Museums across the country are increasingly caught up in partisan skirmishes, called out for their exhibits, programming, or for taking (or not taking) a stand on current events. What kinds of pressure—protests, lawsuits, threats to funding—are being brought to bear? How can museums avoid or respond to these threats?

Join Center for the Future of Museums’ director Elizabeth Merritt for Future Chats—a new series from AAM exploring trends, breaking news, and implications for our sector. On Thursday, September 12, Elizabeth will chat with special guest Julie Decker, Director/CEO of the Anchorage Museum, about the implications of one recent story about the current culture wars. After their chat, participants will join virtual discussion groups to share their own experiences coping with partisan pressure from the public, donors, or legislators.

After the chat, participants will join virtual discussion groups to explore the implications for museums, and to share information and support. Join this Future Chat for important information about this trend, support to help navigate its impacts, and empathy from your museum colleagues.

General portions of this Future Chat will be recorded. Breakout discussions will not be recorded and are only available to live participants.

Speakers:

Julie Decker, PhD, is the Director/CEO of the Anchorage Museum in Alaska, a leading center for scholarship, engagement, and investigation of Alaska and the North. She has a doctorate in art history, a master’s degree in arts administration, and bachelor degrees in visual design and journalism. She has curated numerous exhibitions and authored and edited publications on contemporary art, architecture and the environment.  

Elizabeth Merritt is AAM’s vice president for strategic foresight, and founding director of the Center for the Future of Museums—a think-tank and research & development lab for the museum field. She is the author of the Alliance’s annual TrendsWatch report, and writes and speaks prolifically on the trends shaping the future of nonprofit organizations. Elizabeth holds an M.A. from Duke University and a B.S. from Yale University, and attended the Museum Management Institute.

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This is the second event in our new Future Chats series launched in August. Stay tuned for details about the third chat this fall!

The statements and opinions expressed by panelists, hosts, attendees, or other participants of this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of, nor are endorsed by, the American Alliance of Museums.