Center for the Future of Museums Blog

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Sharing Gratitude

By Elizabeth Merritt

This week I’m buoying my spirits by making a list of content providers for whom I am grateful. (And following up on that gratitude with donations because, not surprisingly, their good work depends on public support.) Today on the blog I’m …
Teaching with Museum Collections in the Age of AI

By Sarah Anne Carter

I started writing about artificial intelligence and the implications for museums back in 2017. In the ensuing years, the technology has gone from “on the horizon” to a major disruptor of work, jobs, parenting, dating, and, …
Mining the 2025 Annual National Snapshot of US Museums

By Elizabeth Merritt

How do doctors assess your health? Asking how you feel is important, but objective, measurable data—pulse, blood pressure, cholesterol—is critical to flagging potential problems and identifying possible remedies. And collectively, health …
Supporting JANM and Unlocking the Future

By Ann Burroughs

It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is easier to raise capital for bricks-and-mortar than for projects that are less tangible, but may be more closely aligned with a museum’s mission and a community’s needs. How can …
Together on This Blue Dot: Exhibiting Compassion

By Alex Gregory

In 2017, I took a deep dive into empathy–exploring how museums can encourage visitors to understand and share the feelings of others. While it seems more important than ever to understand how others are feeling, I fear that empathy …
Museums in a Climate of Change: Insights from the Anchorage Museum’s Chatter Marks Podcast Series

By Sandro Debono

I’m a huge fan of museum podcasts, with about a dozen in my current feed. Recently, I was honored to appear on one of my favorites—Chatter Marks from the Anchorage Museum—chatting with museum thinker Sandro Debono and journalist Cody …
Democrats vs. Republicans: Do They Feel Differently About Museums? (DATA)

By Colleen Dilenschneider

Do self-identified Democrats and Republicans differ in their beliefs that museums have political agendas, that they are mission-driven entities, or that they are “welcoming to people like me?” This guest post from Colleen Dilenschneider, …
Join Me at The Museum Summit

By Elizabeth Merritt

How can your organization stay true to its mission and values in the face of funding constraints and mounting partisan pressure? What practices can make volunteering rewarding and accessible to people confronting their own challenges of …
Handling the Heat: Steps Museums Can Take to Address Rising Temperatures

By Keith Cook

Large swathes of the US have been under heat advisories this summer, putting up to 174 million people at risk. From Phoenix to Boston, St. Louis to Tampa, cities are scrambling to provide emergency cooling shelters by extending the hours …
ISO Your Proposals for AAM 2026

By Elizabeth Merritt

Signal boosting the current call for proposals for AAM 2026. I almost typed 2206 there, which would be apt, as next year’s theme—The Museum Odyssey—is shaped around museums and time. I’m in love with the four theme-related tracks, which …