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EO Impacts and the Next Era of Museum Funding: Part One

Earlier this month I gave a talk at the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo on the impact presidential executive orders are having on our sector, and the implications for museum business …

Revisiting Wild Times: The Loss of Nonprofit Status

In 2018 I published a scenario titled “Wild Times” set in a version of 2040 in which museums lost their nonprofit status due to a combination of political attacks, economic stress, and a …

Livable Communities for Our Elders

This is an excerpt from TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure. The full report is available as a free PDF download. “Ageism is a prejudice against our own future selves and takes …

Right-Sizing the World

This excerpt is adapted from TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure. The full report is available as a free PDF download. “I don’t know why people feel unhappy when the curve of a …

TrendsWatch: Navigating a Volatile Future

Welcome to TrendsWatch, CFM’s annual forecasting report. This year the report explores volatility—strategic foresight parlance for the speed of change. That speed has been increasing …

When Robots Learn to be Creative, What Happens to Informal Learning

The proliferation of AI, particularly Large-Language Models, has rapidly emerged as a transformative force in formal education. This presentation explores the factors driving the increasing …

Sharing Authority with Indigenous Peoples

Museums are in the early stages of repairing their relationships with Indigenous communities, learning how to undo some of the harm resulting from traditional museum practices. In this …

Effective Strategies for Strengthening Americans’ Democratic Attitudes

American democracy is under a significant threat from a concerning number of partisans who tolerate anti-democratic practices endorsed by political elites and/or harboring strong hostility …

Trend Alert: Combating the Loneliness Crisis in Museums

This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s January/February 2024 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. In May 2023, Dr. Vivek Murthy released Our Epidemic of Loneliness and …

Dropping the Degree for Museum Work

This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s January/February 2024 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. Sixty percent of Americans may find their job search stalling when they hit a …

Digital Twins and Doom Loops

This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s January/February 2024 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. A brief guide to terms that may be popping up in your news feeds. Digital …

Welcome to TrendsWatch

Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world. — Lauren Bacall This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s January/February 2024 issue, a …
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Making membership easy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

This post is an advertorial written by an organization that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs …

June Advocacy Alert: Invite Congress, Policy Updates, and More

Advocacy Alert – June 13, 2025 In this Alliance Advocacy Alert: Invite Congress: Show Congress Firsthand the Value of Your Museum Members of Congress are in their home districts the …

Better Than Imagined: How a Holocaust Museum Builds Trust and Community

Category: Alliance Blog
There is a certain kind of experience people think they will have at a Holocaust museum. We understand. Most expectations stem from a narrow view of what is possible. But when you widen the …

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