Community Engagement & Impact

The Messy and Vulnerable Truth about Trust and Museums

By Dawn DiPrince

You could almost hear the cheers across the museum field early in March when Colleen Dilenschneider’s email hit inboxes announcing that “More People Trust Museums Now Than Before the Pandemic.” The numbers are compelling—nearly 75 …
In Good Relation: Reimagining the Grant Process for Community-Based Projects

By Kate Hadley Toftness & Lois Taylor Biggs

In recent years, there have been renewed calls for museums to adopt more inclusive and equitable practices, with significant changes to the ways we work and collaborate at all levels of our institutions. As a grants manager, I think about …
An Afrofuturist School Program Empowers Children to Envision the Future

By Nina Woodruff-Walker

Futurism is a powerful tool to share with kids—equipping them to think about the world they want to live in when they grow up, challenging them to make it better. Today on the blog, Executive Director Nina Woodruff-Walker tells us how the …
From the President: The Subject of a Story

By Laura Lott

This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s March/April 2023 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. By the time you read this, I will have just joined hundreds of museum advocates on Capitol Hill for AAM’s annual Museums …
Reopenings: What Museums Learned Leading Through Crisis

By American Alliance of Museums

Over the past several years, museums have faced widespread and systemic challenges that have fundamentally changed the way our institutions serve their communities. We’re pleased to share the release of Reopenings: What Museums …
Reflection

By American Alliance of Museums

Do museums have the power to change the world? Many people who work in the field believe so—that their institutions improve people’s wellbeing and strengthen, or at the very least contribute to, the social fabric of their …
What Does a Curator of Sustainability Do? A Q&A with Chris Hobbs

By Adam Rozan

In recent years, sustainability has gone from a buzzword for museums to an action step, as our organizations increasingly confront and prepare for the adverse effects of climate change on their sites and, more importantly, their …
The Museum System Upgrade: A Q&A with András Szántó

By Adam Rozan

In the early days of COVID lockdowns, longtime cultural consultant and writer András Szántó began interviewing dozens of museum leaders around the world. As the pandemic simultaneously slowed down schedules and accelerated the field’s pace …
Expanding Public Value

By Deborah Howes

As you build bridges with communities, consider using dig…
The Messenger Matters: How a Novel Partnership Is Enhancing Public Health in Philadelphia

By Dr. Jayatri Das & Deepa Mankikar

Bandaging skinned knees. Conducting health screenings. Managing care for chronic needs. Providing therapy and counseling. School nurses do all of this and more every day as they work with students, families, and staff. Throughout the …