-
Steampunk, Crowdfunding and the Power of Social Media
Or, How One Exhibit Company Pulled A Brass Elephant Out Of A Hat This week’s guest post is by Peter Overstreet. Pete and his wife, Cat Taylor, founded the exhibit and event design company Aeronaut Productions LLC. Pete was a full-time … -
Futurist Friday: Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras
“The function of science fiction is not always to predict the future but sometimes to prevent it.”—Frank HerbertThis week’s guest post is by Kat Burkhart, executive director and curator of the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County. Kat is a … -
Forecasting the Future of History Organizations and Their Leaders
For three weeks every November leaders and practitioners from the field of the public history meet at the Seminar for Historical Administration to discuss challenges and future directions for history organizations. This week’s blog post … -
Navigating Conservation Futures
I’m often bemused when I compare the answers to two questions I frequently ask museums: One of the key functions identified in your mission is preserving collections. What’s your goal? How long do you want them to be around? What timeframe … -
The Next Frontier of Museum Ethics
Here at CFM, we’re wrapping up Round Three of Forecasting the Future of Museum Ethics. The survey closes Dec. 9 (there’s a link below if you still haven’t participated) and I can hardly wait to compile the input from our Oracles and the … -
Tailor your Twitterverse to the Future
Thanksgiving 2011 marked a CFM milestone—we topped 10,000 followers on Twitter. I was thankful about that—I like to think it means we are sharing information people find useful and informative. And maybe a little fun. I know some folks … -
The Third Rail of Museum Ethics: Selling Collections to Pay for…What?
Is it ethical for a museum to use the money it gets from selling collections to fund general operations? How about using the proceeds from the sale for “preservation” (the term used by AASLH’s Statement of Professional Standards and … -
Forecasting the Future of Accessibility: Please Touch or Don’t Touch?
I wish I could preview my Inbox from 2036. How come Outlook doesn’t have an option for that? As a member of AAM’s staff Ethics Taskforce, I help answer plaintive, irate, indignant and panicked questions that come over our email. So I have … -
Ethics Forecast Round 3 & the Future of Museum Standards
This week we launch Round 3 of Forecasting the Future of Museum Ethics. As with previous rounds, the public is invited to weigh in at the same time (on a parallel track) as our recruited “Oracles.” This round delves into six issues … -
Museums Innovating in Businesslike Ways
Many people tell us that, in the future, museums need to be more entrepreneurial. It’s hard to find written case studies, however, of museums innovating in businesslike ways. Today’s guest post helps fill that gap, as Karen Coltrane, …
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!
Latest Stories from AAM
How to respond to new threats to nonprofits
Category:
Center for the Future of Museums Blog
Last week, I learned that the IRS is planning to propose regulations that would give it …
Take Action to Protect the Independence of the Smithsonian Institution and America’s Museums
Category:
Advocacy Alert
Advocacy Alert – July 20, 2026 AAM statement on the independence of the Smithsonian …
AAM Statement on the Independence of the Smithsonian and America’s Museums
Category:
Press Release
The American Alliance of Museums condemns the Administration’s continued attacks on the …