Posts
Collections Stewardship
Let it Bloom: Reconstructing a hurricane-stricken historic garden
Like many museum professionals, I am drawn to the idea that objects and places connect us to cultures throughout history. We handle the works entrusted to our institutions with extreme …
When It Comes to Protecting Collections, One Size Does Not Fit All
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” —Frank Zappa Too hot? Too cold? Too dry? Too humid? What is that perfect balance? Those responsible for the care of collections …
Sharing the Wealth: Museums as Equity Engines
Recently, I’ve been speaking of museums as banks—repositories of enormous wealth of reputation, knowledge, and influence, in addition to the sheer value of their endowments. I’ve advanced …
Leveraging MAP for Capacity Building: The Sierra Mono Museum experience
The Sierra Mono Museum and Cultural Center—a small, rural, nonprofit museum set in the California foothills just south of Yosemite National Park—is today undergoing a one-million-dollar …
Collection Ranking: Making deaccessions work for you
For all the objects in a museum’s collection that meet the standard criteria for accessioning—they fit the museum’s mission, are in good condition, and have thorough provenance—a …
How Science Museum of Minnesota Put Its Collections and Research on the MAP
The timing was right for Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) to participate in the Collections Stewardship Museum Assessment Program (MAP) program in 2018. Since our last MAP, in 1985, we had …
Doing More with More: Investing in Earned Income
As the saying goes, “it takes money to make money.” Often museums feel they can’t risk their slim financial margin on speculative ventures, but not taking such risks comes with a cost as …
Museopunks Episode 38: Decolonization and its Discontents
As decolonization moves more firmly onto the agenda in museums, so too does its critique. In this episode, we speak with Sumaya Kassim, author of the essay ‘The Museum Will Not Be …
Artificial Intelligence Is Revealing Secrets About How the Ghent Altarpiece Was Made—and Damaged
Researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to decode x-ray images of the Ghent Altarpiece, the 15th-century masterpiece by brothers Hubert van Eyck and Jan van Eyck at …
The battle to rebuild centuries of science after an epic inferno
Nearly a year after flames consumed Brazil's National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, researchers are struggling to revive their work and resume their lives. Nearly a year after flames consumed …
How one museum is repatriating Indigenous belongings
When Lou-ann Ika'wega Neel moved from Alert Bay to Victoria at the age of seven, she started visiting the Royal B.C. Museum because it made her feel at home. The museum even houses some of …
Thinking about the Unthinkable: Disaster preparedness and emergency response plans for small museums
Since 1981, the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) has been assisting small and mid-sized museums in their quest to achieve best practices and national standards. The process begins with an …