Museum Accessibility Helping Patrons Who Are Blind to See Your Exhibitions
Audio description (AD), a relatively inexpensive and readily available technology, broadens the museum experience for all people and particularly for patrons who cannot see or have low vision. Experience the verbal and aural techniques …
How a Rapid-Response Pop-Up Inspired New Notions of Audience and Community
The events of 2020 and 2021 forced museums to innovate in ways and at a speed that would have been unthinkable prior. Our hope is that 2022 brings about a time of reflection, where we take the time to process what we created under …
How the Greenwood Art Project United a Community in Reflection and a Vision for the Future
By 1921, the thriving Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had generated one billion dollars of collective wealth in today’s economic terms. Nicknamed “Black Wall Street” by W.E.B. DuBois, this neighborhood on the north side of the city …
Looking Back to Move Forward: Examining Institutional Racism in Reprising “Afro-American Images 1971”
In February 1971, a newly formed Delaware organization, Aesthetic Dynamics Inc., presented its first major undertaking: an exhibition of over 130 works of art—drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, and sculpture—by sixty-six African …
Anti-Racist by Design: How the Oakland Museum of California Is Building Equity into Its Practices
At the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and anti-racism are commitments that have long been a part of our DNA, both internally and in our work with our community, partners, and other cultural …
From the President and CEO: Equity and Excellence
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. Like society at large, the museum field is at a pivotal moment of reflection and rebuilding. As the collective museum …
Meeting the Moment
With its forthcoming report, Excellence in DEAI, AAM seeks to help museums achieve excellence in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. This article originally appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Museum magazine, a …
On the Ground: How Visitor Experience Teams Are Teaching Front-Line Staff to Be DEAI Advocates
In the museum experience world, making visitors feel welcome is serious business. Our goal is to exceed guests’ standards for positive experiences, and nothing undermines that goal like a lack of inclusivity or accessibility. When a …
The Top Ten Alliance Blog Posts of 2021
Though 2021 was a slightly more normal year than 2020, with mostly open museums gradually regaining visitors, the pandemic still loomed large and colored most conversations. On the Alliance Blog, the discussion shifted from absorbing the …
After MAP, KidsPlay Children’s Museum Is Ready to Build Community Bridges
Through the Museum Assessment Program, museums gain perspective on how to improve core areas of their operations, with a combination of guided self-reflection and close consultation with an expert Peer Reviewer. One of the many museums …
