From the President
As I write this letter in June, I am still on a bit of a high* from May, which is when AIC welcomed 1,000+ attendees to our first ever hybrid annual conference. For those of us attending in person, it was such a pleasure to see friends and colleagues after the pandemic necessitated online-only meetings in 2020 and 2021. My AIC Board colleague Elmer Eusman, Treasurer, said it well—“Everyone looks amazing!”
Festively, the conference also began with cake—actually, several large cakes. Celebrating AIC’s 50th anniversary, these were served at the back of the conference’s first large plenary event, the Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, May 14th. The Awards Ceremony was one of the highlights of the conference for me, and not because of the cakes (although they were delicious!). This year’s awards celebrated and honored people at all career stages—from inspirational early-career leaders to senior mentors who have shaped generations of cultural heritage practitioners, and many others in between. A common theme called out in nomination letters for all the 2022 awardees was their generosity of spirit. Not only have these individuals done award-winning work, but they have also generously shared their time, knowledge, and skills, making a lasting difference in the lives of their students, colleagues, and communities. It was such a pleasure to honor them at the 50th anniversary meeting.
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