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!

Gabriela’s Bridge: Connecting Connecticut and Amazonian Brazil

By William E. Jeffries

William E. Jeffries, III is the director of strategic initiatives at Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Connecticut. The media has been permeated recently with stories that suggest an increase in physical and social barriers …
3 Questions with the Japanese American National Museum

By Cecelia Walls

Recently we heard from Dr. Adam Long, Director of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center about their experience in Accreditation. Today, we hear from Ann Burroughs, President and CEO, of the Japanese American National Museum. …
Building the Dreamspace in Museum Education

By Sage Morgan Hubbard

Sage Morgan-Hubbard is the Ford W. Bell Fellow in P-12 Education and Museums at the American Alliance of Museums. I have been asking Alyssa Machida to share her brilliance with all of you since I met her last October at Mass Action MIA. I …
Tools and Resources in the Wake of Charlottesville

By Cecelia Walls

First, let me state how proud I am to work in a field where museums and other institutions (AAM included) publicly denounce hatred and bigotry. Simply knowing there are places that offer respite to those affected by violence and …
The African American Firefighter Museum’s MAP Experience

By Susan Zwerling

I recently interviewed African American Firefighter Museum Board President David Spence (DS) about the museum’s latest Museum Assessment Program (MAP) experience. The museum has undertaken an Organizational, a Collections …
4 reasons you should vote for “Partnering with museums for hands-on learning year-round” for SXSW today!

By Sage Morgan Hubbard

Dearest colleagues, thank you for taking the time out to read this blog. I need your help. Please vote to allow me to attend and present at SXSWEdu (South by Southwest Education). My presentation is entitled, “Partnering with museums for …
Where Do Generation X Museum Professionals Fit In?

By Tara Young

I distinctly remember being at a museum conference about 10 years ago, when I was a department manager but not yet at the senior level, and scanning the program to figure out where I fit in: the director sessions weren’t open to me, and …
3 Questions with the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center

By Cecelia Walls

Earlier this year, we heard from the Imagine Children’s Museum, the Mob Museum, the Museum of Danish America, and the Nichols House Museum on what it means to achieve accreditation. In this edition, we hear from Dr. Adam Long, Director of …
Leadership, and Why You Need a SWOT Analysis (and a Personal Board of Directors)

By Greg Stevens

Recently, I was poking around on LinkedIn, and found a couple of short posts that caught my attention. One was How to Do a SWOT Analysis on Yourself (and Why You Need One) by speaker, professor, and author Andy Molinsky; the other was Why …
Generational Inclusion: Shattering Stereotypes and Challenging Assumptions

By Marsha l. Semmel with Elizabeth Isele, Samuel Moore, and Greg Stevens

This article originally appeared in Informal Learning Review (ILR) No. 144, May/June 2017. A copyrighted publication of Informal Learning Experiences, Inc. Reprinted with permission. My recognition of the power and importance of …