As museums across the country rethink how they engage communities, expand access, and plan for long-term sustainability, the Biggs Museum of American Art is helping shape those conversations on a national stage.
The 2026 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo will take place May 20–23, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, bringing together thousands of museum professionals from across the United States and internationally to explore the future of museums, cultural institutions, and public engagement.
The Biggs will participate in two featured sessions at the 2026 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Museum Expo, one of the museum field’s most significant professional gatherings. Each year, AAM brings together museum leaders, curators, educators, designers, fundraisers, marketers, and cultural professionals from across the country to exchange ideas, explore emerging trends, and collectively examine the evolving role of museums in society.
The Museum’s participation highlights its growing leadership in community-centered engagement, collaborative interpretation, and strategic institutional planning during a transformative moment for museums nationwide.
Together, the two sessions reflect some of the most pressing conversations happening across the museum field today: how institutions can become more community-centered, more collaborative, and more sustainable while preparing for the future.
On Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. EDT in Room 117, Laura Fravel, Sewell C. Biggs Curator of American Art, will present “Community Curation: Celebrating the Nation’s 250th in the First State.”
The session will examine the development of Reflections: 25 Objects for 250 Years of Delaware History, an ambitious community-curated exhibition opening at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover. The exhibition is curated entirely by community members, who selected objects from the Museum’s collection and contributed written reflections connecting Delaware history to their own lived experiences, identities, and perspectives.
The project reflects a growing movement within museums to share interpretive authority with communities and create exhibitions that prioritize lived experience alongside traditional scholarship. Developed as institutions across the country prepare to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition places community voices at the center of interpretation, exploring how museums can move beyond traditional models to foster more participatory, inclusive, and relevant storytelling experiences while deepening connections between collections and the public they serve. The presentation will offer insight into the collaborative process behind the exhibition and the broader role museums can play in fostering dialogue, belonging, and shared cultural understanding.
“As museums continue to evolve in response to community needs and changing cultural landscapes, opportunities to collaborate and share ideas across institutions are more important than ever,” said Hassan M. Najjar, Executive Director of the Biggs Museum of American Art. “We are proud to bring Delaware perspectives and the work happening at The Biggs to a national audience.”
On Friday, May 22, 2026, at 9:45 a.m. EDT in Room 116, Hassan M. Najjar, Executive Director of the Biggs Museum of American Art, will participate in the panel discussion “From the Ground Up: Planning a Successful Facility Project.”
The session will focus on the complexities of museum expansion and capital planning, including aligning mission and vision with physical space, organizational readiness, fundraising strategy, and long-term sustainability. As museums nationwide evaluate how physical spaces can better serve evolving audiences and community needs, the discussion will examine how mission-driven expansion projects can support accessibility, engagement, education, and institutional resilience.
Najjar will be joined by a panel of nationally recognized leaders in fundraising, strategic planning, and cultural design, including Anne Bergeron, Managing Principal of Anne Bergeron & Co. Consulting; Jame Anderson, Cultural Market Director at SmithGroup; and Johnny Burleson, Principal at Creative Fundraising Advisors.
The Biggs Museum’s participation in the conference reflects the institution’s continued investment in innovative community engagement, collaborative interpretation, and future-focused institutional planning as the Museum prepares for a transformational chapter in its history.
Through both presentations, The Biggs is contributing to national conversations about what museums can and should be in the years ahead: collaborative, community-driven, adaptable, and deeply connected to the people they serve.