This Fall, WMA's 2026 Annual Meeting will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 23-26, produced in partnership with UMA.

With the theme of ASPIRE, WMA | UMA 2026 invites museum professionals to imagine boldly, reaching beyond inherited boundaries to shape futures not yet written. To ASPIRE is not simply to dream; it is to take intentional steps toward transformation. In museums, this means embracing innovation, confronting historical silences, and cultivating practices that reflect the diverse realities of the publics we serve. Whether expanding community engagement, rethinking stewardship, or exploring new interpretive strategies, the act of aspiring requires us to hold space for possibility.

ASPIRE to shape the future.

This year we gather in Salt Lake City, a place shaped by layered histories, evolving communities, and ongoing efforts to reckon with land, identity, and belonging. Against this backdrop, ASPIRE invites us to forge stronger partnerships, uplift underrepresented voices, and build frameworks that honor both local stories and global perspectives.

ASPIRE with us in Salt Lake City as we envision what museums can become when we commit to growth, empathy, and accountability.

Not a WMA member? Join now!

Wanda Chin Scholarships

Since 1997, the Wanda Chin Professional Development Program has helped to make attendance at the Western Museums Association’s (WMA) Annual Meeting financially accessible to individuals who might otherwise not be able to attend. Funded through an annual auction and donations, the Wanda Chin Professional Development Program is a vital component of the WMA mission and allows WMA to create opportunities for its constituents to build skill sets to better serve their communities.

Application Deadline is Friday, June 19th.

Any current WMA member is eligible for the Wanda Chin Scholarship. This includes full-time or part-time employees, board members, volunteers, students, and interns. Past scholarship applicants are invited to apply, but previous scholarship winners are not eligible. We encourage applications from members of diverse communities and subscribe to EEO/Affirmative Action principles.
To apply, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

Student – Must be a current WMA Member and enrolled in a degree granting program
Emerging Professional – Must be a current WMA Member and have been in the museum field for 1-10 years
Mid-career Professional – Must be a current WMA Member and have been in the museum field for 10-20 years

Apply for a Wanda Chin Scholarship

Donate to the Wanda Chin Scholarship Fund

WMA Awards

This fall at WMA | UMA 2026 in Salt Lake City, UT we will celebrate positive leadership, significant career achievements, and outstanding work on an exhibition in the Western region by presenting three awards:

Arthur H. Wolf Impact Award
The Arthur H Wolf Impact Award recognizes an individual or group whose work on a specific project or program brought about organizational change; supported diversity, social justice, and/or leadership; or had a significant, positive effect on their museum, their surrounding communities, and/or the museum field.

WMA Leadership Award
The WMA Leadership Award recognizes and acknowledges exceptional individuals who have made a significant impact in their institution or community in the last ten (10) years. This award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to serving diverse communities, promoting social justice, and/or challenging institutional structures.

Charles Redd Exhibition Award
Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Award for Exhibition Excellence honors excellence for an exhibition that furthers the study and understanding of the American West.

Submit a Nomination for WMA 2026 Awards