Table Setting: The work before the work
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 …
Belonging: Co-creating welcoming and equitable museums
“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 …
A Reading Group for Building Inclusive Museums
Between April and August of this year, 270 museums professionals, scholars, and students joined The Incluseum and participated in the #MassActionReadingGroup. What is MASS Action? MASS Action—Museum as Site for Social Action—is a …
With Their Subject Matter in the Crosshairs, What Should Museums Do?
My parents were part of the generation that fought and won World War II. As their children, it was common for us to ask them, “What did you do during the war?” We wanted to be reassured they had stood up and done the right thing when it …
Partnering with the Blind to Make Exhibits More Accessible
The opportunity to experience photography, art, and other museum exhibits can be life-altering to a blind person. “As a blind person, when I can experience a painting on my own without asking for help, that represents increased freedom, …
What Can a “Manifesto Against Ageism” Teach Museums?
Prior to the publication of Ashton Applewhite’s “manifesto against ageism,” This Chair Rocks, one reviewer proclaimed that the book would do for our society’s view of aging what Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring did for the environment. Before …
Get about It: Change and Resistance
I’d never visited New Orleans before, and my brief but fascinating experience served as a metaphor for this year’s AAM Annual Meeting experience. New Orleans is a city of layers, with old finishes poking through, new ideas still pushing …
Welcoming the Next Generation of Board Leadership
AAM’s Facing Change initiative has put the spotlight on museum board diversity, but not everyone thinks of bringing younger people onto the board when the topic comes up. Age diversity, though, can contribute to financial sustainability …
The Memory Café: Creating a museum program for people with dementia
At Conner Prairie—a Smithsonian Affiliate living history museum in Fishers, Indiana—we recently debuted a program for people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. In partnership with the Central Indiana Council on Aging (CICOA) and Dementia …
An After-School Program Gives Refugee Children a Creative Boost
One of the many things that make Charlottesville, Virginia special is that it serves as a destination city for the International Rescue Committee, which helps refugees settle into their new countries. Since 1998, more than three thousand …
