Alliance Blog

The Alliance blog provides the museum community with a place to share stories and insights, in their own voice, reaching thousands of people across the global museum field.

Explore all Publications from the Alliance.

Explore the AAM Resource Library by topic, and further filter by subtopic or resource types to find what matters most to you!

Reimagining the Museum in Medellín 2017

By Liz Neely

This week the Reimagining the Museum Conference of the Americas kicked off in Medellín, Colombia bringing together more than 600 museum professionals, from Argentina to Canada and around the world, to discuss the role of museums as social …
Some thoughts on visitor exhibition patterns

By Beverly Serrell

In a recent thread on Museum Junction, Beverly Serrell, director of Serrell & Associates, responded to a post titled Unintended Visitor Flow Pattern with some really helpful information. There are several basic assumptions that …
Coffee, Cacti, and Collaboration: National Program Committee Kicks off #AAM2018 in Phoenix

By Sam Moore

As a professional museum nerd, I can state for a fact that there is nothing more exciting than being in a room filled with other museum nerds–which is what makes AAM’s Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo so exciting. But every fall, long …
When the global is local: building a world-class museum in Mogadishu, Minnesota

By Sarah Larsson

Our institutions are all asking that question: How can we build our museum’s audience as our communities are changing? I serve as Outreach & Development Director at the Somali Museum of Minnesota, the first museum celebrating the art …
Learning by Design: A New Era for Education at the Computer History Museum

By Lauren Silver

Here at the Computer History Museum (CHM), we are deep in the midst of planning for the opening of a new Education Center. What began as a way to create more space for our growing programs has become over time a catalyst for what I’ve …
Time is of the Essence: 5 Ways to Keep Your Exhibit Design Project on Schedule

By David Whitemyer, AIA

Design and construction projects are notorious for taking longer than expected, and the unique undertaking of a museum exhibit design project is no exception. A number of factors routinely throw these projects off track. Unrealistic …
Access and Inclusion Case Study: Connecting Students to the Museum Field

By Amy Miller and Sarah Sims

In a session at the 2017 AAM Annual Meeting in St. Louis, a look around the room revealed a small sea of mostly mid-career museum professionals with experience and interest in education and interpretation. The presenter posed a question: …
Giving school groups a place to sit—Tips for Creating Museum Field Experiences from a Teacher’s Perspective

By Lisa M. Thayne

I teach fifth-grade students in a small town in Northern Virginia. I’m lucky in many ways—first, fifth graders are full of life and energy and are still excited by learning. There’s nothing better than seeing a student’s face light up and …
Excellence in Label Writing-Awards

By Elizabeth Wessells

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: …
The Power of Amusement

By David Allison

David Allison is the Manager of Onsite Programs at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. How do museums fit in, confront, or adapt to a rapidly changing world? Now more than ever, this question becomes important for museum leaders. A …