Futurist Friday: Cognitive Museum Buildings
Here’s a short video from Jonathan Strickland of Forward Thinking on the emergence of “cognitive buildings”: structures that use the internet of things (IoT) to analyze performance and anticipate our needs. …
Keeping History Above Water
One of the themes we explored in TrendsWatch2015 was how rising sea levels and increased storm frequency are threatening museums and heritage sites. Over the past year we’ve invited guest authors from museums with a vested interest …
Futurist Friday: Breakthrough
If you’re a fan of National Geographic specials in general (as I am), you will be psyched to learn they are launching a short futurist series this coming Sunday (November 1, 9/8 Central). Each of the six installments of Breakthrough …
A New Museum in NYC: Climate Change Museum
While I spend most of my time scanning for change taking place in society writ large, rather than trends in museum practice per se, I do keep an eye open for new museums. Why and how do museums arise (especially in these financially …
Designing for Resilience
One of the themes CFM focuses on in TrendsWatch 2015 is the changing climate of risk facing museums. Fully a quarter of museums & related organizations in the IMLS MUDF database are located in coastal areas with high vulnerability …
Summer Reading: What’s on my iPad
I never have enough time for long-form reading, but every summer I queue up a few things and make time to dive into them. Preferably sitting on the porch. With lemonade. And cats. Here are the next four on my list—these summaries are based …
A Rising Tide: the changing landscape of risk
“How do we plan for a future in which change, and water, are the new normal?” —Urban Land Institute Boston While politicians and pundits continue to argue about climate change, nearly everyone else—including oil companies, the insurance …
The Limits of Neutrality: A Message From The Natural History Museum
Today’s guest post, from the team at The Natural History Museum (including director Beka Economopoulos), illustrates one of the trends I discuss in TrendsWatch 2015, and touches upon another. In the chapter on “Ethical Everything,” on the …
What Do Ethical Consumers Expect of Museums?
An open letter released today calls on natural history and science museums to “cut all ties with the fossil fuel industry and funders of climate change obfuscation.” The letter, signed by scientists and by one former museum trustee & …
Museums in a Dangerous Time
The Alliance has announced that the theme of our 2015 Annual Meeting will be The Social Value of Museums: Inspiring Change. Believing, as I do that Museums Can Change the World (CFM’s motto), I look forward to the year leading up to the …
