Center for the Future of Museums Blog

The Center for the Future of Museums Blog shares musings on the future of museums and society.

Read Dispatches from the Future of Museums online!

Get more resources from the Center for the Future of Museums.

Explore all Publications from the Alliance.

Explore the AAM Resource Library by topic, and further filter by subtopic or resource types to find what matters most to you!

A Letter from the Frontlines of the AI-pocalypse

By Elizabeth Merritt

This is the second in a series of posts I hope will help readers navigate the perils and promise of AI. In part one, I put on my happy hat and tried to imagine the best plausible future shaped by artificial intelligence. Now let’s veer to …
Forecasting the AI Future: What’s the Best that Could Happen?

By Elizabeth Merritt

A sampling of recent pronouncements in the news: How can we possibly make sense of these conflicting predictions? Given this range of possible outcomes, how can you, and your museum, navigate the promise and perils of artificial …
A Future of “Uniform Guidance”

By Elizabeth Merritt

Foresight…Insight…Action That’s the framework the Institute for the Future uses to navigate uncertainty with concrete, tactical action. Last week’s museum foresight: flagging the Office of Management and Budget’s new proposed funding …
A Foresight Take on Proposed Government Funding Regulations

By Elizabeth Merritt

Two weeks ago, we took one (more) step towards a future in which the risks of government funding might outweigh the benefits. On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a new proposed rule for the Regulation for Federal …
Actionable foresight: making sense of the news

By Elizabeth Merritt

Artificial intelligence…grant disruptions…unionization…tourism…birthrates…new legislation…philanthropy …climate change…social media…hantavirus… How can you make sense of the hundreds of stories vying for your attention in your digital and …
Introducing the National Survey of Museum Collecting Practices

By Soleil Hawley and Kayla Kane

Collections lie at the heart of most museums, so naturally, values regarding the ownership and control of collections are central to museum ethics. Recent developments at the global, national, and institutional level—including a wave of …
Sharing a Museum Podcast: The Art Engager

By Claire Bown

Last fall I had the pleasure of meeting Claire Bown in Horsens, Denmark, where she was recording an episode of her podcast, The Art Engager, at the Network of European Museum Organizations Conference. Having quickly become a fan—binge …
Save Our Signs: Combatting Censorship

By Jenny McBurney

Two of my favorite tags in my scanning library are “signals of hope” and “acts of resistance.” Last year I was heartened to come across a project—Save our Signs—meriting both these tags. Today on the blog, I have the pleasure of sharing an …
“Growing Your Elders”: “Tell Clyfford I Said ‘Hi”: An Exhibition Curated by the Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes

By Michael Holloman, Bailey Placzek, and Nicole Cromartie

Museum standards emerge over time as the museum sector challenges norms, reexamines values, and tests new ways of being and doing. The Clyfford Still Museum’s deep partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes is an exemplar of …
Scholarship Opportunity! Learn Museum Foresight

By Elizabeth Merritt

I am happy to announce that applications are now open for the CFM Foresight Scholarship, supporting participation in the Foresight Certificate program at the University of Houston, August 10-16, 2026. I highly recommend this course for …