2019 – Page 16 – American Alliance of Museums

Time for New Norms: Museums must address their systemic inequities if they want to be truly inclusive—and relevant—institutions.

By Chris Taylor

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. In American history, the Civil Rights Movement is held up as a beacon of progress and equality, a momentous time in our …
Museums Matter – Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum and Legislative Updates

By American Alliance of Museums

Advocacy Alert – June 26, 2019 Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum and Legislative Updates Did you know that a visit to the museum can change how elected officials think about museums? The August congressional recess is a great time …
More Evidence for the Power of Creative Aging

By Bill Tramposch

One of the most fruitful areas of the creative aging movement is the one that explores the arts and aging. The evidence for the positive effects of arts on wellbeing is mounting rapidly and to such a degree that it has spawned a new …
Attracting Visitors with User-Generated Content

By Amrita Gurney

If I ever find myself with a few hours to spare, there’s no place I’d rather be than a museum. Visiting a new exhibit fills me with exhilaration, perspective, and knowledge. But in North America today, there are a large number of people …
Talking with Visitors About the Eviction Crisis

By Dr. Sarah Leavitt

This year’s TrendsWatch profiles several museums working to educate the public about homelessness and housing insecurity. One of the exhibitions I highlighted was Evicted, presented by the National Building Museum from April 2018-May 2019. …
How One Small Museum Approached Accreditation

By Ann H. Sievers

Accreditation helps museums focus their purpose, refine their practices, and build their futures. But some museums, particularly those with small staffs and budgets, might consider it challenging amid their other responsibilities and …
A Reading List on Creative Aging

By Bill Tramposch

I once had the privilege of interviewing Frank Oppenheimer, the founder of the Exploratorium in San Francisco. I asked him why he had created the museum, and he answered: “Both my brother Robert and I were struck with how, in our …
Building an Equitable Future: Museums and Reparations

By Elizabeth Merritt

Today is Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in America. This holiday is a big deal here in my home town of Washington D.C. Not coincidentally, today the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates will trek up Capitol Hill to …
An Intergenerational “School of Drag” Connects LGBTQIA+ Youth and Elders

By Eli Burke

Last year, 20 organizations enrolled in a special museum cohort of Aroha Philanthropies’ Seeding Vitality Arts program. With funding from Aroha, and training provided by Lifetime Arts, these museums are developing high quality, …
Shaping a New Assessment on Museum Education and Interpretation

By Robert Forloney

On March 21 and 22, 2019, AAM brought together thirteen experts on museum education for a professionally facilitated exploration of trends, needs, and opportunities in the museum education field. The insights from this convening are …