2027 NATIONAL MUSEUM PUBLISHING SEMINAR
Chicago, Illinois | April 11–13, 2027
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
as of October 27, 2026
*** Speakers and sessions are subject to change ***
Sunday, April 11
10 am–12 pm
Things I Think I Should Know By Now
Ever wish you had someone to answer those pesky questions you feel like you should already know the answer to?
This session brings together professionals at every level for a lively, interactive discussion of problem-solving in the ever-evolving fields of editorial, design, and production. Two expert panel discussions—focusing on editorial and design/production questions, respectively—will be followed by casual roundtable conversations. Submit your questions in advance or ask them on the fly. Join us and get to know colleagues from museums worldwide as we consider the many joys and challenges of publishing in a museum setting.
This is a great opportunity for participants in the NMPS Mentorship Program to connect at the start of the conference, and we encourage them to attend.
Design and Production panel:
- Diana Murphy, Independent Publishing Consultant
- Joseph Newland, Director of Publishing, The Menil Collection
- Audrey Warne, Assistant Editor, Whitney Museum of American Art
- Design and Production panel:
- Heather DeRonck, Production Manager, The Barnes Foundation
- Cheryl Towler Weese, Principal and Creative Director, Studio Blue, and Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Graphic Design, University of Illinois Chicago
- Christina Wiginton, Production Manager, National Gallery of Art
10 am–1:30 pm
Quire Hands-On Workshop
This hands-on workshop will serve as an introduction to Quire, an open-source publishing tool developed by Getty and available for anyone to use for free. Held in conjunction with the National Museum Publishing Seminar, this pre-conference workshop is free and open to all levels of technical experience. Advanced registration is required. Attendance is limited to 10 participants.
Registration details to follow.
1:45–4:15 pm
Optional Field Trip: TBC
2–5 pm
Exhibitor Hall Preview
4:30–5:30 pm
Common Connections
Kick off NMPS with old friends, new faces, and community building. We’ll begin with an introduction to the conference and how to get the most out of your time at NMPS. Then we’ll turn you loose for Common Connections, a round of short, guided conversations with fellow attendees. We bring the prompts; you bring the curiosity. By the end, you’ll be able to find familiar faces in every room.
6–8 pm
Dinner with Colleagues
Gather by Registration Desk
Join a group of colleagues for an evening of good food and engaging conversation. No formal networking, just a chance to connect with people, share ideas, and enjoy one another’s company. Groups are limited to 10 individuals and will be led by NMPS Planning Committee Members. Sign-up details to follow.
Note: Attendees are responsible for paying for their own meals.
Monday, April 12
8–9:30 am
Exhibitor Hall: Coffee and Light Breakfast
8:15–9:15 am
Optional Morning Walk
Prepare for a day of sessions with a walk along Lake Michigan with colleagues and new friends. Meet upstairs, grab coffee, and then go on a walk together at 8:15, returning by 9:15.
9:15–9:30 am
Welcome Session
9:30–10:30 am
Plenary Session
Whose Book Is It Anyway?
- Amanda Glesmann, Agent, US Market, Verona Libri (moderator)
- Stacey Allan, Former Director of Publications, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
- Tony Manzella, General Manager, Echelon
- Kimberly Varella, Principal, Content Object
Considering the range of people and expertise required to produce a book—artists, writers, curators, designers, editors, prepress, printers, and publishers, just to name a few—bookmaking is an undeniably collaborative process. So why is it that it doesn’t always feel that way? What does an ideal partnership look like? How can we bring true collaboration to difficult projects and navigate the different degrees and types of ownership held by individual stakeholders? This moderated panel discussion navigates these questions from the perspective of a publications director, a designer, and a prepress and production specialist, touching on various case studies and drawing from decades of experience—individually and collectively—producing books for and with artists, museums, and other art publishers.
11–12 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Case Studies in Project Management for Museum Publications
- Cara Jordan, Founder, Flatpage (moderator)
- Todd Bradway, Karen Marta Editorial Consulting
- Amanda Smith, Head of Publications, Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Elizabeth Upenieks, Production Coordinator, The Art Institute of Chicago
Museum publications are complex, often involving multiple authors, translators, designers, editors, and institutional stakeholders working under strenuous deadlines. This panel brings together publishing professionals to share real-world case studies that reveal how they successfully managed challenging projects from planning through production.
Panelists will discuss practical approaches to coordinating contributors, managing multilingual content and translation workflows, balancing different levels of editing, organizing feedback from multiple stakeholders, collaborating across editorial and design teams, and using project management tools to keep large publications on schedule.
