Posts
Center for the Future of Museums Blog
The Center for the Future of Museums Blog shares musings on the future of museums and society.
Historic Houses in the Shifting Landscape of Climate Change
In combating climate change, we can look to Indigenous and historic practices for models of sustainable architectural solutions to extreme heat, cold, and humidity. Structures built in …
Museums Discover Impact Investing
CFM first flagged impact investing as a trend of significance to museums in 2013, inspired by a talk Seth Miller gave at SXSW in which he declared that “every time you spend a dollar, you …
NFTs: Museums Can Build Other, Better Digital Stuff
“When I was a congressional aide, we had an expression, ‘No idea was too stupid to say out loud,’ so here it is, hear me out. Instead of buying these ships? Don’t buy …
Your Self-care Prescription: News Positivity
Reporters at Axios recently summarized data documenting a steep drop-off in news consumption in the past six months. Evidently, the relentless thunder of traumatic events is driving more …
In Praise of Mission Creep
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 …
Building Salary Equity at the Bakken Museum
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 …
My High School Is in a Museum
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 …
The Library of the Great Silence: A Space for Beings Throughout the Universe to Explore Shared Challenges
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 …
For Your Radar: The National Association of Museum Schools
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 …
Where to Find the Future at #AAM2022
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 …
To NFT or Not to NFT: The View from Two Museums
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 …
Introducing the 2022 Edition of TrendsWatch
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 …