Posts
Mission & Institutional Planning
TrendsWatch: Building Financial Resilience in a Time of Crisis
Support Free COVID-19 Resources for the Field: The current crisis is taking a distressing financial toll on cultural organizations, and AAM is no different. The Center for the Future …
Sustainable Investing: A Practical Guide for Museums – Part 1
Earlier this year a guest post on this blog advocated for museums harnessing their endowments to mission-related goals through a financial practice known as impact investing. In today’s …
Double Duty: How a historic botanical garden reached a balance in managing its plant and art collections
All museums face many challenges maintaining and displaying their collections. But these challenges are exacerbated when collections of vastly different needs and care protocols share the …
Pursuing Learning through Intentional Practice
Most museum staff yearn to affect those who visit their museum; they want to create meaningful experiences that will be remembered long after people’s encounters. Stephen Weil believed that …
A Case Study—in Progress—of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Brand Refresh
With the arrival of a new director and CEO in 2016, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco expanded its largely encyclopedic approach to art history by introducing a curatorial department …
Attack of the 100-Year Old Startup
At first glance, museums and startups may not seem to have an overwhelming amount in common. The majority of museums are not-for-profit, mission-driven institutions and operate in a …
Killer Mike, the High Museum’s Newest Board Member, on How He Wants to Make Art More Accessible to the Working Class
Killer Mike is a busy man these days. The 43-year-old rapper is a committed activist and father of four. And now, he is also the newest member appointed to the board of Atlanta's High Mus…
What is our museum’s social impact?
Trying to understand and measure how our museum changes lives in our community. When the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) first opened its doors, it was considered a "people's museum," a …
Restructuring Nonprofit Organizations: Mergers, Acquisitions, Consolidations, Partnerships and Separations
*Please note that I am not your attorney, I am not giving legal advice and there is no attorney-client relationship. All legal questions should be directed to your legal counsel. This …
Internet and Cyberlaw Issues Impacting Cultural Organizations
*Please note that I am not your attorney, I am not giving legal advice, and there is no attorney-client relationship. This article seeks to raise awareness of some key internet and cyberlaw …
Point/Counterpoint
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Museum magazine. A benefit of membership in AAM. The concept of strategic planning has been integral to American …
Required Elements of an Institutional Plan
This recorded webinar explores the elements of an institutional plan based on core standards; the most common plan shortcomings; and different approaches to planning and imple…