Through three distinct case studies, attendees will gain adaptable strategies for planning, communicating, and delivering complex museum publications with greater confidence and efficiency.
No Stranger to Fiction: Museums Publishing Short Stories, Mysteries, and Artist-Inspired Fiction
- Zach Klitzman, Writer-Editor, Library of Congress Publishing Office (moderator)
- Rhys Conlon, Head of Publications, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Elijah Teitelbaum, Editor, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
While most museum publishing revolves around authoritative nonfiction—e.g., scholarly monographs and exhibition catalogues—institutions of different sizes also publish fiction to accompany exhibitions, promote collections, and connect with diverse audiences. This panel will explore a few different projects developed by the Library of Congress (LOC) and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), where fiction has served as an important part of recent publications for both organizations, and by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where fiction diversifies strategic arts content. The discussion will include LOC’s Crime Classics series, NPG’s inclusion of a James Baldwin short story in an exhibition catalogue, and a work of fiction that MCA Chicago has commissioned in response to Jes Fan’s artwork.
In sharing these projects, the panelists will cover what fiction can add to exhibition catalogues; the practical steps of publishing fiction, such as securing rights and working with contemporary writers; how to adapt previously published fiction to a house style; how fiction can illustrate collection items, rather than the other way around; and how publishing fiction can reach new contemporary audiences, including readers who might not otherwise visit or interact with museums.
12–1:30 pm
Lunch on Your Own
1:30–2:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Legal Issues in Museum Publishing
- Douglas Remley, Senior Editor/Publications Manager, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (moderator)
- Ines ter Horst, Director of Intellectual Property and Strategic Global Partnerships, Princeton University Press
- Maia Puryear, Contracting Attorney, Smithsonian Institution
Has an author ever asked you: “Do I really need permission to use this image?” Have you ever received a license agreement filled with so much legal jargon that it made your head hurt? Do you run and hide every time someone utters the words artificial intelligence? If so, you’re not alone!
This session will provide a practical overview to help you address some of the key legal issues facing museums today. Featuring a panel of experienced museum attorneys, this discussion will address common legal questions that come about during the publishing process and will explore strategies for making the legal aspects of publishing more approachable for the staff on your team without a law degree.
Topics will include copyright and fair use, image licensing and permissions, contributor agreements, and co-publishing contracts. The panel will also examine emerging legal issues related to artificial intelligence, highlighting examples of how museums can approach the use, management, or restriction of AI in their work. Through real-world case studies and sample agreements, participants will gain practical tools for identifying, assessing, and managing legal risks, helping them navigate the publishing process with greater confidence and clarity.
Interpretive Writing: Running an Interactive Workshop
- Nora McGreevy, Assistant Editor, The Art Institute of Chicago
- Sheila Majumdar, Senior Editor, The Art Institute of Chicago
How do you run a writing workshop at your organization? Learn by participating in an abbreviated version of the interactive interpretive writing workshop offered regularly at the Art Institute of Chicago. Aimed at incoming staff, interns, and curators, this collaborative workshop focuses on interpretive texts in a museum or gallery context—but the takeaways about writing for general audiences are universal.
We’ll dissect sentences in real time, review the core tenets of accessible and inclusive writing, and share data-driven advice for structuring information on an artwork label and throughout an exhibition. Come prepared to participate and ask questions, and leave with example workshop slides from the Art Institute and other institutions that run similar workshops across the country.
3–4 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Books Make Great Partners: Reimagining the Role of Books in Museum Shops
- Jane Brown, VP and Sales Director, Artbook | D.A.P.
- Mary DelMonico, Publisher, DelMonico Books
- Leslie Dutcher, Director of Publications, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- Chris Conti, MASS MoCA, Research & Development Store
This panel will take a deep and realistic dive into the role books play in the museum store ecosystem—both as revenue drivers and as meaningful extensions of institutional mission. The session will explore practical strategies to elevate a store’s book offerings, even amid institutional challenges and retail constraints, and how publications departments and museum stores can work closely together for their mutual benefit.
Together, panelists will make a compelling case for why books should be central to a museum store’s identity. From strengthening museum-to-museum relationships to enriching visitor experience, books are uniquely positioned to enhance a store’s impact, appearance, profitability, and institutional values.
