Around the Field – May 20, 2026

20 May 2026 – NCPH Office

From Around the Field this week: Black in Historic Preservation is hosting a launch event for its guide for transformative action in historic preservation; The American Historical Association has extended the deadline for a few of its 2026 awards; The American Association for State and Local History is hosting a “History & Democracy Virtual Summit;” Journal submissions for the Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture’s 2026 issue of Material Matters are due soon

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Southeastern Cemetery Consortium (SCC) has recently launched to connect and coordinate organizations, institutions, project teams, private firms, and individuals working to document, restore, preserve, and memorialize historic cemeteries
• Black in Historic Preservation is launching its guide for transformative action in historic preservation. Join them for a virtual event “Transformative Preservation: Towards a Sustainable, Equitable Historic Preservation Culture” discussing the new publication on May 28, 2026
• NCPH is hosting its 2027 conference, “Holding the Line,” in St. Louis, Missouri, US, from April 21-24, 2027. We invite members of the NCPH community to peruse topic proposals to give feedback to their proposers; connect with likeminded folks on possible sessions; and weigh in with specific expertise where requested to help transform these preliminary proposals into the strongest possible final proposals by the final proposal deadline of June 15, 2026
• NCPH, on behalf of Sarah Marsom, is inviting people to fill out an anonymous cultural resource worker salary survey in order to shift compensation transparency expectations in the cultural resource field. Any cultural resource worker, broadly defined, is welcome to complete the survey – this includes historic preservationists, cultural resource workers, archaeologists, historic site managers, public historians, etc. The deadline to submit is December 31, 2026
• University of Kansas student Aaron Garding is conducting an IRB-approved survey that aims to understand how human remains in museums can be perceived differently based on the language used to describe them

AWARDS AND FUNDING

• The Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University has announced their new Access to the Archives Travel Grant to support researchers desiring to use the Center’s collections. Applications are accepted through May 31, 2026
• The American Historical Association has extended the deadline for a few of its 2026 Scholarly and Professional Distinction Awards: the Beveridge Family Teaching Prize, Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award, Equity Award, and Lepage Center Award for Historical Work in the Public Interest. Nominations are now due by May 31, 2026
• Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation has opened its Placekeepers Fund grant program. There are two grant categories available: designation and planning grants and on-site preservation grants. Applications are due by June 30, 2026
• The Robert & Elizabeth Dole Archives & Special Collections seeks applications for its 2026 Research Fellowship and Travel Grants. Applications are due July 1, 2026
• The Oral History Association is accepting applications for its 2026 Awards. Applications for most awards are due by July 1, 2026
• The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced a new Collections Stewardship grant program. The last application deadline this year is December 15, 2026

CONFERENCES AND CALLS

• The LGBTQ+ History Association is hosting its Queer/Trans History Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, from June 2-5, 2026
• The American Association for the History of Medicine and the American Association for the History of Nursing are jointly hosting an annual meeting in Buffalo, New York, US, from June 3-7, 2026
• The College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is presenting a symposium, “Those Who Have Must Turn Around and Give,” in Charleston, South Carolina, US, from June 9-11, 2026
• A number of organizations are coming together to host the 9th International Public History Summer School, which will take place in Wrocław, Poland, from June 15-19, 2026
• The Digital and Public History Master’s Program at the University of Luxembourg is organizing the virtual seminar “Public History in Global Perspectives” on June 16, 2026
• The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums is hosting its annual conference, “Community, Conflict, Conversation,” in Ypsilanti, Michigan, US, from June 16 -21, 2026 
• The Association for Gravestone Studies is hosting their annual conference and annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, US, from June 23-26, 2026
• Slavery North, a research hub at University of Massachusetts Amherst, is hosting a conference, “Rebellion, Resistance, and Refuge: Slavery and Border-Crossing during the American Revolution,” from July 9-12, 2026, in Amherst, Massachusetts, US
• The Association of Midwest Museums is hosting its annual conference, “We Hold These Truths,” in Chicago, Illinois, US, from July 26-29, 2026
• The Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association will hold its 119th Annual Meeting, “We Hold These Truths,” in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, from July 29-31, 2026
• The Society of American Archivists will host its 90th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, from July 29-August 1, 2026
• The Association of African American Museums is hosting its 2026 Annual Meeting, “This Land Holds Our Stories,” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, from August 19-21, 2026
• Latinos in Heritage Conservation is hosting its biennial Congreso Leadership Summit in Chicago, Illinois, US, from August 19-22, 2026
• The International Federation for Public History will host its 8th international conference on public history, “The Public History of Difficult Pasts,” in Lisbon, Portugal from September 7-11, 2026
• The Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation is hosting its biennial National Asian & Pacific Islander American Historic Preservation Forum in Denver & Aurora, Colorado, US, from September 10-13, 2026
• NCPH and AASLH are hosting their joint conference, “The Work of Revolution,” in Providence, Rhode Island, US, from September 16-19, 2026
• The Southeastern Museums Conference is hosting its annual conference, “Forged in Culture – Focused on the Future,” in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US, from September 28-30, 2026
• The Slave Dwelling Project is hosting its 9th conference, “250 Years and Counting: Reckoning, Resilience, and Remembrance,” to be held in Charleston, South Carolina, US, from October 1-3, 2026
• The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums is hosting its 2026 Annual Conference in New Brunswick, New Jersey, US, from October 6-8, 2026
• The Organization of American Historians is hosting, “Coasts, Currents, and Islands: Exploring the Interwoven Histories of the United States & the Pacific,” part of its History in Place Symposium series, in Honolulu, Hawai’i, US, from October 10-11, 2026. The call for proposals is open until June 30, 2026
• The Oral History Association is hosting its 2026 Annual Meeting, “Landscapes of Memory,” in Portland, Oregon, US, from October 14-17, 2026
• Qatar National Library’s Heritage Library & Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies are jointly hosting a conference in Doha, Qatar, from October 19–20, 2026, that focuses on the public history field in the Middle East
• The Western History Association is hosting its 66th Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, US, from October 21-24, 2026
• The Universities Studying Slavery consortium will host its fall conference, “250 Years of Freedom and Unfreedom: Truth, Liberty, and Justice for All,” in College Park, Maryland, US from October 22-25, 2026
• Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life is meeting for its 2026 National Gathering, “Tides of Transition: Restoring Collective Spirit in Troubled Times,” in Davis, California, US, from October 23-25, 2026. The call for participation is open until June 30, 2026
• The Museums Association of the Caribbean is hosting its 2026 annual conference, “Caribbean Museums: Connectors, Conveners, and Catalysts for Change,” in Port of Spain, Trinidad, from November 9-13, 2026. The call for proposals is open until May 29, 2026
• The Association of Critical Heritage Studies is meeting for its 8th biennial conference in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, from November 30-December 2, 2026
• The National Humanities Alliance is hosting their Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day in Arlington, Virginia, US, from March 7-9, 2027
• The Organization of American Historians will host their 2027 OAH Conference in San Francisco, California, US, April 1-4, 2027
• The Italian Association for Urban History is hosting a congress, “The Wounded City. Urban Spaces as Sites of Conflicts, Life, and Memory,” in Genoa, Italy, from September 7-10, 2027. The call for proposals is open until May 24, 2026

