2024: 52nd Annual Conference
Information forthcoming.
Welcome Hotel Information Call for Proposals Conference Planning Committee
The ARLIS/NA Conference Planning Committee and Executive Board are very pleased to welcome our ARLIS/NA colleagues to Pittsburgh for the 52nd annual conference. Last year’s ethereal conference in Mexico City was such a treat and allowed us to forge enduring relationships with our Mexican colleagues, enabling us to more comfortably wear the name Art Libraries Society of North America. It feels fitting that our return to the United States for this year’s conference will be in one of its most iconic cities. Pittsburgh, located on the unceded lands of the Shawandasse Tula, Osage, and Monongahela, was once renowned for its dominant role in the steel industry. Today it excels in the fields of education, technology, and sustainability. Pittsburgh has adapted beautifully to a changing world; join us April 2–5, 2024 as we also explore adaptation and innovation in art libraries.
The theme of the conference is POP!. Intentionally open to a variety of interpretations, the conference planners hope POP! will elicit a sense of playfulness. Of course, it’s a nod to the Pop Art movement which is deeply rooted in Pittsburgh and the greater Ohio Valley. From canonical icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to the first nationally syndicated Black woman cartoonist, Jackie Ormes, the history of Pop is baked into the DNA of the region. More contemporary Pop artists like street artist Jordan Wong, Jenny Holzer, and Keith Haring–all born and raised in the Ohio Valley–underscore that our history and our future are made richer as they become more inclusive and diverse. POP! is a celebration like opening a bottle of champagne but it is also a reckoning as we are compelled to pop preconceived notions. POP! offers the society an open-ended prompt to interpret and explore–it’s a source of renewal, imagination, and expansiveness that begs the question, what sort of future can we create together?
Conference proposals are being submitted as I write this. This year’s program will surely reflect the society’s new mission, vision, and values, with panels, posters, roundtables, and workshops addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion; advocacy and social justice; critical librarianship; as well as fundamental topics such as collection development and management, visual literacy, digital scholarship, and pedagogical practice. Tours and parties will take advantage of Pittsburgh’s cool and vibrant art scene, taking a peek behind the scenes of some world-renowned institutions and exploring Pittsburgh’s industrial history and rich cultural melting pot.
The sumptuous Omni William Penn Hotel will be home base for conference activities. This location will be a comfortable and convenient setting for our conference. We will have ample, easy-to-navigate meeting spaces, dedicated gender neutral bathrooms—all fully accessible. The Exhibits Hall, always an anchor of our conferences, is ideally located among the session rooms. The conference planners are looking at options for on-site childcare. There are several dining and drinking options at the hotel—from the elegant Terrace Room to an intimate speakeasy to a cute coffee shop off of the lobby. There are also many dining options within a short walk of the hotel.
The Andy Warhol Museum is .6 miles away, and Heinz Hall for Performing Arts is even closer at .3 miles away. The Mattress Factory, home to one of Yayoi Kusama’s permanent Infinity Rooms (yay Pop Art!) and the Carnegie Museum of Art are a bit further afield at 1.7 and 3 miles respectively. Even further afield than that is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Yes, we are planning to run more than one tour to Fallingwater.
In addition to arts and culture, Pittsburgh is a refreshingly green city. The Omni William Penn is a short distance from the waterfront Point State Park and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Surrounded by hills, Pittsburgh has two inclines (or funiculars) which are a charming way to take in the scenery and get your bearings. And don’t forget to book your tickets early for the Pirates’ home opener at PNC Park, which was just named best Major League Baseball stadium by Sports Illustrated.
Please join us April 2-5, 2024 in Pittsburgh for the 52nd annual ARLIS/NA conference. We look forward to celebrating, exploring, and creating POP! with you.
Sincerely,
Rachel Resnik, ARLIS/NA President
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All meeting sessions will take place at the Omni William Penn Hotel. The Historic Omni William Penn Hotel is the ideal choice for a Pittsburgh getaway. One of the most sought-after downtown Pittsburgh hotels, they are near Acrisure Stadium, PNC Park and other downtown attractions. Their 597 hotel rooms and guest suites are decorated in rich tones and cherry wood furnishings, letting guests experience an elevated old-world charm not often seen at hotels in Pittsburgh, PA. |
Omni William Penn Hotel
530 William Penn Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Hotel website
A block of rooms is being held at the hotel at the following rates per night:
$189.00 – Standard (single or double)
*Rates do not include applicable state and local taxes, fees and assessments, currently at 14% and are subject to change without notice.
Be sure to make your reservation by Monday, March 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET to secure these rates. These rates are available 3 days prior and 3 days after the conference dates, subject to availability.
All reservations must be guaranteed by a valid credit card, which will be supplied at the time of reservation. Any guaranteed reservation not cancelled 72 hours prior to arrival will be subject to one night room and tax cancellation fee.
Check-in time is 3:00 pm; check-out time is 12:00 noon. All guests arriving before 3:00 pm will be accommodated as rooms become available.