Alliance Blog

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Where the Seats Have No Name: In Defense of Museum Benches

By David Whitemyer, AIA

Sitting gets a bad rap. The last few years have seen articles and media outlets touting that “Sitting is the new smoking.” Standing desks are the latest office furniture trend. And in museums too, it seems like visitors are primarily …
Museum Store Sunday: A Tale of One City

By Lori Brazos

This article is republished with permission from the Museum Store Association. When I heard of Museum Store Sunday for the first time, my immediate thought was “brilliant!” What a perfect way to promote museum stores. Not only do we have …
Labor Pains at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

By Larry Bain

One might think that a new restaurant chain called “Now Hiring” has opened in urban centers across the nation. Especially in the Bay Area, the blessing of “full employment” has become a curse. I would have liked to start this blog by …
Serving on the Facing Change: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Working Group

By Cecile Shellman

I have always believed that the “alliance” in the American Alliance of Museums’ title is truly descriptive of its aspirational aims: that together we derive strength from the service we render to the museum field. As I consider similarly …
Gone Digital: Creating Space-Saving Museum Exhibitions

By Kyle Mathers

Most museums, large and small, have space issues, but the problem can be much more acute for local history museums. Developing creative, space-conscious methods for mounting exhibitions and displaying artifacts at low costs can be an …
Leading By Example, Not by Mandate

By Laura Lott

Champion museums and nurture excellence in partnership with our members and allies. This is the Alliance’s mission statement and a call to action that is driving results across the museum field. There is no Alliance without our members! …
Museopunks Episode 30: Truth and Reconciliation in Museums

By Suse Anderson

How can museums participate in transitional justice, which seeks to address massive human rights violations? In this episode, Suse is joined by Omar Eaton-Martínez and Dr. Karine Duhamel to explore the implications of truth and …
Attack of the 100-Year Old Startup

By Brendan Ciecko

At first glance, museums and startups may not seem to have an overwhelming amount in common. The majority of museums are not-for-profit, mission-driven institutions and operate in a different realm than the high-growth (and high risk) …
A discussion with Franny Award winning designer, Brad Bartlett

By Dean Phelus

We recently had the opportunity to learn more about the design of Unsettled (Nevada Museum of Art), the 2018 Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for Excellence in Publication Design, from designer Brad Bartlett of Brad Bartlett Design. The book …
The Citizenship Project

By Samantha Rijkers

It is shortly after 6 pm on a rainy summer evening in New York City. Ten adults are gathering in a classroom at the New-York Historical Society, carrying umbrellas, notebooks, and pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution. They come from the …