2025 AASLH Annual Conference
September 10-13
The American Experiment
The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States. The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future. The leaders of the founding era did not have all the answers. Though their innovations of representative democracy and rights-based constitutionalism were transformative, they knew the nation was a revolutionary experiment. Like many experiments, the United States has had many fits, starts, shortcomings, and outright failures. Indigenous dispossession and chattel slavery, Jim Crow and segregation, systemic racism, and many others. Yet, with each failure, Americans have challenged the status quo; driving new forms of experimentation to bring the United States closer to its lofty goal of a “more perfect union.”
The 1776 revolutionary experiment benefited mostly white males with property. In the years since, unheard voices emerged for the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence. Women, Black Americans, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, and immigrants have contributed their voices, lived experiences, and diverse perspectives to The American Experiment. As we approach America 250, we history practitioners can help the public at large explore the origins of our civic institutions, think critically about how they’ve changed, and how they will actively shape our nation for the next 250 years.
The role of history organizations as vibrant hubs of civic and community conversation is more important than ever. How might we partner with our communities to understand and address the pressing issues of today and the future? How can we empower our audiences to consider the effects of The American Experiment and engage in civic participation? What “leaps into the dark” are we taking now, and what can we learn from our own experiments and share with each other to advance our field?
The concept of experimentation does not presume success. We hope that conference attendees will further embrace the theme of experimentation to talk about our own leaps in the dark even if they were unsuccessful. While it is always great to hear about our successes, we also learn a great deal from our failures. Let us be brave and highlight our spectacular failures in ways that advance our learning and our knowledge in a way that advances the field.
It is fitting that the 2025 AASLH Annual Conference is in Cincinnati. The city was founded in 1788, but the Shawnee, Miami, and other indigenous people inhabited the land along what is now the Ohio River long before white men settled the area now known as southern Ohio. The city is named for the Society of the Cincinnati, which commemorated Roman general Cincinnatus as a hero of republican citizenship who gave back his military authority to retire peacefully. An outpost of the Northwest Territory after the forced removal of indigenous tribes, Cincinnati grew quickly from frontier town to “Paris of the West.” It boomed in the 19th century, fueled by westward expansion, bustling river traffic, and waves of new immigrants. By 1850, Cincinnati was the sixth largest city in the United States. The Ohio River, dividing free Ohio and slave-holding Kentucky, was a significant border for many freedom-seekers, even as it was also a conduit for the internal slave trade. Cincinnati became a destination for Black individuals escaping enslavement and a locus for the Underground Railroad and Abolitionist movement.
Later in the city’s history, railroads supplanted boats, and Cincinnati became a hub of reinvention. Today, Cincinnati’s colorful neighborhoods and thriving arts scene benefit from a resilient economy. In addition to the first professional baseball team and Skyline Chili, the city is home to Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Kenner Toys, Bicycle playing cards, and King Records. The city teems with museums, theaters, and public art—from the Taft Museum of Art and Cincinnati Museum Center in Union Terminal to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The city’s proud brewing history, once decimated by Prohibition, has come roaring back, and craft brews and farm-to-table cuisine fill beautiful historic buildings city-wide. The inscription of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, eight nearby monumental mound sites, to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2023 is bringing international attention to this vibrant region.
One constant among all this change is that Cincinnati has always been a borderland at the nexus of east and west, north and south, free and enslaved, red and blue. This mix of influences has helped Cincinnati keep constantly experimenting and evolving and makes it a place where people of difference can encounter each other and work together to create change. Cincinnati is, in all ways, a city that defines, contributes to, and reflects The American Experiment.
We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.
The History Leadership Institute is the best professional development opportunity for mid-career professionals at history organizations of all types and sizes. Since 1959, the HLI seminar has helped history professionals at all management levels develop the tools, ideas, and connections they need to enhance their ability to lead institutions and the field.
Through a combination of virtual and in-person meetings, a cohort of about twenty fellows dive deep into a broad range of current and future national issues facing the history and museum field, including purpose, relevance, impact, community engagement, facilitating change, and much, much more. Through workshops, discussions, activities, and site visits facilitated by dozens of nationally-recognized experts working on the field’s leading edge, HLI Fellows tackle the most pressing challenges confronting history institutions and develop strategies for addressing them.
2025's seminar will take place on-site at the Minnesota Historical Society's Mill City Museum (Minneapolis, Minnesota) from June 16–27, 2025. Several shorter virtual sessions will take place in May, June, July, and September.
For additional details about the program, including dates, lodging, and costs, please visit https://aaslh.org/professional-development/history-leadership.
AASLH Award of Distinction
Preliminary Nominations Due: February 1, 2025
The Award of Distinction is AASLH's highest honor and given in recognition of long and distinguished service to the field. Given at the discretion of the AASLH Council, award winners are recognized nationally as leaders in the profession. Past winners include Lonnie G. Bunch III, Sandra Sageser Clark, John and Anita Durel, Janet Gallimore, and Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko.
The first step of the nomination process is submitting this form, which is received and discussed by a review committee before going forward with the process. Our committee will be in touch with next steps and further instructions after you submit this preliminary nomination.
Please note this is a confidential process and it is recommended that the nominee not be told about the nomination until it has been accepted.
AASLH Leadership in History Awards for Projects
Nominations Due: March 1, 2025
Before beginning the nomination process, you are strongly encouraged to contact your state or regional representatives to discuss the nomination. You can find their contact information here: https://aaslh.org/programs/leadership-in-history-awards-2
This is not the form for awards submissions for publications or individual lifetime achievement. Please submit those nominations through their appropriate forms.
