Center for the Future of Museums Blog

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Projections for 2026: Heaps of Uncertainty

By Elizabeth Merritt

I often start the year on this blog by sharing some thoughts about what may be in store in the coming year. Usually that’s a low pressure assignment because, after all, the purpose of foresight is to uncover probabilities and …
The Next Incarnation of Dispatches from the Future of Museums

By Elizabeth Merritt

On September 2, 2009, the Center for the Future of Museums sent the first edition of Dispatches from the Future of Museums out into the world. It was, as we described it at the time, “a vehicle to bring you timely, useful information about …
Unlocking Teen Genius: A New Toolkit for Museums Designing the Future

By Tess Benoit

When the Center for the Future of Museums imagines the cultural institution of tomorrow, we often point to a world where museums are not just repositories of history, but engines for human possibility, civic imagination, and the skills …
When Cultural Institutions Are Targeted: Global Lessons for Resilience

By Yelena V Litvinov and Tatyana Margolin

While we can’t predict the future, we can explore ways it may unfold by looking at the world around us. As author William Gibson observed, “the future is already here, it is just not evenly distributed,” and I’ve …
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 …