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Join Me at The Museum Summit

By Elizabeth Merritt

How can your organization stay true to its mission and values in the face of funding constraints and mounting partisan pressure? What practices can make volunteering rewarding and accessible to people confronting their own challenges of …
Handling the Heat: Steps Museums Can Take to Address Rising Temperatures

By Keith Cook

Large swathes of the US have been under heat advisories this summer, putting up to 174 million people at risk. From Phoenix to Boston, St. Louis to Tampa, cities are scrambling to provide emergency cooling shelters by extending the hours …
ISO Your Proposals for AAM 2026

By Elizabeth Merritt

Signal boosting the current call for proposals for AAM 2026. I almost typed 2206 there, which would be apt, as next year’s theme—The Museum Odyssey—is shaped around museums and time. I’m in love with the four theme-related tracks, which …
Upvote Museum Sessions for SxSW 2026!

By Elizabeth Merritt

The SxSW Innovation conference describes itself as “an opportunity for the global community of creatives to encounter cutting-edge ideas, discover new interests, and network with other professionals who share a similar appetite for …
The New Stablecoin Legislation and Why Museums Should Care

By Elizabeth Merritt

Today’s post exemplifies the service the Center for the Future of Museums provides to the museum people: helping you stay abreast of emerging trends, understand the implications of significant events (in this case, legislation), and factor …
The Sounds of Change

By Meeghan Kane

I have an enduring interest in multi-sensory museum experiences, especially when they bring in outside experts to expand a museum’s sensory impact. My collection of favorites include the Brooklyn Museum appointing a Cellist in …
The Formula for Relevance

By Alex Fraioli

I love finding examples of museums that use their resources to boost the fortunes of makers, craftspeople and local businesses. The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center fostering Native-led food start-ups, the Empowerment Hub at …
Museum Ethics in a New Gilded Age

By Elizabeth Merritt

Readers of this blog may remember Erik Ledbetter, who served as the Director of International Programs and Ethics at AAM from 2003-2010. I am sorry to share the news that Erik passed away last week while on the job as assistant manager at …
EO Impact: Is There an Existential Threat to Nonprofit Status?

By Elizabeth Merritt

Charitable giving may fluctuate year to year, tourism ebbs and flows, your museum’s endowment will perform better some years than others. That’s normal and expected, and nonprofits have traditionally cobbled together a diverse set of …
EO Impacts and the Next Era of Museum Funding Part 3: Charitable Contributions and Investment Income

By Elizabeth Merritt

Welcome to part three of my exploration of the current and potential future impacts of presidential orders and actions on museums’ income streams and business models. If you’re joining midstream, you may want to pause and read the first …