Using an Annual DEAI Report as a Tool for Transparency, Accountability, and Change
At science museums, we spend considerable time and effort instilling the notion in our visitors that mistakes are not something to shy away from, but opportunities for learning and growth. But we don’t always seem to embrace that idea for …
Disrupting Museum Behavior: An Exploration of the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Cripping the Galleries”
On a hot Sunday afternoon, Sydney Erlikh, seated in a wheelchair, leaned against Maypril Krukowski, a woman with glasses seated on a bench. Sounds of church bells, shuffling footsteps, and walking filled the gallery of landscape paintings …
Asset-Based Community Development: Shifting Museums’ Center of Gravity
Twenty-two years ago, I was leading the strategic planning process for a museum education department when I noticed something interesting. Even though we called ourselves the “education” department, we had worded nearly all of our intended …
From SME to C-Suite: Complementing Your Specialization with a Business School Education
In June, reporter Robin Pogrebin published “What Does It Take to Run a Museum? The Job Description is Changing.” in The New York Times. Drawing on interviews with veteran art museum directors, a search firm executive, and an academic …
A Toolkit to Measure Your Museum’s Social Impact
While social and community impact is increasingly viewed as central to museums’ missions as acknowledged in the Alliance’s most recent strategic framework, the issue of measuring that impact with a reliable and valid tool has been a …
Museums as Disaster Responders: A Q&A with Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a strong, lively community? Recently, this question led me to revisit the work and writings of Ray Oldenburg, who first developed the concept of the “third place,” and a conversation I had …
Can You Help Us Build the Ultimate Museum Resource Library?
Looking for something to help you at work? Tips for acing a job interview, a guide to writing a strategic plan, best practices for accessibility at a virtual event? AAM’s Resource Library can help! With thousands of articles, tip …
New On-Demand Programs from #AAM2023
The AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo is one of the most critical opportunities for our field to come together and learn from one another. While it remains the largest annual in-person gathering of the museum field in the world, some of …
A History of Museum Resilience: Q&A with Author Samuel Redman
When the pandemic arrived and made its far-reaching impact on our people and institutions, many wondered if we would ever recover. Few could recall such an existential crisis during their careers, where the work of museums was so …
B.U.I.L.D.-ing Empathy: A Framework for Reinvigorating Your Workplace
One of the throughlines of my career in social services has been witnessing the power of empathy. I first discovered this power as an undergraduate criminal justice major, when I completed a field placement at a local juvenile detention …
