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Striving for Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing
In just a few months, a quarter of the twenty-first century will be behind us. Much has changed in museums over that time. Some of that change has been brought on by technology and new ways …
Learning from the Double Diamond: How Divergent and Convergent Thinking Can Improve Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Museums
Have you ever been in a meeting and thrown out an idea, only to have a colleague start listing all the reasons it won’t work? Or maybe you’ve thought of one in your head, only to …
You, Me, We: Tackling Identity and Discrimination with Young Audiences
In February 2023, Boston Children’s Museum opened a new exhibition called You, Me, We, which encourages families to connect with each other around questions of fairness in the world, …
Identity, Choice, and Emotion: New Approaches to Touring
As Learning staff at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), we regularly assess our tour offerings to understand what’s working well or where we may need to find new approaches. Over the …
Neurodivergent Needs: A Q&A with ADDitude Magazine
If museums want to be welcoming and accessible, one of the areas they must consider is neurodiversity. How do the ways we process information and stimuli differ from person to person, and …
Want to Teach Diversity and Inclusion? Go Outside!
“The fresh air, sounds, and sunshine [are] peaceful.” “I can sit differently, and that helps me focus.” “We can see what we are learning about.” “[It’s] easier to reset with nature sounds.” …
Why Museums Need Internal Audit
How do you feel when you hear the words “internal audit”? For many people, the answer is a sense of anxiety and perhaps even a muttered “uh oh.” As a group of museum internal auditors, …
Sealed with a Kiss: A Q&A on Gallery Belvedere’s Multimillion-Dollar NFT
I’ve long been interested in the ways that today’s cultural organizations go about raising the necessary funds to support their work—especially non-traditional approaches. The most recent …
Seizing the Moment: How Museum Outreach and Programming Can Champion Overlooked Communities
Sometimes, instead of waiting for an invitation, overlooked communities will come knocking at your door. If so, is your museum ready to be fearless, seize the moment, collaborate, share …
Out of Sight: How Museums Can Harness the Blind Perspective to Enrich Visitor Experiences
Do blind people enjoy visiting museums? Yes and no. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch and Don Winiecki captured this complicated reality in 2020, when they conducted a survey of blind adults discussing …
Climate Action Heroes: How National Children’s Museum Is Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Innovators
African American students walking out of school to march for equal rights in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Eight-year-old activist Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins climbing out of her wheelchair …
Finding New Audiences in Small Markets
While most major museums are based in urban centers or tourist hubs, those located in more rural areas face a unique challenge to expand their reach. Without a large local population or a …