Starting in August, AAM is piloting Future Chats, a series of short dives into some of the latest news. These one hour, online sessions will be dedicated to informal, interactive conversations about trends and events that are changing our world.

For each Chat, I’ll recruit a guest to help me pick apart a recent signal of change (it might be a news story, a research report, even a photograph), examine its implications for our lives and our work, and create a safe space for museum people to trade thoughts and share experiences.

Which, not incidentally, creates an opportunity to share with you some of the fascinating people inside, around, and outside the museum sector who I meet in the course of my work.

For the first Chat, on Wednesday, August 14, from 3-4 p.m. ET, I’ll be joined by Marcy Rockman to explore a recent signal related to changing climate risk. Marcy is an archaeologist with experience in national and international climate change policy. Her research focuses on “landscape learning,” which explores how humans gather, remember, and share environmental information.

After about 20 minutes of introducing our signal and sharing some thoughts on what it might mean for the world, and museums, we’ll send attendees off into small breakout groups with questions to guide discussion. When you re-enter the main room towards the end of the hour, you’ll be invited to share insights, stories, ideas that struck you as being particularly useful and inspiring.

This event is free and open to all (AAM member and nonmember alike). I hope you will join me both to test the format, and to dive into this critically important topic. Register now for the August 14 event, and I hope to be chatting with you soon.

Yours from the future,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Merritt, VP Strategic Foresight and Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums