2021 – Page 6 – American Alliance of Museums

A Global View: 6 Essays from Around the World

By Wesam Mohamed, Milena Milošević Micić, Germán Paley, Ignacio Paravano, Rebeca Richter, and Dr. Winani Thebele

Deepest gratitude to the Getty Foundation, which has supported for over a decade the AAM-Getty International Program at the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo to forge connections between museum professionals in the US and globally in a …
Point of View: A Better Future for Museums

By Mike Murawski

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. The need for a human-centered approach to museum practice has never been more urgent. My own passion for change in …
Legislative Updates and Museums Advocacy Day 2022

By American Alliance of Museums

Advocacy Alert – October 29, 2021 In this Alliance Advocacy Alert: Help Preserve Museum Jobs: Tell Congress to Retain the Employee Retention Tax Credit for Nonprofits Good News: Changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) …
From the President and CEO: Together We Will Recover

By Laura Lott

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. As I write this in early September, just over six months since COVID-19 began shuttering our museums, I look out at a …
The Mind Behind the Myth: Navigating visitor reactions at Kew Palace

By Elizabeth Merritt

During the pandemic, museums supported the mental health of their communities in creative and generous ways. Some created outdoor art installations to boost the spirits of people in nursing homes and hospitals. Others provided online art …
Looking Ahead: Embracing Sustainability and Resiliency for a Better Tomorrow

By American Alliance of Museums

The United Nations (UN) Climate Week provides a platform for organizations which include museums and cultural institutions to come together to discuss how an understanding on environmental sustainability and climate action can be advanced …
Museum Staff as Disaster Service Workers

By Elizabeth Merritt

Last month I put out a call on Museum Junction for examples of museums helping their communities plan for and respond to disasters. Among the many exceptional stories submitted by respondents, one stood out by virtue of framing the issue …
“Activating Smithsonian Open Access” Proposes New Models for Interacting with Museum Collections

By Rachel Ginsberg

In February 2021, Cooper Hewitt’s Interaction Lab launched an open call for proposals for inspiring digital interactions with Smithsonian Open Access collections for people all over the globe. Made possible by Verizon 5G Labs, Activating …
Exploring Museums and Trust 2021

By Elizabeth Merritt

The 2019 edition of TrendsWatch took a deep dive into the topic of trust, summarizing the global “trust deficit” and its effect on society. The subject was of particular importance to museums because, as a sector, museums had bucked that …
“Boom!”: Touchless Audio Spotlight Technology Ensures Safety and Captivates Exhibition Visitors

By Cristofer Osden

At the annual Boom exhibition in Saxony, Germany, more than two dozen AS-168i Audio Spotlight directional sound speakers were placed strategically throughout an open floor layout of visual displays to provide sanitary, touchless …