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Social Impact
The effect that museums have on the social fabric of their communities and the well-being of the individuals and families who live there.
Getting Civic with Gen Z: A Q&A with Caroline Klibanoff of Made By Us
As museum staff, our workdays are filled with time-consuming tasks, our to-do lists constantly expanding with emails to write, memos to produce, projects to advance, and programs to put on. …
Content Warnings in Museums and Galleries: Taking a Proactive Approach
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 …
A Controversy of Monumental Proportions at the Kent State Memorial
The Kent State memorial commemorating the May 4, 1970, shootings has been polarizing since its inception. This article originally appeared in Museum magazine’s July/August 2024 issue, a …
Every Museum Needs a Civic Strategy. Here’s How to Find Yours.
In a recent New York Times article, landscape architect and MacArthur Grant winner Walter Hood described museums as “the new civic spaces, where honest conversations can be had.” While this …
What Can Museums Learn from the Connected Learning Framework?
How would you try to convince a naysayer of the value of arts education? Maybe you would plead for the value of these subjects in their own right, citing the mind-expanding powers of …
Help Pioneer Better Measures of Museum Performance
What’s the best way to measure a museum’s success? And by “best,” I mean meaningful and sustainable. “Meaningful” in the form of metrics that will make a community feel it has been well …
Museum as Living Room: A Q&A with Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ Victoria Ramirez
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 …
Reframing the Collection: How a Literary Catalog Experiment Brought New Voices to Interpretation
The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (Stanley) is part of the arts ecosystem at the country’s premier university for the study of creative writing. As a curatorial team, we have …
The Pains and Pleasures of Being a First-Generation Museum Person
Every few months or so, there’s a family gathering. From a birthday celebration to a family cookout, my family never seems to have a shortage of reasons to gather. At the time of this …
Meet Marilyn Jackson: A Q&A with AAM’s New President & CEO
At the 2024 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, the outgoing Vice Chair of AAM’s board, Nathan Richie, sat down for a Q&A with our new President & CEO, Marilyn Jackson, to help …
Museum Social Impact in Practice
Museum Social Impact in Practice (MSIIP) is a three-year initiative led by the American Alliance of Museums and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that provides …
Designing a Watershed Experience at the Ontario Museum of History and Art
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 …
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Museum-Healthcare Partnerships: A Growing Initiative
Category:
Alliance Blog
With increasing frequency, museums and cultural institutions are becoming trusted sources for information on health. Leveraging their reputation for credible information, and their ability …
The Influence of Staff on Museum Engagement and Visitation: A 2024 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story
Category:
Alliance Blog
This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2024 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, a national survey of American museum visitors from AAM and Wilkening Consulting. Every year, the …
October Advocacy Updates – Fall Advocacy and Speak Up for Museums
Category:
Advocacy Alert
In this Alliance Advocacy Alert: Speak Up for Museums: October Appropriations Update Resources: Was your Museum Impacted by the Hurricane? Mark Your Calendars: Museums Advocacy Day 2025 in …