Facing Change

The Transformative Power of Inclusive Storytelling in Museums

By Makeba Clay

My mentor Dr. Johnnetta Cole, the former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), often says, “It’s easy to live without art, but it’s hard to live well.” For me, the power of art lies in its transformative …
Group Learning, Individual Work: An approach to DEAI

By Azuka MuMin

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to prepare my museum and the local communities for a science exhibition presenting race as a social construct. As we discussed the best way for our internal team to support visitors in the exhibit, we …
What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?

By Omar Eaton-Martínez

As Facing Change Senior Diversity Fellows, I and my associate fellows have been tasked with supporting museums as they address the lack of racial diversity in the governances of their institutions. In this journey, I’ve been reminded of a …
Table Setting: The work before the work

By Levon Williams

Often when I talk with folks about DEAI work there is a sense of urgency. They’ll say, “We’ve gotta make this happen now because so and so is really a problem,” or “We need our community engagement initiative started yesterday, so let’s …
Facing Change: Advancing Museum Board Diversity & Inclusion

By American Alliance of Museums

This introduction video provides an overview of AAM’s Facing Change program, with messages from AAM and museum leadership. Referenced in the video is the Board Leadership Report which provides background and data to support the need for …
Belonging: Co-creating welcoming and equitable museums

By Sandra Bonnici

“Can you describe a time you felt unwelcome or like you didn’t belong in a museum?” This question was posed during a recent conference call for the Facing Change Senior Diversity Fellows. As I listened to my distinguished colleagues …
Meet the Facing Change Senior Diversity Fellows

By Ibrahim Shafau

Only nine short months have passed since AAM began its initiative Facing Change: Advancing Museum Board Diversity & Inclusion, which provides training, support, and resources to help museum leadership become more representative of the …
Financial Sustainability Is Everyone’s Responsibility

By Laura Lott

Prepared Remarks of Laura L. Lott President & CEO of the American Alliance of Museums Opening General Session of the 2019 Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo May 20, 2019 Good morning and welcome to the 2019 AAM Annual Meeting, the largest …
American Alliance of Museums Names Task Force For Its National Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, And Inclusion Initiative

By American Alliance of Museums

ARLINGTON, VA – May 14, 2019 – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) today announced the members of a task force charged with developing recommendations to embed diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion more deeply into its …
American Alliance of Museums Releases New Report to Guide Museums’ Work on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion

By American Alliance of Museums

For Immediate Release May 1, 2018 ARLINGTON, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today released a first-of-its-kind report, Facing Change, that sets a …