Public Programming

Beyond the Tour: Building Trust by Reimagining Public Programming

By American Alliance of Museums

This is a recorded session from the 2025 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo. Museums are trusted to be good stewards not only of their collections but also of their communities. Fulfilling this important aspect of public trust requires …
Twenty Innovative Program Ideas for Small Museums

By American Alliance of Museums

The tips below were shared by Ann Bennett, Allison Schell, Kenny Libben, Susan Goganian, and several audience members during the 60 Ideas in 60 Minutes: Small Museums Are Thriving! session at the 2024 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo. …
Discovering Community Through Augmented Reality

By Lisa Falk

The Arizona State Museum (ASM) recently led an exciting project that transcends traditional boundaries—curatorial, geographical, and technological. Discovering Community in the Borderlands (DCB) is an innovative endeavor that invites …
Museum-Healthcare Partnerships: A Growing Initiative

By Terrie Nolinske

With increasing frequency, museums and cultural institutions are becoming trusted sources for information on health. Leveraging their reputation for credible information, and their ability to promote well-being through education and …
Art Crawl: Designing a Museum Program for Infants

By Paris Baker, Nicole Cromartie, Sara Klein, and Emily Stuart Thomas

Some readers of this blog may remember “Wait, What? Toddlers in an Art Museum?,” a post from January 2023 about the Clyfford Still Museum’s (CSM) journey to become more inclusive for families. That post discussed Clyfford Still, Art, and …
Content Warnings in Museums and Galleries: Taking a Proactive Approach

By Jackie Armstrong

I began writing and speaking about the need for trauma-informed practices in museums several years ago, and while I haven’t seen any big changes in the time since, I have seen small shifts happening that make me hopeful. I’m noticing more …
Museum as Living Room: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ Victoria Ramirez

By Adam Rozan

I believe museums matter because they serve as vital community spaces, where we can meet, mingle, work, learn, study, daydream, and everything in between. I came to this realization, in part, after reading Ray Oldenburg’s The Great Good …
What Works for Building Audiences? Let’s Review the Data.

By Joseph O'Neill

One of the biggest issues museums face right now is diminished attendance. Years after most pandemic-induced closures have lifted, the majority of institutions have still seen only a partial return of their visitors—an average of 71 …
Designing a Watershed Experience at the Ontario Museum of History and Art

By Miriam Valle-Mancilla & Marissa Kucheck

With its exhibition on water, the Ontario Museum of History and Art aims to educate and empower its community and address its wellbeing. This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s May/June 2024 issue, a benefit of …
Supporting Those Who Care at the Baltimore Museum of Art

By Susan Witmer Wolffe and Margaret S. Chisolm

The Baltimore Museum of Art has partnered with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to better prepare medical students. This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s May/June 2024 issue, a benefit of AAM membership. …