AASLH Leadership in History Awards for Individual Lifetime Achievement
Nominations Due: March 1, 2025
Before beginning the nomination process, you are strongly encouraged to contact your AASLH state representative to discuss the nomination. You can find your representatives' contact information here:
https://aaslh.org/programs/leadership-in-history-awards-2/
These awards are for individuals, both career professionals (including retired) and volunteers, who have demonstrated exemplary contributions to or exceptional accomplishments for state and local history. The individual's undertakings should advance their history organization and the field of history up and above the duties required for their regular job. An individual may be recognized for leadership, scholarship, or lifetime contributions. The individual does not need to be active on the national level, and may not receive the Award of Excellence more than once in five years. Individuals cannot self-nominate.
Please note this award is not made posthumously. Nominees must be living at the time of nomination.
AASLH Leadership in History Awards (Publications)
Nominations Due: March 1, 2025
AASLH is accepting submissions of short articles to be posted on our official blog. Specifically, we are seeking articles on issues and challenges facing history organizations and their staffs. Articles should be clear, concise, and offer obvious takeaways or suggestions. There is no deadline, and submissions are welcomed at any time. You can expect a response within two or three weeks.
Here are ideas on what to write:
- Takeaways from history organizations doing great work
- Lessons learned from recent or ongoing projects at your organization
- Tips on administration and leadership
- Career advice and guidance for professionals in the field
- Unique takes on current trends (i.e. what’s the next Hamilton?)
- Constructive reflections on the state of the field
Guidelines:
- Length: 350-800 words
- Posts should be in Chicago Style
- All submissions must include at least one landscape orientation photo with photo credit/caption
- Do not footnote; instead, provide URLs for references
- Single space after sentences
Photos:
- All submissions must include at least one landscape orientation photo
- Two-three photos are ideal
- Photos should at least 750 pixels wide
- Photos should be free of any copyright restrictions; include attributions/ credit in the captions
Terms:
- Articles should be original content that has not been published elsewhere
- AASLH reserves the right to turn down any post that isn’t a good fit for the blog
- AASLH is not required to use the photos submitted with the post if they are not a good fit; in that case, the blog editor will supply appropriate photos to go with the post
- AASLH will adjust or replace titles as needed for consistency and clarity and can make minor edits without author approval
Questions? Email Aja Bain at abain@aaslh.org
AASLH serves members working with and for all kinds of historical organizations. As we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we will be focusing on reaching small museums and historical societies and on promoting inclusive history and inclusive practices. We invite our members to consider serving on Council (the organization’s board of trustees) or the Leadership Nominating Committee (LNC). In these roles, you or a colleague can play a vital part in shaping the organization’s future.
Nominate an AASLH member who is:
- Passionate about history and its place in contemporary culture.
- Connected to a network of peers in the field.
- Willing to both speak their mind and work as a team.
- Committed to innovation, inclusion, and experimentation.
- Holds specific skills and expertise in areas of museum or history work.
- Someone who believes they can make a difference.
You may nominate yourself or nominate a colleague for a position on either Council or for a position on the Leadership Nominating Committee.
Nominations are accepted year-round. For assistance, please contact AASLH at 615-320-3203 or abain@aaslh.org.
The following courses are part of AASLH’s Small Museum Pro! certificate program. If you have completed and passed five of the courses below, please submit this form to request your Small Museum Pro! certificate.
- CARING FOR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
- COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT
- DEVELOPING EXHIBITIONS: PLANNING
- DEVELOPING EXHIBITIONS: DESIGN
- INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
- LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION FOR HISTORY ORGANIZATIONS
- MUSEUM EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
The AASLH book series connects the people engaged in history work to new questions, ideas, perspectives, and each other. By featuring news, current issues, trends, and best practices from throughout the history community, our books inform, inspire, challenge, and link together those who preserve and interpret the past.
We welcome book proposals dealing with all aspects of public history, including current trends, timely issues, and best practices for professional development and the overall improvement of the history field. We are especially interested in books that give a fresh perspective to traditional theories, in-depth case studies that reveal applicable and relevant concepts, and subject matter that has the ability to resonate throughout all levels of the field. Proposals are reviewed by the AASLH Editorial Advisory Committee, who may make suggestions for improvement and needed changes before approval. Once a proposal is approved, authors sign a contract with Rowman & Littlefield and are responsible for producing the work within 15-18 months.
AASLH reserves the right to reject material that is not consonant with the mission, values, or goals of the organization. Contact the book series editor Aja Bain with questions at abain@aaslh.org or 615-320-3203.
History News connects the people engaged in history work to new questions, ideas, perspectives, and each other. By featuring news, current issues, trends, and best practices from throughout the history community, it informs, inspires, challenges, and links together those who preserve and interpret the past.
We welcome article proposals dealing with all aspects of public history, including current trends, timely issues, and best practices for professional development and the overall improvement of the history field. We are especially interested in articles that give a fresh perspective to traditional theories, in-depth case studies that reveal applicable and relevant concepts, and subject matter that has the ability to resonate throughout all levels of the field. AASLH reserves the right to reject material that is not consonant with the mission, values, or goals of the organization.
Before committing to a full article, we ask that you submit an abstract here. In 300 words or less, outline the main points of your article and explain how it supports the AASLH mission. Please include your email address so we can follow up with you.