Posts
Inclusion
Why Is Age Not Part of Diversity and Inclusion?
“As with discrimination and bias based on race and gender, negative feelings about older people are deeply rooted in our culture and are thus unlikely to change unless there is a …
How to Start an Accessibility Movement at Your Museum
Think back to a childhood trip to a museum, aquarium, or historic home. Chances are the first thing you heard was a directive: “Hands in pockets and do not touch anything.” …
The Hiring Practice That Stymies Equity in the Museum Workforce
The authenticity of an organization’s actions to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) is judged by two key factors: their consistency and comprehensiveness. …
Mind the Accessibility Gap
When we talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion in museums, we have a usual list of groups we mention: Black and Indigenous people, other people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, unhoused …
Pandemic-Friendly Ideas for Welcoming Immigrants and Refugees to Your Community
Welcoming Week is an annual event from Welcoming America that seeks to unite recent immigrants and refugees with longer residents in communities. Along with other organizations of all …
How the Cincinnati Museum Center Reinvented Itself after Racial Justice Protests in 2001
Watching people of all ages, races, religions, and nationalities stand up for equality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, my thoughts have drifted back to my time at the Cincinnati …
Black History in Our Own Backyard: Building Community in a COVID World
Lately, at the Neill-Cochran House Museum we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what community means, and the best way we can define it for our institution. This question has become even …
Essential Evaluators: A Brave New Dance
Essential Evaluators seeks to gather evaluators in a common space to dialogue, reflect, and support each other in a world upended by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protest movement. …
Digital Gold: Queering Flat Spaces
As museums address issues of access to collections, galleries, and education during COVID-19, many have chosen to shift to a digital space to connect with the public and continue their …
Racism, Unrest, and the Role of the Museum Field
On June 3, attendees of the AAM Virtual Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo came together to hear from Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, and Lori Fogarty on the museum …
The Transformative Power of Inclusive Storytelling in Museums
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, …
A Historic Textile Mill Inspires Creative Agers at Museum L-A
In 2018, twenty organizations enrolled in a special museum cohort of Aroha Philanthropies’ Seeding Vitality Arts program. With funding from Aroha, and training provided by Lifetime Arts, …