Inclusion

When HR is the Barrier: Identifying Problems and Solutions

By Michelle Martin Bonner

After more than two decades of experience in human resources (HR) and diversity, inclusion, and belonging roles, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the inner workings of these departments across a diverse array of sectors, …
Art Crawl: Designing a Museum Program for Infants

By Paris Baker, Nicole Cromartie, Sara Klein, and Emily Stuart Thomas

Some readers of this blog may remember “Wait, What? Toddlers in an Art Museum?,” a post from January 2023 about the Clyfford Still Museum’s (CSM) journey to become more inclusive for families. That post discussed Clyfford Still, Art, and …
Museum as Living Room: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ Victoria Ramirez

By Adam Rozan

I believe museums matter because they serve as vital community spaces, where we can meet, mingle, work, learn, study, daydream, and everything in between. I came to this realization, in part, after reading Ray Oldenburg’s The Great Good …
The Pains and Pleasures of Being a First-Generation Museum Person

By Jojo Galvan

Every few months or so, there’s a family gathering. From a birthday celebration to a family cookout, my family never seems to have a shortage of reasons to gather. At the time of this writing, I am twenty-six years old, making me the right …
Creating Restorative Moments at Woodland Park Zoo

By Lauren Carroll-Bolger

Woodland Park Zoo’s Hope & Healing offers uplifting community experiences for people facing life-altering challenges. This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s May/June 2024 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. A child …
Extending the Invitation: Strategies for Welcoming Visitors and Reducing Barriers to Access

By Raphaela Platow

In the aftermath of the pandemic and amidst ongoing calls for museums to become more inclusive and attuned to community needs, many institutions are still seeking ways to recover from faltering attendance and expand the reach of their …
Neurodivergent Needs: A Q&A with ADDitude Magazine

By Adam Rozan

If museums want to be welcoming and accessible, one of the areas they must consider is neurodiversity. How do the ways we process information and stimuli differ from person to person, and how can we design experiences that work across this …
Seizing the Moment: How Museum Outreach and Programming Can Champion Overlooked Communities

By Deborah Ziska

Sometimes, instead of waiting for an invitation, overlooked communities will come knocking at your door. If so, is your museum ready to be fearless, seize the moment, collaborate, share narratives, and maybe even have some fun? One such …
Disrupting Museum Behavior: An Exploration of the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Cripping the Galleries”

By Emma Cieslik

On a hot Sunday afternoon, Sydney Erlikh, seated in a wheelchair, leaned against Maypril Krukowski, a woman with glasses seated on a bench. Sounds of church bells, shuffling footsteps, and walking filled the gallery of landscape paintings …
Welcoming Guidelines

By American Alliance of Museums

The “LGBTQ Welcoming Guidelines for Museums” outline preferred practices for museums to use when working with LGBTQ professionals, audiences, and communities. The guidelines reflect our belief that museums are community anchors where …