Museums University
Illinois

Browse Museums

Alton Museum of History and Art
Illinois, Illinois

Art, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library, Military, University

Through the exhibits, we share with you our past and present so that you too may discover the people, places and events that influenced our ancestors and continue to shape our destiny.

DePaul University Art Gallery
Chicago, Illinois

Art, University

Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum
Lisle, Illinois

Anthropology, Archaeology, Library, Natural History, Nature Centers, Science, University

The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, located on campus at Benedictine University, exhibits over 3,500 specimens focused on zoology, botany, geology, and environmental stewardship. Intricate dioramas give a sense of adventure and encourages visitors to investigate nature in their own backyards. The museum offers a variety of scavenger hunts and activity pages to guide your visit.

Laura A. Sprague Art Gallery
Joliet, Illinois

Art, Culture, General, History, University

Morris Library Special Coll. (SIU-C)
Carbondale, Illinois

History, Library, University

Northern Illinois University Art Museum
DeKalb, Illinois

Art, University

The NIU Art Museum balances the challenges of contemporary art with the riches of traditional visual art for an eye-opening look at culture. We show rotating exhibitions from the university collections, thematic contemporary exhibitions of the work of regional and national artists, and national traveling exhibitions.

Smart Museum of Art at the The University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Art, Culture, University

As the art museum of the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art is home to thought-provoking special exhibitions and a permanent collection that spans five thousand years of artistic creation.

Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Chicago, Illinois

Culture, General, Library, University

Spertus is Chicago's Jewish education and cultural center. It offers an innovative array of public programming, including exhibits, performances, films, and lectures some presented by the esteemed faculty who teach for its graduate programs. The institute collects, preserves, and displays materials from the Jewish experience in a stunning, contemporary building with fabulous views of Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Art from the institute's collection is showcased throughout the building and temporary exhibits examine aspects of Jewish culture. The building also includes a 400-seat theater and a gift shop that carries art, books, music, videos, and contemporary and traditional Jewish ceremonial gifts. Allow 1 hour.

The Oriental Institute Museum
Chicago, Illinois

Archaeology, Art, Culture, History, Library, University

The Institute helped launch the first era of exploration of humankind's remote past in the Near East, the cradle of civilization. Today its collection is of the most significant repositories of excavated art objects and artifacts from major archaeological sites in all of the Near East.

Univ. Archives/Regional Res. Coll.
Edwardsville, Illinois

University

Archives & Special Collections
Macomb, Illinois

History, University

Feet First Exhibit: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
North Chicago, Illinois

Anthropology, General, History, Library, Science, Specialized, University

FEET FIRST: THE SCHOLL STORY, a one-of-a-kind exhibit dedicated to Dr. William Mathias Scholl and to the amazing structures that are our feet. This permanent exhibit is housed at the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University.

Koehnline Museum of Art
Des Plaines, Illinois

Art, Culture, University

The Koehnline Museum of Art is committed to establishing and encouraging an adventuresome environment for art. Its programs and exhibits are designed for students, College employees, and members of the greater community, and so serve an educational purpose as well as exploring and illuminating current directions in regional, national, and international art.

Loyola University Museum of Art
Chicago, Illinois

Art, Culture, History, Library, University

The Museum interprets and displays the University’s medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque collection, known as the Martin D’Arcy Collection, other museum permanent collections, and rotating exhibitions.

NIU Anthropology Museum
DeKalb, Illinois

Anthropology, Archaeology, Culture, History, Library, Science, University

The Anthropology Museum houses over 12,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects. The ethnographic collection has regional strengths in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the plains and southwest regions of North America. Ethnographic specimens from Africa, Mesoamerica, and South America are also represented.

Regional History Center
DeKalb, Illinois

History, University

Special Collections Center
Peoria, Illinois

History, University

Spurlock Museum/University of Ill.
Urbana, Illinois

Culture, History, University

With approximately 40,000 objects in its artifact collection, the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign celebrates our shared humanity by collecting, preserving, documenting, exhibiting, and studying objects of cultural heritage.

U of I Museum of Natural History
Urbana, Illinois

Natural History, University

University Galleries (ISU)
Normal, Illinois

Art, University

University Galleries of Illinois State University has developed a multivalent approach to exhibitions and support for artists. Our program comprises rings of access that extend outward from the exhibitions we create and travel, the books we publish, and the tours, performances, lectures, and outreach programs we provide. Our exhibitions feature both emerging and established artists, often those whose work has not been previously presented in a comprehensive manner.

MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

Wednesday, February 5 - Friday, February 7, 2025

Ina Dillard Russell Library Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Hosted by: Georgia Association of Museums

The Whole Story Is The Meanin

“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Pros

Join us in Milledgeville, Georgia, for the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference as we explore the profound wisdom of Milledgeville author Flannery O'Connor’s words. In a world where narratives intersect and perspectives diverge, this theme invites proposals that delve into the essence of storytelling within museums and cultural institutions. Our work in the museum field requires us to look at stories from as many angles and perspectives as possible so that we might do our best to tell the “whole story.

Through thought-provoking discussions, interactive workshops, and engaging presentations, we will uncover the layers of meaning embedded within every artifact, exhibition, and historical account. Just as O’Connor masterfully crafted narratives that resonate with universal truths, museums hold the power to illuminate the whole story behind many objects, artworks, and cultural phenomena

We will examine how museums can embrace inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in their storytelling practices. By acknowledging multiple perspectives and amplifying marginalized voices, we can enrich our understanding of the past and present, fostering empathy and connection within our communities.

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email programs@calmuseums.org.

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

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

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.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

view all conferences
RECENT UPDATES

Museums

03/07 Pointe Coupee Parish Museum

New Roads, Louisiana

03/07 Uintah County Heritage Museum

Vernal, Utah

Museum Vendors

03/07 Digiscura

Encino, California

Museum Associations

03/07 Public Lands Alliance

Washington, District of Columbia

03/07 Oregon Museums Association

Portland, Oregon

03/07 Virginia Association of Museums

Richmond, Virginia

03/07 American Association for State and Local History

Nashville, Tennessee

03/07 Small Museum Association

Dover, Delaware