Museum Magazine Editorial Calendar
Click here to submit an article pitch for an upcoming issue.
2021
January/February
Race and Social Justice
Potential topics are, but not limited to, Black Lives Matter; organizational structures; public accountability; truth and reconciliation; conflict mediation; systemic racism; collection acquisition; exhibition interpretation and display; staff training; curation; anti-racism; shifting of language from DEAI to racial equity to Anti-racism; power shifting.
March/April
TrendsWatch
Topics include museum-school partnerships that offer structured support for students during COVID-19; college or university galleries or museums supporting student activities during COVID-19; adopting digital tools or strategies in response to COVID-19 challenges; reparative practice through collections, resources, staffing or governance to advance greater equity; promoting civic dialogue across partisan social and political divides; building local audiences as a consequence of travel and tourism restrictions during COVID-19.
May/June
Annual Meeting Issue
Topics include community-centered practice and engagement; communications strategy; immigration and refugee communities; inclusive emergency management; bridging difference; activism; museums as public assets; misinformation and trust; activism; social impact; co-curation; climate change and environmental sustainability; global connection; fostering belonging; reducing polarization.
July/August
Emotion and Empathy
Topics include, but aren’t limited to, affective learning strategies; exhibition design; social inquiry exhibitions; community practice; social impact; institutional trauma; emotional intelligence; research on perception or physiological response and emotion; healing and renewal; resilience; self-care; belonging; generational trauma; environmental empathy; empathy-building; exhibitions on emotion.
September/October
Creative Aging
Topics include programs and services for people 55 and older, and caregivers for aging adults, to foster health and well-being during the COVID-19 era; ageism in museum operations; seniors and volunteerism; getting started with creative aging museum programs; evaluation of creative aging programs; funding sources for creative aging initiatives/projects.
November/December
Museum Identity and Redefinition
Topics include, but are not limited to, museums as public assets, civic spaces, stewards for cultural heritage, and prisms of identity.
2020
January/February
Curatorial Practice
Potential topics are, but not limited to, changing responsibilities, social issues, collection-based engagement; decolonizing collection acquisition, interpretation, and display; visitor, object-based, or community-based approaches; professional training.
March/April
Identity Issues
Potential topics broadly focused on identity to include, but not limited to, collections, exhibitions, representation, women’s rights, LGBTQ issues, gender bias, gender equity.
Summer
Bridge to the Future
Potential topics are, but not limited to, museum practices, programs, and operations that are responding to emerging social, economic, political and technological forces and implications for the future.
September/October
Civic Engagement
Potential topics are, but not limited to, civic participation and education, responsible citizenship, community service, volunteerism, democratic values and dilemmas, activism.
November/December
Building Audiences
Potential topics are, but not limited to, data-driven decision-making, diversifying audiences, engaging new audiences, retaining loyalty, research-based strategy, community building, marketing and communication strategies, earned revenue opportunities, new membership models.
2019
January/ February
Technology
Potential topics are, but not limited to: immersive theater, virtual reality and augmented reality, exhibition development and the selfie culture, implications of new intelligence specifically—chatbots, artificial intelligence tools for mining and managing huge digital databases, artificial intelligence as a creative tool, technology to optimize and personalize experiences, implicit biases in technology models; data privacy—concerns and best practices
March/April
Courting Controversy
Potential topics are, but not limited to: addressing divisive issues, taking a stand or not, neutrality, cultivating brave spaces, politics, activism
May/June
Financial Sustainability
Potential topics are, but not limited to: free vs. paid admission, dynamic pricing, early detection of financial shortfalls, creative revenue models, entrepreneurial approaches (hotels, conference centers), new mission-related income streams
July/August
Decolonizing Collections
Potential topics are, but not limited to: joint collecting agreements, long term care of objects, collections planning to reflect changing demographics and inclusive stories, label re-writing and tagging digital collections for inclusion, copyright and ethics issues on digital content in regions of conflict, repatriation
September/October
Workforce/Workplace
Potential topic are, but not limited to: new job categories and changing roles, unions, pay equity, in-sourcing vs. outsourcing, unbiased hiring, the pay gap, updated salary survey, internships, “ban-the-box” initiatives; living wage policies
November/December
Health and Well-Being
Potential topics are, but not limited to: creative aging, neuroaesthetics, empathy, sensory experiences and wellness, social connection, cognitive disabilities
Write for Museum
Please fill in the following form to submit your article pitch. Keep in mind each issue of Museum includes four feature articles and one point of view article.
Items of interest about your museum—temporary or permanent exhibitions, education programs, partnerships or initiatives, new building/wing—should be submitted for consideration to bit.ly/MuseumNewsAAM
Career news—transitions, promotions, retirements, in memoriams, accolades—should be submitted for consideration to bit.ly/CareerNewsAAM