this theme to life, with
a selection of articles adapted from sessions in the program. You will learn how museums are reviving the past by bringing artifacts closer to the public (“Entering the Vault,” page 36); seizing the present by using neuroscience to design more memorable exhibitions (“Achieving the Unforgettable,” page 30) and serving the wellness needs of older adults (“Meeting the Moment,” page 24); and looking toward the future by deepening connections with local youth (“School’s in Session…in the Museum,” page 48, and “Learning from the Next Generation,” page 42).

I hope this introduction to The Museum Odyssey will inspire you to join us in Philadelphia May 20-23 to
experience it firsthand. In addition to a stellar program of 200 educational opportunities selected by our
volunteer Content Advisory Committee and an Expo Hall filled with hundreds of exhibitors, our team is
planning a range of special activities designed to make this an unforgettable gathering.

You will find peer meet-ups, a career planning center, and programs and events hosted by Philadelphia’s
vibrant museum community. We will close the meeting with a brand-new public event, MuseumFest:
Historic District Philly, where some of the city’s most iconic historic sites will come together for an afternoon of pop-up performances, living-history demonstrations, and special surprises.

The challenges facing our sector are immense, from executive orders that affect how museums interpret their collections to pressures on how we finance and sustain our operations. Yet when we come together as a community, we draw strength from one another. We share ideas, support one another, and reaffirm the essential role museums play in society, across generations, and through time.

3/6/2026