September 2025 – American Alliance of Museums

Info Sheet: How Government Shutdowns Impact Museums and the Cultural Sector

By American Alliance of Museums

September 30, 2025 This page will continue to be updated as new information becomes available Update October 8, 2025: No news on FY 2026 appropriations progress – On day seven of the government shutdown, there is no clear path for an end …
The Four-Day Workweek: A Q&A with Taft Museum of Art CEO Becky Beaulieu

By Adam Rozan

Maybe you’ve heard the quote “the only constant is change,” which I believe is true. Change is always happening, so much so that life and work often feel more topsy-turvy than constant. For a while, the constant change we lived with was in …
Inclusive Content in an Uncertain Time: A 2025 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story

By Susie Wilkening

This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2025 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, a national survey of American museum visitors from AAM and Wilkening Consulting. Every year, the survey partners with individual museums to research …
Three Questions to Rethink Volunteering

By Joseph O'Neill

As Elizabeth Merritt outlines in this year’s edition of TrendsWatch, volunteering in the United States is in a funk. Participation rates have slumped for decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought even sharper declines. Whether you …
Future Chat: Taking a Stand, Deciding When and How to Speak Out

By American Alliance of Museums

Museums are increasingly confronted with difficult choices about whether and when to take a public stand regarding current events and emerging challenges. How can directors work with boards and staff to make thoughtful decisions about …
Message from the President: Taking Good Care

By Marilyn Jackson

No matter what type of museum you work in, properly managing the institution’s collection is a core function—and a monumental undertaking. In museum collections, our world’s most invaluable objects are not only publicly accessible but …
How to Let Go: Collections care meeting audience needs

By Jenny Durrant

Museums strive to be permanent institutions that make cultural objects accessible for the benefit of society. Does this mission imply that museum collections must also be permanent, or can objects be transient? When is it acceptable to …
Evolving Standards: Incorrect Cultural Care as an 11th agent of deterioration

By Melanie Deer, Angela Garcia-Lewis, Amanda Lancaster, Martin Schultz, and Reylynne Williams

When asked to teach a museum administration class about collections management, Melanie Deer centered the discussion on the 10 Agents of Deterioration (10 Agents), which focus heavily on the traditional “preservation forever” approach. She …
Risk and Responsibility: Sustainable collection care and fine art insurance

By Adrienne Reid

Environmental sustainability is an urgent global priority, and cultural institutions are striving to do their part. Many are exploring greener practices, including reducing energy use and waste and adopting more sustainable transportation …
The Case for Change: Environmental controls in collecting institutions

By Danielle Sakowski

A new study examines the relationship between energy, carbon, and T/RH parameters in collecting institutions. As part of their mission-driven work, museums are committed to protecting and preserving the objects in their care. Yet …