Alliance Blog

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Membership Motivations and Barriers: An Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story

By Susie Wilkening

This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2021 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, a national survey of American museum visitors from AAM and Wilkening Consulting. Every year, the survey partners with individual museums to research …
Now Available: On-Demand Sessions from AAM 2025

By American Alliance of Museums

Couldn’t make it to Los Angeles this spring for the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo? Wishing you could replay a session that’s been on your mind ever since? Good news! A select number of recorded sessions are now available …
Museums, What’s Your Gen Z Score?

By Caroline Klibanoff

The United States is experiencing its most age-diverse society ever, as lifespans get longer and a tidal wave of young people prepare to enter adulthood. As a result, museums are facing greater demands to serve multiple generations and …
From the Trenches: Advice from an Emerging Museum Professional

By Neecole A. Gregory

I didn’t always see myself working in museums. For most of my life, I was immersed in archaeology and the ancient world—focused on digs, research, and physical culture. At the time, I thought museums were places to visit, not places to …
Civics on View: Using Museum Collections to Foster Greater Civic Knowledge and Understanding

By Ruby Stricker and Gerrie Bay Hall

At a time when much of the nation is thinking about what citizenship means, museums, historic sites, and other cultural organizations are uniquely poised to offer the public opportunities for civic engagement through direct encounters with …
How Museums Can Mitigate Damage to Collections

By Spacesaver

This post is an advertorial written by an organization that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, …
Museums for Midlife: A Q&A with Chip Conley

By Adam Rozan

If you’ve ever seen my library or chatted with me about what I’m reading, you’ll know that I have a soft spot for TED Talk–style books. If Adam Grant or Simon Sinek has a new book, I’ve likely already bought it, read it, or I’m waiting for …
Gen Z Has Entered the Chat: What We Want from Museums

By Adamali De La Cruz

One hundred members of the Youth250 Bureau offer free advice to museums seeking to reach young adults. When it comes to engaging Gen Z in museums, I know it’s not always easy. My generation spends more time online than in person, often …
Making membership easy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

By Tessitura

This post is an advertorial written by an organization that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, …
Better Than Imagined: How a Holocaust Museum Builds Trust and Community

By Rahim Thompson

There is a certain kind of experience people think they will have at a Holocaust museum. We understand. Most expectations stem from a narrow view of what is possible. But when you widen the lens and expand the imagination, you see: Imagine …