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A Deeper Model of Community Co-Creation

By Marjorie Bequette and Robby Callahan Schreiber

Museums often talk about reaching out to communities, or co-creating with community members, for an exhibition or project. But often in these cases, the formula is lopsided in favor the museum; even though they may be eliciting feedback, …
What’s the Connection Between Financial Capital and Museum Education?

By Kerry Sautner and Abby Newkirk

In this series of posts, EdCom’s Trends Committee is taking a deeper look at emerging phenomena identified in the 2020 edition of TrendsWatch from the Center for the Future of Museums. In this post, they dive into financial capital, with a …
PIVOT: When the Exhibit Title Sets the Tone

By Elizabeth Quinn MacMillan & Amy Cao

The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College had just installed its latest exhibit, PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Art, when the pandemic hit in March 2020. Over the next year, the exhibit’s title took on new meaning, as “pivoting” became …
How the Museum of Science and History in Memphis Used the Pandemic to Springboard Its Strategic Plan

By Kevin Thompson

By the time the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis had already started a radical reshaping of its image, structure, and programming. When I began as Executive Director in January 2020, we were armed with an …
Museums Can Renew America Through the Semiquincentennial

By John Garrison Marks

Though it may still feel like a long way off, the United States’ 250th anniversary is rapidly approaching. Right now, the US Semiquincentennial Commission, federal agencies, state history organizations, and individual museums throughout …
Adapting to a Hybrid Reality: Accelerating a Digital Methodology and Mindset at Your Institution

By Emily Stoller-Patterson & Tricia Robson

Physical closures and capacity reductions due to COVID-19 forced museums and galleries to find new ways to showcase content and programming to a greater audience, accelerating the shift towards digital. While articles abound about the …
Strengthening Our Core: How Defining Shared Values Can Revitalize Teams

By Beth Redmond-Jones

All aquariums, zoos, and museums have core values—beliefs, philosophies, and principles that drive the organization. These values support the organization’s vision, shape its culture, and ensure that all employees are working towards the …
Excite, Build, Consider: A Structure for Open and Honest Feedback in Project Development

By Joey Scott and Bonnie Benham

One challenge we’ve all probably faced in collaborative program and exhibit development/design is creating a space for open and honest feedback. We know candid feedback is crucial for aligning the outcome of a project with its stated goals …
A National Collaboration Unites Black Museums in Celebration of Juneteenth

By LaNesha DeBardelaben

African American museums across the country bear a glorious responsibility to educate and engage, to inform and inspire, to bring together and build. As anchors for this engagement throughout the year, we celebrate cultural holidays, from …
What I Learned in a Year of Writing “Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership”

By Marjorie Schwarzer

The creative aging movement is coming of age, and just in the nick of time. As of last year, 80 percent of state arts agencies across the United States reported a high or very high demand for creative aging programs in their state, which …