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

Read Dispatches from the Future of Museums online!

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!

  • Postcards from the future

    Last week I flew down to Miami for the Contemporary Art in Historic Contexts Symposium at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Vizcaya gathered curators, scholars, educators, and artists from around the globe to delve into this topic, and I had the …
  • Guess, Grind or Ask the AI

    Chapter three of CFM’s TrendsWatch 2017 examines how artificial intelligence—computer programs that mimic human abilities such as complex reasoning, language, and pattern recognition—can be harnessed for museum purposes. In today’s guest …
  • A Role for Museums in the Urban Renaissance: Reviving Skills of Craftsmanship

    One topic I’m researching now is how museums deploy their assets—tangible and intangible—to promote equity in their communities. In today’s guest post Erin Sheets and Russell Davidson tell us how the Albright-Knox Art Gallery used its …
  • Ready to Prototype? Applications now open…

    In the final chapter of CFM’s TrendsWatch 2017, I argue that museums need to recognize that failure is a necessary part of a successful design process. As a sector, we need to become comfortable with positive failure—but it can be hard to …
  • Your Guide to the Future at AAM 2018

    Every year I write a futurist’s guide to the AAM annual meeting, recommending sessions that explore trends shaping our world and examples of museums adapting to those trends. This being the tenth anniversary of CFM, I’ve cast a broad net, …
  • Australian Museums in 2040

    Museum 2040—CFM’s “futures” issue of Museum magazine—was fairly US-centric, but it touched on issues of global concern. In today’s guest post, Jilda Andrews and Alex Marsden offer their vision of how these issues may play out in Australia …
  • Recruiting a Diverse Workforce Through Unbiased Hiring

    In spring 2017, CFM launched a FutureLab project to help museums explore new hiring practices to create more equitable workforces. Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site was one of the first museums to sign up as a lab partner. In …
  • Bring the Future to Your Museum in 2018

    One of my resolutions for 2018 is to be more proactive and intentional in the work I do with individual museums, companies, and conferences. This starts with being more transparent about the fact that I even do work like this. Most of the …
  • Artificial Intelligence in Accreditation

    One of CFM’s goals is to help museums learn from other sectors, and help other sectors learn from us. For that reason, my colleagues and I cultivate a diverse audience for our work, drawing futurists, games designers, technologists, …
  • Envisioning the Accessible Future of Peer Review

    One of my favorite parts of putting together the recent “future issue” of Museum was asking my colleagues at AAM to imagine how their work, and the programs they staff, such as accreditation and advocacy, might be different in the year …

Latest Stories from AAM

A Foresight Take on Proposed Government Funding Regulations

Category: Center for the Future of Museums Blog
Two weeks ago, we took one (more) step towards a future in which the risks of government …

June Advocacy Alert: Proposed OMB Grant Rules, Appropriations on the move, and Invite Congress

Category: Advocacy Alert
Advocacy Alert – June 8, 2026 In this Alliance Advocacy Alert: Proposed OMB Rule …

Digital Innovations in Public Experiences at Jewish Museums

Category: On-Demand Programs
In this moderated discussion with two senior museum leaders working to reimagine a …

AAM Member-Only Content

AAM Members get exclusive access to premium digital content including:

  • Featured articles from Museum magazine
  • Access to more than 1,500 resource listings from the Resource Center
  • Tools, reports, and templates for equipping your work in museums
Log In

We're Sorry

Your current membership level does not allow you to access this content.

Upgrade Your Membership

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Our weekly newsletter is packed with stories, resources, and information for museum people. Once you've completed the form below, confirm your subscription in the email sent to you.

If you are a current AAM member, please sign-up using the email address associated with your account.

Are you a museum professional?

Are you a current AAM member?

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription, and please add communications@aam-us.org to your safe sender list.