Center for the Future of Museums Blog

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

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!

In Praise of Mission Creep

By Elizabeth Merritt

My focus this year is on exploring the ways museums serve as essential infrastructure for their communities: improving education for our children, creating livable communities for our elders, fostering mental health, helping prepare for …
Building Salary Equity at the Bakken Museum

By Joe Imholte

Some of the most interesting conversations I had at #AAM2022 were about workplace issues, notably pay equity, and I was heartened to find many people in leadership positions are looking for guidance and models of how to begin the process …
My High School Is in a Museum

By Andrew Farke

Followers of this blog will know I am a huge fan of museum schools. TrendsWatch: Museums as Community Infrastructure, the most recent CFM report, devotes one chapter to exploring how museums serve as essential pillars of education, in some …
The Library of the Great Silence: A Space for Beings Throughout the Universe to Explore Shared Challenges

By Elizabeth Merritt

I have a special place in my heart for exhibits and installations that explore potential futures in creative, immersive ways. As I compiled a collection of such work, at some point I noticed that an awful lot of them originated with one …
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 …