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Sign of the Times: Museums Become Vaccine Clinics
After a year-plus of museums stepping far outside their comfort zones, becoming everything from food distributors to protest relief stations, the final frontier is upon us. Museums around the world have started to offer their spaces as … -
Inviting Engagement: Front-of-House Workers Become Online Content Creators
After announcing our free admission initiative in January 2020, MOCA’s lobby was a bustling hive of activity. Visitor engagement staff welcomed attendees by scanning their tickets and orienting them to exhibitions, rules, and amenities. … -
How Volunteer Programs Are Embracing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
One of the most powerful ways for the public to engage with museums is not as visitors. It’s as volunteers. Here’s why: the volunteer experience is direct and immediate. Volunteers spend extensive time within their chosen museums, getting … -
Empathy Interventions: Mia Experiments with Cultivating Empathy in Museum Visitors
Can the visual arts foster empathy and understanding? From our experiences as art museum educators, we believe they can, but there is little empirical research to support this theory. So, in 2017, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), … -
It Is Time to Include AANHPIs In Museum Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Efforts
Over the past year, we have all witnessed the increasing acts of hate and violence against Asian Americans, particularly against women and the elderly. Some have tried to cast these incidents as a new trend. Yet, for those of us who … -
Thriving as a Virtual Museum: The National Museum of American Jewish History’s Playbook
Like many museums, the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH)’s doors have remained closed to the public since March 2020. Our physical doors, that is. Our museum is very much open through virtual offerings—and we’re happy to … -
Up Close and Personal: Finding Connection through Virtual Education Programs
My husband is a registered nurse, so his impact in our current reality is immediate and tangible. He has been working with patients since the beginning of the pandemic, and now is teaching nursing students to administer the vaccine. But … -
Essential Evaluators: Answering COVID Questions
Essential Evaluators seeks to gather evaluators in a common space to dialogue, reflect, and support each other in a world upended by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protest movement. This is a time of uncertain and unknown expectations … -
An “Empathy Bridge” Helps the Woodland Park Zoo Drive Social Change
Any cultural institution can benefit from understanding and fostering meaningful, emotional experiences for our audiences, especially those whose missions emphasize individual, community, or societal change. For zoos and aquariums, this … -
Using Local Data to More Fully Understand the Visitor Experience During COVID
At Thanksgiving Point Institute—a farm, garden, and museum complex in Lehi, Utah—we’ve been wondering how visitor agendas are changing during the current health crisis. Understanding visitor motivations informs our efforts to be inclusive …
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Gettin’ To Know You The Art of Networking
Category:
On-Demand Programs
As museums and public history organizations navigate tightening budgets, political …
Scholarship Opportunity! Learn Museum Foresight
Category:
Center for the Future of Museums Blog
I am happy to announce that applications are now open for the CFM Foresight Scholarship, …
When Business Partners Become Advocates: Event Network at Museum Advocacy Day 2026
Category:
Advocacy
For over 15 years, Museums Advocacy Day has brought together museum professionals, …