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

• The American Association for State and Local History is hosting a virtual webinar “Creating a Staff Safety Plan” on May 21, 2026
• The American Association for State and Local History is hosting a two-day “History & Democracy Virtual Summit” from May 27-28, 2026, to help museums and historic sites leverage and expand the vital role they play in democracy and civic life
• Black in Historic Preservation is launching its guide for transformative action in historic preservation with a virtual event “Transformative Preservation: Towards a Sustainable, Equitable Historic Preservation Culture” on May 28, 2026
• NCPH’s Professional Development Committee is hosting a three-part webinar series, “How to Publish Your Public History Work.” The third event, “How to Get Published in Nontraditional Outlets,” will take place June 2, 2026
• Omeka is hosting intensive courses this summer for its Omeka Classic and Omeka S platforms. They are offering a virtual information session about the course series on June 3, 2026
• The Department of the Interior Library is offering training webinar sessions discussing its services. “What is Legal Artificial Intelligence and Who is Regulating It?” will take place June 3, 2026, and “Researching Native American Records at the National Archives” will take place June 11, 2026
• NCPH’s Consultants Committee is organizing a spring Grumpy Hours event, a virtual night of connection and support for those working in public history or who are looking to find a career in the field, on June 4, 2026
• The American Association for State and Local History is presenting a live webinar, “Demystifying AI for History Organizations,” on June 4, 2026
• The National Humanities Alliance is offering a webinar on June 16, 2026, focused on best practices for launching curricular initiatives designed to attract more students to the humanities
• Alli Schell, host of Your Museum Career Coach, is presenting a webinar, “You Didn’t Get the Internship — Now What?,” on June 16, 2026, that will discuss strategies for professional growth in the museum field when internship applications are met with rejection
• The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts is presenting a “Handling Photographs for Digitization” webinar on June 16, 2026
• The National Humanities Alliance is presenting “Building Applied and Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Programs,” a four-part virtual professional development workshop series for faculty and administrators interested in creating courses and programs that integrate the humanities with other fields of study. The series will take place from July 27-August 6, 2026
• The Organization of American Historians is hosting a virtual discussion of Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home on September 24, 2026, as part of its K-12 Teachers’ Book Club

PUBLICATIONS

• University of Iowa Press has published Baltimore’s Black Arts Then & Now: Behind the Scenes of a Collaborative Public Humanities Project, by NCPH member Mary Rizzo
• Arab Americana, a new scholarly journal centering around Arab-American life, is holding an open-call for research articles, essays and reports, book reviews, round table comments, research notes, interviews, and edited primary sources
• The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture is seeking submissions from master’s scholars for its 2026 issue of their journal Material Matters around the theme of “Animal Materialities.” Submissions are due by June 5, 2026

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