From our colleagues at the Naco Heritage Alliance We're thrilled to share that Camp Naco just welcomed back two of its original urinal troughs—yes, you read that right! These fixtures once lived in the camp's wash houses before being salvaged in the 1980s by Bisbee resident Ed Smith, who (quite creatively) intended to turn them into planter boxes. Life got busy, the planters never happened, but thankfully, Ed held onto them. Now, they've returned to the camp where thousands of soldiers once... well... let's just say took a stand. Each trough is stamped Brooks Sheet Metal Works, El Paso, Texas, adding another layer to the camp's regional history. We're so grateful to Ed for recognizing their significance and ensuring they return to their rightful place as part of Camp Naco's story. (fb)

Session proposals for the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting 2026 (Philadelphia, May 20-23, 2026) are now being accepted through September 26, 2025. Sessions proposals should focus on how museums interpret and mark the passage of time to shape public understanding of our world and our place in it today and in the future in one of these five subject tracks: Museums as Timekeepers Museums that preserve, protect and adapt through time. This track explores how museums transmit legacies across generations. Through conservation, governance, institutional design, and enduring relationships, museums act as stewards of memory and meaning. Proposals may explore how museums uphold long-term care, adapt over time, and build legacy and continuity into every aspect of their work. Museums as Time Travelers Museums that transport audiences across eras and realities. This track explores how museums create immersive experiences that connect audiences to different points in time through narrative, technology, and design. Proposals may explore how museums use these tools and strategies to bridge past, present, and future—encouraging reflection, inquiry, imagination, and understanding. Museums as Chroniclers Museums that document and interpret unfolding history. This track focuses on the museum’s role as witness, recorder, and interpreter of contemporary events and societal change. Proposals may explore how museums document the present, engage communities in real time, and shape the historical record with transparency and integrity. Museums as Seers Museums that anticipate and help shape the future. This track explores how museums prepare for what’s next—by identifying trends, planning for change, and fostering innovation. Proposals may explore strategic foresight, cross-sector collaboration, and institutional transformation aimed at building a more responsive and resilient future. Museum Essentials and Evolving Practices Core competencies and emerging strategies across all areas of museum work. This track explores the foundational functions, emerging strategies, and core competencies that sustain museum impact—across time, change, and complexity. Proposals may explore tools, evolving practices, and peer-driven insights that foster professional growth, strengthen performance across museum functions, and build individual, institutional, and fieldwide effectiveness. https://annualmeeting.aam-us.org/callforproposals (fb)