Posts
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.
Beyond Compliance at the McClung Museum
At the McClung Museum, a NAGPRA assessment strengthens collaboration with Native Nations on a current and future …
What Endures at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is committed to voluntary returns when morally, ethically, or commonsensically…
The Yaqui Case at the National Museums of World Culture
In 2022, the National Museums of World Culture in Sweden returned ceremonial items to the Indigenous Yaquis…
Lessons in Co-Locating: A Q&A with the Denver Public Library and Denver Zine Library
While attending this year’s AAM Annual Meeting in Denver, I stopped by Denver Public Library’s Bob Ragland Branch to visit another, smaller library located within this branch: the Denver …
Earth Works: Establishing a Green Team at Your Museum
“People don’t have to do heroic things. Very few of us can do heroic things. But we can do little things. And at certain points in history, millions of those little things accumulate and …
Crushing on Our Summit Speakers
If I were a different age, I might be saying “OMG OMG!” (or possibly “squee!!!”) but being who I am I’ll just say that our speaker lineup for the virtual Future of Museums Summit is mass…
Asset-Based Community Development: Shifting Museums’ Center of Gravity
Twenty-two years ago, I was leading the strategic planning process for a museum education department when I noticed something interesting. Even though we called ourselves the “education” …
Evidence of Things Not Seen
The current edition of TrendsWatch includes a “Short Take” on how our country and our sector are beginning to grapple with how to compensate descendant communities for historic harms. …
A Toolkit to Measure Your Museum’s Social Impact
While social and community impact is increasingly viewed as central to museums’ missions as acknowledged in the Alliance’s most recent strategic framework, the issue of measuring that …
Take a Deep Dive into the Future of Museums this November
Have you registered for the Future of Museums Summit? Taking place from 1-5 pm ET November 1 and 2, this virtual conference will explore four themes from the current edition of TrendsWatch: …
Museums as Disaster Responders: A Q&A with Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a strong, lively community? Recently, this question led me to revisit the work and writings of Ray Oldenburg, who first developed the concept …