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Introducing the National Survey of Museum Collecting Practices

By Soleil Hawley and Kayla Kane

Collections lie at the heart of most museums, so naturally, values regarding the ownership and control of collections are central to museum ethics. Recent developments at the global, national, and institutional level—including a wave of …
Sharing a Museum Podcast: The Art Engager

By Claire Bown

Last fall I had the pleasure of meeting Claire Bown in Horsens, Denmark, where she was recording an episode of her podcast, The Art Engager, at the Network of European Museum Organizations Conference. Having quickly become a fan—binge …
Save Our Signs: Combatting Censorship

By Jenny McBurney

Two of my favorite tags in my scanning library are “signals of hope” and “acts of resistance.” Last year I was heartened to come across a project—Save our Signs—meriting both these tags. Today on the blog, I have the pleasure of sharing an …
“Growing Your Elders”: “Tell Clyfford I Said ‘Hi”: An Exhibition Curated by the Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes

By Michael Holloman, Bailey Placzek, and Nicole Cromartie

Museum standards emerge over time as the museum sector challenges norms, reexamines values, and tests new ways of being and doing. The Clyfford Still Museum’s deep partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes is an exemplar of …
Scholarship Opportunity! Learn Museum Foresight

By Elizabeth Merritt

I am happy to announce that applications are now open for the CFM Foresight Scholarship, supporting participation in the Foresight Certificate program at the University of Houston, August 10-16, 2026. I highly recommend this course for …
Re-imagining Museums as Sites of Repair at AAM2026

By Aisha Shillingford

How can museums use their significant assets: space, resources, art works, relationships, influence etc to shape a future beautiful, beyond our wildest dreams? At the 2026 AAM Annual Meeting & Museum Expo, staff of Intelligent …
Explore the AI Future at AAM2026

By Elizabeth Merritt

What goes on in the brain of a futurist when you say “artificial intelligence?” Join me for TrendsWatching: To Live or Die in AI, on Thursday, May 21, at 8:30 a.m. in Room 107 AB at the AAM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia for …
Your Guide to the Future at AAM 2026

By Elizabeth Merritt

The most common lament about AAM’s annual meeting is that its sheer size makes it difficult to navigate.There are worse problems to have than a surfeit of tantalizing sessions, but I get it. Decision paralysis is a thing, and this year’s …
Lessons in Leadership: Transition Planning for Executive Directors of Small Museums

By Kimberly Bender

As I researched the “looming leadership crisis” for this year’s TrendsWatch report, I heard two things loud and clear. First, that succession planning is immensely helpful in smoothing transitions, and second, that …
Reading the Declaration Together

By Steve Light

In today’s post, Steve Light, Vice President for Education and Guest Experience, shares how Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is fostering nonpartisan civic engagement during our country’s semiquicentennial and sharing resources …