Exhibition catalogues and museum books are scholarly publications, but they are also powerful storytelling tools that connect visitors to your museum’s mission, to one another, and to the broader cultural community. By placing books and the museum’s exhibition catalogues at the center of a museum’s retail strategy, museum stores can not only boost sales, but elevate the entire museum visitor experience.
This panel will leave attendees inspired and equipped with practical strategies to help their museum shop see that exhibition catalogues and museum books are a cornerstone of their museum store’s future.
From Publication to Platform: Evolving the Catalogue Raisonné (3–3:30 pm)
- Liz Neely, Curator of Digital Experience, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (moderator)
- Caitlin Sweeney, Senior Director of Digital Strategy and Publications, Wildenstein Plattner Institute
- Anne Helmreich, Director, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Digital catalogues raisonnés offer new possibilities for conducting research, connecting scholarship, and providing valuable access to art-historical research, but they also raise complex questions about authority, audience, preservation, and long-term stewardship. This panel will discuss the opportunities and challenges of creating and sustaining these evolving publications. How does a digital catalogue raisonné balance its role as an authoritative source with that of a living research repository? Who is best positioned to publish, preserve, and govern it? Panelists will also consider interoperability, shared schemas, computational research, AI, and the need to manage digital publications as products with ongoing lifecycles rather than projects that end at launch.
Marketing and Findability in the AI Era (3:30–4 pm)
Speakers TK
How do our usual promotional strategies for print publications need to evolve when AI agents or digital assistants, rather than search engines, are increasingly directing readers to books? For digital publications, how can we ensure that our authoritative publications are cited and promoted when curious researchers are looking for answers? This session will offer a general introduction to AEO (answer engine optimization) and GEO (generative engine optimization), and best practices that you can adopt to increase the odds that interested readers will find your books.
4:30–5:30 pm
Plenary Session
Lightning-Round Presentations
This session will feature five short presentations of recent innovations or case studies in the museum publishing field, followed by Q&A from the audience:
Presentation 1 – A Lasting Impression: The Community Impacts of Publishing Graphic History
- Nick Weldon, Director of Publications, The Historic New Orleans Collection
The graphic history format can open up new opportunities for audience engagement and community impact for public history institutions. This lightning-round talk examines how the Historic New Orleans Collection used the illustrated story of Oscar Dunn to seize on a flashpoint moment—the removal of Confederate monuments in New Orleans—to improve local literacy around Reconstruction, forge new community connections, and change the physical landscape of the city and state.
Presentation 2 – Printed Cinema: Two Books, Two Collections, One New Imprint
- Davide Cazzaro, Publishing Director, MUBI Editions
Launched in 2025 by MUBI, the global streaming service, film distributor, and producer, MUBI Editions sets out to be a new kind of book publisher in film culture. In doing so, it broadens the horizons of what cinema-related publishing can be, exploring what can emerge from close collaboration among curators, archivists, authors, designers, filmmakers, photographers, and printers. This presentation offers reflections on two projects developed with the Centre Pompidou and the Cinémathèque Française to show how a productive interplay of editorial, design, and production choices can bring collections to life and expand the dialogue between cinema heritage and the printed page.
Presentation 3 – Visualizing Geographical Data: Commissioning a Map for Your Book
- Leslie Murrell, Editor, Denver Art Museum
A specially designed map can add a valuable element to your publication, visually conveying useful information to help orient a reader to the geographical content of your book. Here’s a practical guide to commissioning a map—including which people to involve, what questions to ask, the timeline required, and tips for communication between parties along the way—based on recent experiences at the Denver Art Museum.
Presentation 4 – Branding a Museum Through Its Publishing Program
- Karol Esen, Graphic Designer, Publisher, and Editor
This presentation examines how Arter, a contemporary art museum founded in Istanbul in 2010, built its identity through publishing rather than conventional branding. As the designer of its inaugural visual identity and early publications, I developed an editorial and design approach that gave each book a distinct character. This approach came to define the museum’s publishing program and shape its institutional identity, and I continue to contribute to it today through the Arter Close-Up series.
Presentation 5 – Perfectionism Paralysis
- Magda Nakassis, Editor, National Gallery of Art
What is it like to work with perfectionists? What is it like to BE a perfectionist? And what happens in a workplace where flawlessness is the expectation, where one errant space before a comma can feel like failure? Let’s look at perfectionism and its symptoms (procrastination, high standards, burnout)—its perks and pitfalls—as well as some solutions for managing it.
