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For Your Radar: The National Association of Museum Schools

By Katherine Kelbaugh

When invited to make a statement I’d like to be true in the future, I often offer a vision of America in which “any child can choose to go to school in a museum.” Today’s guest post by Katherine Kelbaugh shares progress towards my …
Where to Find the Future at #AAM2022

By Elizabeth Merritt

We are having a real, face-to-face conference! Boston, May 19-22. I, for one, look forward to seeing you all in person (at least from the mask up), and plan to revel in the informal conversations, chance encounters, and pick-up coffee …
To NFT or Not to NFT: The View from Two Museums

By Carol Summerfield

A few weeks ago I published a post on blockchain collectibles, offering a primer on NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and exploring some factors, notably alignment with mission and values, that might inform a museum’s discussion about whether and …
Introducing the 2022 Edition of TrendsWatch

By Elizabeth Merritt

As a child, I fell in love with museums for the good they did for me: providing a place of wonder, exploration, refuge, and, as I aged into teen-dom, an opportunity for meaningful work as a volunteer. As an adult, I fell in love with …
Introducing Your Do-It-Yourself Toolkit for Strategic Foresight

By Elizabeth Merritt

Check it out. I made something for you ↑ I’ve been teaching strategic foresight to museum people for fourteen years now, travelling around the country to give talks and lead workshops, brainstorming, and team-building exercises at museums …
NFTs, Cryptocurrency, and Museum Practice

By Elizabeth Merritt

I am going to break a long silence to weigh in on the current conversation around NFTs, addressing four issues that have come up repeatedly in my conversations with people inside and outside the museum sector. These questions are (loosely …
What Does it Mean to Trust a Museum?

By John Voiklis and John Fraser

Last September, AAM released Museums and Trust 2021, a survey that measured how museums were performing during a time of record public distrust in a wide range of institutions, from news outlets to the government. As with any good …
The Future of Museum Labor: Exploring the Latest COVID Impact Data

By Elizabeth Merritt

Last week the Alliance released the results of our most recent snapshot of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US museums. We launched this series of surveys in June 2020, a little over 3 months after the World Health Organization …
STEAMing into Solvency: Integrating a Museum into the Public School System

By Karen Ackerman Witter and Leah Wilson

The pandemic was an economic tsunami for museums, particularly those already experiencing financial stress. Relatively new museums, still getting their feet under themselves, were at particular risk. Today on the blog, Karen Ackerman …
Hiring into Pathways for Advancement

By Elizabeth Merritt

What if every entry level museum job was designed to be the first rung in a career ladder for anyone who desires to climb? How could that change who wants to work in a museum, and whether they are willing to commit to the long-term? How …