Posts
Health
Art, Wellness, and Mental Health
I met Ashley Witherspoon while researching CFM’s current TrendsWatch report—one of the topics we examine is how museums can help foster mental health for all. Ashley is the founder and CEO …
The Messenger Matters: How a Novel Partnership Is Enhancing Public Health in Philadelphia
Bandaging skinned knees. Conducting health screenings. Managing care for chronic needs. Providing therapy and counseling. School nurses do all of this and more every day as they work with …
How a South Carolina Library Became a Model of Social Impact Innovation
“Bad libraries build collections. Good libraries build services. Great libraries build communities.” —R. David Lankes – Professor and Director of the School …
Blues on the Block: Connecting Communities through Live Music, Rhythm, and Public Health
The National Blues Museum was one of ninety-one museums, libraries, and cultural or tribal organizations that leveraged their position as trusted community partners to help bolster …
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 …
Transferring Trust: An Art-Based Public Health Campaign Reveals the Key to Community Resilience
It’s no secret that the pandemic hit certain communities harder than others. Disasters—be they environmental, social, or public-health-related—often have this effect, exposing inequity both …
Health & wellbeing in museums: time for a ‘happiness revolution’?
Last week, MuseumNext held an international online summit, sharing case studies from across the global museum sector focussing on best practice in health and wellbeing. According to …
Three Models for Bridging Wellness and Museums
This is a recorded session from the 2020 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. Museums are bridging into and out of health and wellness spaces. Gain a theoretical base, practical …
Applying Art History to Workplace Safety: Saving Lives and Growing Revenue at the Toledo Museum of Art
Over the course of its distinguished 120-year history of art education, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has offered classes that extend beyond simple drawing and painting into topics ranging …
Picture of Health: How MFA, St. Petersburg, Reimagined the Museum Program as a Source of Wellness and Healing
As the Curator of Public Programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, my professional focus has always been the MFA’s public spaces, performing arts venue, and gardens—not the …
Where you live may protect you from dementia
A trio of studies shows that urban and suburban neighborhoods that provide opportunities for socialization, physical activity, and intellectual stimulation may help preserve older …
All Hands on Deck: How Museum Staff Boosted Wisconsin’s Pandemic Response
Prior to the onset of the global pandemic, it would have been hard to imagine a scenario in which history and museum professionals played a direct role in matters of public health and …
Upcoming Events
2023 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo
Event Date:
Presented by:
American Alliance of Museums
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Latest Stories from AAM
Chatting About Museums with ChatGPT
Category:
Center for the Future Of Museums Blog
Two months ago, the research and development lab OpenAI released ChatGPT, an interactive “chatbot” powered by artificial intelligence. Chatbots aren’t new (I’ve been writing about …
Different by Design: A New, Inclusive Framework for Accessible Museum Exhibitions
Category:
Alliance Blog
In January 2020, I authored a post for the Alliance Blog about speechless: different by design, an exhibition that I curated for the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) and the High Museum of Art in …
Trend Alert: Changing Climate Risk
Category:
Museum Magazine
2022 marked a new high in climatic extremes. The US set records for number of tornadoes (29 in March); heat (nearly 1,000 record high temperatures in one week of September alone); and …