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Think of a Time When You Didn’t Feel Welcome

By Barbara Cohen-Stratyner

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Museum magazine. There is not a museum, zoo, aquarium, historic site, or other cultural institution that does not have LGBTQ visitors and/or staff. However, many …
A Visitors’ Perspective on Visitor Engagement

By Max A. van Balgooy

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Understanding visitors’ needs will greatly inform our work engagement While engagement might seem to be the latest fad in museums today, it is not a …
Serving Those Who Served: Engaging Veterans at Museums

By Sara Lowenburg

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Museums are uniquely suited to build confidence, comfort, and community for veterans. Approximately 21.5 million veterans live in the United States. As they …
Excellence and Equity at 25: Then, Now, Next

By Greg Stevens

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Museum magazine. The lasting legacy—and future implications— of AAM’s landmark 1992 publication. Diversity. Equity. Accessibility. Inclusion. These terms (together, “DEAI”) …
Converting Family into Fans: How the Contemporary Jewish Museum expanded its reach to a new audience.

By Bob Harlow

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Since its founding in 1984, the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) had been in a 2,500-square-foot space in the lobby of the Jewish Community Federation of …
A Magnetic Science Center

By Anne Bergeron

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Museum magazine. How one museum used a community engagement business model to drive programming and growth. Magnetic: The Art and Science of Engagement, a best-selling book …
Why Not To Run Your Museum “More Like A Business”

By John Wetenhall

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Many elements that make businesses successful do not work for museums. First, some relevant credentials. I have been involved in five capital campaigns and cut …
Ask, Don’t Guess: How a visitor-centered business model led to record-breaking attendance for a historic house in Oregon.

By Marta E. Bones

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Built in 1914 by an influential Portland newspaper publisher, Pittock Mansion has a story similar to that of many other early 20th-century mansions across the …
Strategizing Me: Make a Personal Career Plan

By Anne W. Ackerson

This article appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of Museum magazine. Effective leaders create mission statements to shape their museum careers. The one thing that can be said universally about people who work in the museum profession …
Failing Towards Success

By Elizabeth Merritt

This excerpt from TrendsWatch 2017 originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of Museum magazine. “If you’re creating things, you’re doing things that have a high potential for failure, especially if you’re …