Cultural Heritage Emergencies Summit 2026

This Summit will provide a platform for cultural stewards in the DC region to examine preparedness strategies, discuss how to speed recovery, and strategize about how to save heritage that might otherwise be lost. Protecting Our Legacy for This Generation and Those to Come. The U.S. Constitution and the Star-Spangled Banner flag are here today to tell the nation’s story because people intervened and protected the creations of a young country from the devastating effects of the war of 1812. Today, museums, archives, historical societies, and library professionals face different challenges for their collections with the same resolve to protect them. This Summit will be one of the first wider convenings on Cultural Heritage Emergency Management in the U. S., and will welcome practitioners, researchers, and emerging professionals from cultural institutions and organizations of all sizes in the DC area. Formal presentations, discussion sessions, hands-on workshops, and collections space tours will be available to create opportunities for inspiration, communication, and collaboration.