SHAPE THE FUTURE. ORGANIZE FOR IMPACT.
AFTACON 2026 is where we gather to shape the future of arts and culture and organize for impact—extending far beyond four days in June. Your voice becomes part of coordianted national action.
This is a moment that calls for community, creativity, and advocacy. Join artists, administrators, and advocates from across the nationa to learn, strategize, and mobilize.
Together, we chart the path forward. Welcome to Albuquerque.
WHERE
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Host Hotel: Hotel Albuquerque
WHEN
COST
JOIN US
Secure your spot and join us for an engaging experience.
FROM LEARNING TO ACTION
Arts and culture workers today face both urgent challenges and transformative opportunities: evolving technologies, changing audiences, threats to expression, and new possibilities for collaboration and civic impact.
AFTACON is where we shape the future of arts and culture and organize for lasting impact.
Your voice matters. Your presence matters.
Connect and Organize
Engage with 1,000+ peers from across the country to build our collective path forward for arts and culture. Register ›
Designed for Connection
Three and a half days of accessible, transformative programming. Meals included. Built for everyone. Schedule ›
Choose Your Path
Nine customizable pathways grounded in the skills and strategies you need to create local and national impact. Pathways ›
Experience Albuquerque
Immerse yourself in New Mexico’s vibrant cultural landscape and see how creative ecosystems fuel civic impact and community change. ARTventures ›
NINE PATHWAYS. ONE UNFORGETTABLE CITY.
AFTACON 2026 Pathways:
- Action and Advocacy
- Arts, Humanities, and Community Vitality
- Arts and Economic Sustainability
- Arts Education
- Arts in Civic Life
- Nonprofit Strategy
- Creative Work, Agency, and Technology
- Empowering Rural Arts
- Readiness, Response, and Community Care
MOMENTS FROM AFTACON
BECOME A MEMBER OF AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS
You can keep the AFTACON connections going year-round when you become a Member of Americans for the Arts!
If you registered for AFTACON, membership for 2026-2027 starts at just $50 more for students/artists, or $150 more for professionals.
Membership connects you with our vibrant community of arts professionals and offers the following benefits:
- An invitation to the annual Member Reception at AFTACON
- Access to other services at AFTACON including a members-only registration kiosk and membership concierge
- Discounted postings in our Job Bank
- Monthly member e-newsletters
- Access to private members-only listservs
MEET THE ARTIST: HEIDI K. BRANDOW
The visual identity of AFTACON 2026 is brought to life through the work of Heidi K. Brandow (Diné, Kanaka Maoli), a multidisciplinary artist based in New Mexico whose art celebrates Indigenous heritage, cultural resilience, and the interconnectedness between land, identity, and storytelling.
Ready to help shape the future of arts and culture?
Mark your calendars now.
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WITH LOCAL HOST
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