2023 Annual Conference

Community Matters: Linking Past and Present in Meaningful Ways

Monday, June 5, 2023  | Central Connecticut State University

We are excited to welcome Connecticut's history and museum community back to our home base at CCSU in New Britain this year. We'll be in a larger, more spacious building, with an airy atrium for our exhibitor hall, and plenty of space for sessions, networking, breakouts, and more—not to mention convenient free parking in an adjacent garage.

Registration is now open! Register for the conference now.  Advance registration closes on May 31.

There's still time to sponsor the conference or secure an exhibitor table. Signups are available through May 26.

Check out the schedule of conference sessions. The program will be available soon.

Conference Theme

Our conference theme is "Community Matters: Linking Past and Present in Meaningful Ways." We invited proposals for sessions engaging with the myriad issues we tackle as organizations and individuals seeking to connect with and support the communities we represent, and addressing some of the key challenges of our moment. 

Conference Highlights

This year's conference includes some exciting new aspects. Responding to your feedback, we have done away with our keynote in order to make more room for socialization and networking during the busy day. We'll also be offering a couple of field trip options to local museums, and staffing a resource room where you can drop in with your museum, collections, and career questions to get help and guidance from professionals.

Field Trip Options

We are pleased to be offering two field trip options as a part of this year's Annual Conference. For a small additional fee, conference attendees may elect to attend a guided tour at one of two local museums: the New Britain Museum of American Art, or the New Britain Industrial Museum. Both are just a short drive from the CCSU campus.

Registration for the field trips is on a first come, first served basis. Tours are limited and once they are sold out we cannot accommodate more individuals.

Transportation to and from the field trip sites is not included, but we will do our best to assist attendees in getting to the sites. Attendees should plan to gather and depart around 1:40 p.m., and to drive themselves or carpool with other conference attendees attending the field trips. A list of potential car poolers will be provided.

Option #1: Guided tour of Walter Wick: Hidden Wonders! at the New Britain Museum of American Art

56 Lexington St, New Britain, CT 06052
(2.6 miles from CCSU, depart by 1:40pm)

Limited to 40 people (will tour in smaller groups)

$15/person

Walter Wick: Hidden Wonders! spans 50 years of innovation, wonder, and imagination. Tracing the span of Wick’s career, the exhibition is organized by themes that have long fascinated Wick, including Miniature Worlds; Floor Games; Craft-Built Worlds; Optical Illusions; I Spy Games; Puzzle Challenges, Wonders of Science; Connecticut Woods; and Curiosity Shop. The exhibition pairs beloved images, including over 15 never-before-seen works, with numerous three-dimensional models upon which his photographs are based. Celebrating five decades of creativity, as well as Wick’s indelible role in the development of photographic illustration, this exhibition is a must-see for art lovers of any age.

Option #2: Guided tour of New Britain Industrial Museum

59 W Main St, New Britain, CT 06051
(3 miles from CCSU, depart by 1:40pm)

Limited to 10 people

$10/person

The New Britain Industrial Museum collects, preserves and exhibits items representing more than 200 years of New Britain innovation and invention. From 19th century hooks & eyes to 21st century ERA Cobra Cars, the Museum and its collection serve as a bridge between New Britain’s past and present and provides inspiration for the future. New Britain’s impact has been, and continues to be, felt far beyond its borders. Very few of the items we use or wear everyday could have been created without a machine, a part, or a concept that originated in New Britain. In fact, for most of the 20th century, every American came into contact with at least one New Britain product a day: it was either made here, had a part in it that was made here, or was made on a New Britain machine.

Sign up for a field trip!

Resource Room

This year we plan to offer a drop-in resource room where you can come with your questions and challenges, and get assistance from an assortment of professionals with different subject area expertise.

More information about the resource room will be available soon.

Schedule at a Glance

Check out the preliminary schedule now. A PDF of the program will be available soon.

8:00am Registration and Museum Marketplace Exhibitors Opens in Atrium/Lobby

9:00am-10:00am Breakout Sessions I

10:00am-10:30am Coffee Break in Museum Marketplace

10:10am Demonstration #1 in Museum Marketplace

10:30am-11:30pm Breakout Sessions II

11:30am-12:00pm Coffee Break in Museum Marketplace

11:40am Demonstration #2 in Museum Marketplace

12:00pm-1:00pm Breakout Sessions III

1:00-2:00pm Networking Lunch and Time to Explore

Museum Marketplace • FREE Cookies in Atrium/Lobby

2:00-3:00pm Breakout Sessions IV

2:00-3:00pm Field Trip Options to Local Museums

3:00-3:30pm Coffee Break in Museum Marketplace

11:40am Demonstration #3 in Museum Marketplace

3:30-4:30pm Breakout Sessions V, Museum Marketplace Closes

4:30pm Drawing Winners Announced at Special CLHO Announcement and Vote

5:00-6:00pm Closing Reception