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Museum Colleague Shoutouts for 2023

By Joseph O'Neill

Last month we asked readers of our Field Notes newsletter to share their shoutouts for outstanding museum colleagues in honor of the new year. Here were some of the responses they shared: “Sarah Curran, Museum of Discovery and …
Different by Design: A New, Inclusive Framework for Accessible Museum Exhibitions

By Sarah Schleuning

In January 2020, I authored a post for the Alliance Blog about speechless: different by design, an exhibition that I curated for the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The exhibition was an experiment—one …
The Museum System Upgrade: A Q&A with András Szántó

By Adam Rozan

In the early days of COVID lockdowns, longtime cultural consultant and writer András Szántó began interviewing dozens of museum leaders around the world. As the pandemic simultaneously slowed down schedules and accelerated the field’s pace …
“Wait, What? Toddlers in an Art Museum?”

By Nicole Cromartie & Bailey Placzek

Caitlin Mock Wilson, a mother of two young children and a Clyfford Still Museum (CSM) member, often went to museums with her parents as a young child. When she had her own children, she said it “felt natural” that she would also bring them …
The Top Ten Museum Junction Threads of 2022

By Joseph O'Neill

If you ever want to ask your museum peers a question, one of the best places to turn is Museum Junction, AAM’s open online discussion forum. Sometimes these questions are straightforward and easily answerable, by the person with the …
The Top Ten Alliance Blog Posts of 2022

By Joseph O'Neill

Every year, people from across the field contribute to the Alliance Blog, and new topics come to the fore as the fieldwide conversation evolves. Revisiting the posts that were most read in a given year always reveals interesting insights …
An End-of-Year Note to the Museum Field

By Laura Lott

This past year has continued to show that our new normal is a precarious one. Our communities have been facing massive challenges on a daily basis, whether due to the impacts of the climate crisis, issues of equity and identity-based …
Museum People’s Favorite Museum Stores

By Joseph O'Neill

Museumgoers know that one of the best places to find distinctive, cherishable objects, books, and apparel is in a museum store. With their connection to their institutions’ educational missions, these special stores boast a …
An Interpretive Plan for a Castle in the Clouds

By Debbi Finkelstein

Every year, dozens of museums around the country participate in AAM’s Museum Assessment Program (MAP), offered in a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Through guided self-assessment exercises and a …
Are Stay Interviews Worth the Effort?

By Katherine McNamee

With the tight labor market this year, a popular topic in human resources circles has been the practice of conducting “stay interviews,” which CNBC predicted last fall would be “the big next trend of the Great Resignation.” As opposed to …