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New On-Demand Programs from #AAM2023

By American Alliance of Museums

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

By Adam Rozan

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

By Ashley Witherspoon

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 …
AAMC Foundation Publishes Best Practices Guide for Conducting Artist Identity Surveys

By AAMC Foundation

The AAMC Foundation has released the Best Practices Guide for Artist Demographic Data Coordination, the first resource of its kind for art organizations providing a detailed overview of how to prepare for and execute an artist demographic …
The Best Museum Cafés and Restaurants, According to Museum People

By Joseph O'Neill

Any seasoned museumgoer knows that feeling a few hours into a visit. You came in energized, eager, and attentive, ready to conquer some exhibitions, but now you’re losing steam. The wall texts are running together; you’re breezing past …
The Six Tools for Effective Digital Design

By Barry Joseph

In 2020, after a fifteen-year run working in museums on digital engagement projects, I decided to start my own consultancy. In the process of building it, I often heard from people familiar with my projects, whether from my blog, social …
How Emotional Intelligence Can Create Happier and Healthier Museums

By Jennifer DePrizio

After twenty years of working in museums, I’ve seen all sides of the field—the good, the bad, and even the ugly. But regardless of the negative experiences, my hopes are still as high as when I began my career. I still believe deeply that …
Taking a Stand: A Q&A with Micah Parzen, CEO of the Museum of Us

By Adam Rozan

While for some museums the pandemic was a wake-up call to reimagine how they engaged and served their communities, for others it was an opportunity to go deeper. One of those museums, the Museum of Us, had been on a trajectory for several …
A Farewell from AAM’s Departing President & CEO

By Laura Lott

It has been an incredible honor to lead the American Alliance of Museums and to work with all of you for the last thirteen years. Throughout my tenure, I visited hundreds of museums and enjoyed meeting thousands of museum …
Empathy Interviews: A Tool for Museums to Understand the Feelings and Experiences of Others

By Kari Nelsestuen, Julie Smith, and Daniel Ramirez

Imagine sitting down with local community members and hearing stories about the places they feel they can show up as their most authentic selves, or where and how they have learned something interesting in the past, or what drives them to …