Elizabeth Merritt – American Alliance of Museums
Skip to content
Logo of Center of the Future of Museum's Space Slug

Recent Posts by Elizabeth Merritt

Cultivating Optimism: Signals of Hope

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
I’ve been on a deep dive into the world of optimism lately, looking for inspiration I might share to bolster our collective mental resilience in the face of massive disruptions. As I …

Revisiting Wild Times: The Loss of Nonprofit Status

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
In 2018 I published a scenario titled “Wild Times” set in a version of 2040 in which museums lost their nonprofit status due to a combination of political attacks, economic stress, and a …

Your Guide to the Future at AAM 2025

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
AAM’s annual meeting is a gigantic buffet of content, and I know from experience that navigating the offerings can be somewhat overwhelming. In this post I offer one specialized menu of …

TrendsWatch: Download, share, and go deeper

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
The 2025 edition of TrendsWatch, AAM’s annual forecasting report, is now available as a free PDF download! In this post I’ll tell you how to snag your copy and preview some opportunities to …

Special Screening of Repatriation Documentary at AAM 2025

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
I’m excited to announce that AAM has arranged a special showing of the 2024 documentary Dahomey at the upcoming AAM Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Dahomey, directed by French Senegalese …

Against Efficiency

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
On occasion, I use this space to comment on norms and practices that I feel do active harm to our sector and our peers. (See, for example, my short rant on “quiet quitting” and the …

Subscribe to Field Notes!

Packed with stories and insights for museum people, Field Notes is delivered to your inbox every Monday. Once you've completed the form below, confirm your subscription in the email sent to you.

If you are a current AAM member, please sign-up using the email address associated with your account.

Are you a museum professional?

Are you a current AAM member?

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription, and please add communications@aam-us.org to your safe sender list.