5:30–7 pm
Exhibitor Reception
7–8:30 pm
Dinner with Colleagues
Join a group of colleagues for an evening of good food and engaging conversation. No formal networking, just a chance to connect with people, share ideas, and enjoy one another’s company. Sign-up details to follow. Groups are limited to 10 individuals and will be led by NMPS Planning Committee Members.
Note: Attendees are responsible for paying for their own meals.
Tuesday, April 13
8–9 am
Exhibitor Hall: Coffee, Tea, and Light Breakfast
9–10 am
Concurrent Sessions
Proposal to Promotion: Working with Publishers
- Gina Broze, Marquand Books (moderator)
- Amy Canonico, Senior Editor, Yale University Press
- Nick Geller, Art Book Distribution Manager, Yale University Press
- Jean Patterson, Manager of Book Publishing, The Huntington
- Elizabeth Reluga Canellos, Director of Publications and Collections Access, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Publishing partnerships allow museums to expand the reach of the important scholarship around their collections and exhibitions while offering vital support in book development, editing, design, production, distribution, and promotion. But misunderstanding persists around how co-publication and distribution relationships work. This session will demystify that process, providing museum staff with practical tools to advocate for their books and work more effectively with publishers. Responsive to the latest developments in the publishing landscape, this panel will help museum staff understand how to position their books for the market, navigate critical conversations with publishers, and ensure their titles continue to support exhibitions and institutional goals. The panel will bring together a wide range of perspectives to give attendees a full picture of how a book moves from concept to shelf. Topics include: why to partner with a publisher; co-publishing vs. distribution; crafting a strong proposal; production schedules / timelines; how museums can best support sales and marketing efforts; over choices, titles, and pricing; what materials publishers need for promotion and sales; navigating expectations for museum shop vs. trade sales
Speak Now: The Design Brief, the Feedback Loop, and the Art of Getting It Right
- Linda Secondari, Principal, Studiolo Secondari (moderator)
- Joseph Mohan, Director of Production, Museum of Modern Art
- Chad Kloepfer, Graphic Designer and Art Director, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
- Jena Sher, Principal, Jena Sher Graphic Design
A clear design brief is the most underused tool in museum publishing. Done well, it aligns curators, editors, designers, and artists before the first draft. That means fewer rounds of revision, fewer surprises, and a better book. Done poorly, or skipped, it leads to missed deadlines, frustrated collaborators, and compromises no one wanted.
During this session, panelists will show what goes into an effective brief. They’ll also cover who needs input at each stage and how to give timely, useful feedback. Designers, project managers, and publishers from large and small institutions will share how they build the trust that makes real creative collaboration possible while keeping projects on schedule, on budget, and exceeding expectations. Attendees will leave with a practical framework they can implement for their own creative projects.
10:15–11:15 am
Concurrent Sessions
Practical Uses of AI
- Katie Reilly, Associate VP, Publishing, The Art Institute of Chicago (moderator)
- Susan Chun, Senior Director of Publishing, LACMA
- Chelsea Connelly, Assistant Editor, Art & Architecture ePortal, Yale University Press
- Megan Smith, Associate Publisher, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Other speakers TK
While museum publishers must be aware of the risks associated with generative AI—copyright infringement, bias, factual errors, and reputational harm—we must also educate ourselves about the possibilities of quickly evolving tools. This panel will present case studies from peers who are experimenting with AI today to tackle common (and often tedious!) tasks, like generating metadata for digital publications, adapting texts for new purposes, assisting with translation and indexing, or comparing printer quotes. They’ll discuss the potential, and potential pitfalls, of using these tools, and how to employ them with responsible human oversight.
Looking Local: Developing Projects That Center Local Audiences (10:15–10:45 am)
- Ruth Lane, Senior Editor, Getty Publications (moderator)
- Heather Brand, Publisher in Chief, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Matthew Newton, Writer, Editor, and Arts Worker
- Nick Weldon, Director of Publications, The Historic New Orleans Collection
What does museum publishing look like if we put local audiences first? What are the challenges and rewards of developing content with community at the forefront?
This panel discussion will begin with brief case studies from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Historic New Orleans Collection, ranging from collaborating with local writers on collection-focused publications to building a community advisory board for a project about mass incarceration. These case studies will be followed by a robust conversation about the ways museum publishers respond to our local communities, how we can collaborate with community organizations and writers, and what can be achieved when thinking locally.
