Posts
Leadership
The Role of the Board in Times of Crisis
This is a recorded session from the 2020 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. As the world responds to the impacts of COVID‐19, many museums are faced with the challenge to …
Museum Boards: Ethics, Transparency, and Public Scrutiny
This is a recorded session from the 2020 AAM Virtual Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo. This session addresses the recent controversies surrounding museum trustees who have been the target of …
Hindsight is 2020: What We Learned About Leadership in a Crisis
At the height of the pandemic, as so many aspects of our professional and personal lives hung in the balance and emotions fluctuated between despair and hope, effective leadership surfaced …
The Era of the Visionary Museum Director Is Over … or It Should Be
In this op-ed, the Director of the Chazen Museum of Art argues that the “cult of the visionary museum director” undermines the progress institutions can make by favoring …
Rethinking Our Human Resources Practices to Build a More Equitable Museum
Less than three weeks after COVID forced museums around the globe to close their doors last year, an article by Arundhati Roy in The Financial Times titled “The Pandemic is a Portal” …
Strengthening Our Core: How Defining Shared Values Can Revitalize Teams
All aquariums, zoos, and museums have core values—beliefs, philosophies, and principles that drive the organization. These values support the organization’s vision, shape its culture, and …
How to Master Humble Learning, a Requirement for Cultural Competence
Among dancers, there is a common saying that even an advanced dancer can always work on their basic step. I have been a salsa and Latin dancer for over a decade, but when I attend a …
Running with Scissors (and a Mask!): COVID-19 Responses at Old Salem Museums & Gardens
Just as flexible buildings can withstand hurricane-force winds and earthquakes, flexible institutions can withstand monumental challenges like a global pandemic. Because of our four years …
onePULSE, Many Perspectives: Collaborating with Diverse Stakeholders to Develop the National Pulse Memorial & Museum
In the aftermath of a tragedy, there is no one way for communities to grieve and heal. This is especially true when the event impacts people on a national or even international scale. The …
Running with Scissors: Creating a Sustainable History Experience (2017-2020)
You may know that Old Salem Museums & Gardens (OSMG) and The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have been making considerable changes …
MSN Shelfie #2: Leadership Books for Highs and Lows
View a recording of “MSN SHELFIE #2” presented by American Alliance of Museum (AAM)’s Museum Studies Network on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Moderator Laura-Edythe Coleman and our …
Diary of a Museum Reopening
As of May 7, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is officially reopened to visitors. The BBCW is a massive AAM-accredited facility located in rural Wyoming in the Yellowstone National Park …