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Questions of Scale: The Hard Business of Interpreting Trends
One of the fundamental tools of forecasting is trends analysis. If various things (price of oil, use of social media, craze for cupcakes) putter along in the direction they are headed now, at the same speed, how will these trends interact, … -
What is Innovation Anyway?
One of the goals AAM set for CFM is to “foster innovation.” Why? Because innovation is to museums’ survival what genetic variation is to evolution—a source of novelty, producing structures or strategies that succeed better than the old … -
Can Bingo (and Museums) Appeal to All?
Last week, at its annual meeting in Los Angeles, AAM released Demographic Transformation and the Future of Museums—the latest forecasting report from CFM. In the next four decades, America will become a majority-minority nation, while 90% … -
Dark Future/Bright Future
I love telling people I am going to LA next week to forecast the future. Not predict the future, mind you—forecast. There’s a big difference. Prediction implies certainty—“this is what is going to happen.” Forecasting is seeing a number of … -
The Future of Conferences, cont.
I blogged last year about AAM’s steps to “go green” with its annual meeting. Fact is, we may face a future in which professional conferences are profoundly different because of heightened sensitivity to travel’s ecological impacts as well … -
Thinning the Ranks–Alert!
I’ve had many a late-night debate about whether the field as a whole might actually be healthier if there were fewer museums, and some of the perpetually unstable ones closed. Whether or not that ever happens, we may be on the verge of … -
Breaking Research News at the AAM Annual Meeting!
Reach Advisors (authors of the AAM forecasting report “Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures“) have announced major data releases to be held at the AAM meeting later this month. James Chung and Susie … -
Creating the New
How many of you know of dysfunctional relationships between universities and museums? Hark–I hear a forest of hands rise across the land. Too often colleges and universities fail to take advantage of the resources in museums (their … -
The Whole World a Museum?
Take a look at “Tales of Things,” an interesting website that launched this month. It’s part of the TOTeM project—“exploring social memory in the emerging Internet of Things.” This UK-based project … -
Hello Museum People!
My name is Pinky and I am from The Pinky Show. Bunny and I were invited do a guest CFM blog, so here we are. We realize that many of you may not know who we are or why we are interested in museums, so we will start with that. We run an …
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How to respond to new threats to nonprofits
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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
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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
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Press Release
The American Alliance of Museums condemns the Administration’s continued attacks on the …