Editing Reggaetón: A Case Study about Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s First Major Bilingual Catalogue (10:45–11:15 am)
- Antonio Díaz Oliva, Editor and Translation Coordinator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (moderator)
- Tyler Laminack, Associate Director of Editorial, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Renata Graw, Founder and Creative Head, Normal
Published in 2026 to accompany a groundbreaking exhibition, Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón was conceived as a bilingual (English/Spanish) catalogue, the first critical volume to cover the complexity of Caribbean popular music through the lens of contemporary art, including the ways musical and social movements such as dancehall, reggae en español and reggaetón evolved into global phenomena. In this panel audiences will learn about managing a publication that included contributors writing in English and Spanish, different bilingual approaches to design, differing style guides, and the treatment of reggaetón and dancehall songs and lyrics as artwork. Each panelist will focus on a specific aspect of this exhibition publishing project that illuminates the variables of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s first major bilingual catalogue, highlighting practical takeaways that you can adapt for your own purposes.
11:15 am–12:15 pm
Unfinished Conversations
Is there a topic you wish was covered during NMPS 2027, but it wasn’t? What are the latest challenges facing our field that you’d like to discuss with like-minded peers? What themes emerged from earlier sessions that deserve more time to unpack? This casual forum will be shaped by you; we’ll gather topics throughout the conference sessions beginning on Sunday and break up into groups for further exploration. Attendees can participate in any of the discussions and may move from topic to topic as often as desired. This will be a place for frank conversations; what we say here stays here, and what we learn leaves with us.
12:15–1:15 pm
Onsite Luncheon
1:30–2:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Just the Highlights: How to Create a Collection Guide
- Kati Woock, Editor, The Art Institute of Chicago (moderator)
- Valerie Edmison, Head of Publications, Saint Louis Art Museum
- Pam Hatley, Head of Publications, Buffalo AKG Art Museum
- Terri Simon, Editor, Historic New Orleans Collection
Wondering how to tackle a collection-based book? Panelists will present case studies about their recent and forthcoming collection guide publications and cover the nuts and bolts: author selection and communication, editing, layout and design considerations, project management, and more. These four books showcase a variety of formats and organizational strategies, and panelists will leave plenty of time for your questions. From guidebooks to highlights, samplers, and handbooks, we will discuss strategies for developing this crucial type of collection-focused publication, no matter how many people you have on your team.
Peering Behind the Pixels: A Digital Publishing Show-and-Tell
- Erin Dunigan, Community Manager, Quire, Getty Publications
- Additional speakers TK
More and more museums are being asked to go beyond the printed page and find digital solutions to their publishing needs, whether it’s a team of one tasked with finding the right distribution method for niche scholarly research or an entire publishing department looking to increase the reach and access of their publications.
In this lively lightning show-and-tell, we celebrate the groundbreaking open-access, web-based publications being produced in the museum sector. Speakers will share insights such as the benefits/solutions the digital medium provided, platform and design decisions, stakeholder and reader responses, and the challenges/lessons learned along the way. There will be time for Q&A and discussion of best practices at the end. The goal of this gathering is to foster a vibrant community of camaraderie and support in the rapidly changing and often siloed field of museum digital publishing.
3–4 pm
Closing Plenary Session
Museum Publishers as Museum Leaders: An Expanded Field
- Katie Reilly, Associate VP of Publishing, Art Institute of Chicago (moderator)
- Sarah Guernsey, Deputy Director and Senior Vice President, Curatorial Affairs, Art Institute of Chicago
- Mariah Keller, Executive Director, Wrightwood 659
- Emiko Usui, Deputy Director and Chief Experience Officer, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
We’ll close out the conference with a lightly moderated conversation with three museum leaders who had their start as museum publishers. We’ll look to the past, present, and future, exploring a wide range of topics, including:
- How they think a background in publishing prepared them for their current roles, and what advice they would offer professionals in our sector interested in advancing in their careers.
- With their broader view, what they see as the role of publishing in the museum today, and the biggest challenges the field is facing.
- The importance of museums and trusted scholarship in the era of political pressure, fake news, and AI.
- The future role of publishing in museums, and what might need to change or evolve to keep our field relevant.
4–5 pm
Farewell and Exhibitor Giveaway
5 pm
On-own Visit to MCA Chicago
Finding it hard to say goodbye? Well, you’re in luck—the MCA Chicago is open late on Tuesday nights, and is free to anyone with an NMPS badge! Walk or take a bus up Michigan Avenue and explore on your own or with fellow attendees. Enjoy Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, or grab dinner or a cocktail at the fabulous restaurant Marisol, open until 9:30.
