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How Museums are Like Bellybuttons and What That Tells Us
I think it’s time to share my omphalic classification scheme for museums. I started using this metaphor while I was directing AAM’s excellence programs (MAP, Accreditation) to capture my observations about major differences about museums’ … -
The Future of Funding
Everyone wants to know what the next business model for museums may be. Will they morph into hybrid nonprofit/for-profit social benefit corporations? Lose tax exempt status entirely? In today’s post Carl Hamm, immediate past chair of the … -
The Backward ABC’s of Museum Data
This week’s blog post comes from Philip M. Katz, assistant director for research at AAM. This was going to be an essay about the power of museum financial and operating data—robust, reliable numbers that can help museums plan for the … -
When Trends Collide: The New Gilded Age Meets the Rise of the Amateur Expert
Museums have long struggled to resist pressure from wealthy donors or sponsors who want to call the shots. How might this play out in a future in which museums loosen their grip on curatorial authority and actively encourage participation … -
Museum Ethics in a Gilded Age
This week’s guest post by Erik Ledbetter, principal of Heritage Management Solutions and special adviser to the Forecasting the Future of Museum Ethics project currently underway in partnership with Seton Hall University’s Institute of … -
Trends and Futures in the Economic Condition of Museums
Today AAM released its second annual report on the economic state of America’s museums, U.S. Museums Continue to Serve Despite Stress. The report is based on a survey of AAM institutional members. Some of the news is bad: More than half … -
Trends in Tax Exempt Status
I’ve written about the trend for cities to establish PILOTs (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) for nonprofit organizations. These payments (nominally voluntary) can be seen as a civilized way for museums to be good neighbors, supporting … -
Free Webinar on Forecasting the Future of Vulnerable Populations
I blogged a couple of months ago about a wonderful set of scenarios commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the future of vulnerable populations. Now the RWJ is offering a free webinar to enable readers to explore these … -
Where Might the Boston PILOT lead us?
When I leading forecasting exercises, helping people to question assumptions and imagine alternate futures, one scenario that participants repeatedly create is one in which museums no longer have nonprofit status. Why does it come up so … -
Windsock on Nonprofit Employment
The Johns Hopkins Listening Post Project has released a new report “Recession Pressures on Nonprofit Jobs.” The keys points about museums: In the six months through March 2010, 30% of museums had a net loss in staffing 53% of museums in …
Tag: Economic Trends
Upcoming Events
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AASLH-NCPH Joint Conference
Event Date:Presented by: American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)Providence, RI -
Digital Collections Summit
Event Date:Presented by: MuseumNext -
Accessibility by Design: Empowering Staff for Human-Centered Change
Event Date:Presented by: American Alliance of Museums -
Creative Museums Summit
Event Date:Presented by: MuseumNext
Latest Stories from AAM
Tracking Trust in Museums: 2026 Update
Category:
Alliance Blog
This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2025 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, …
Mining the National Archives: New Exhibition Sparks Personalized Discovery with AI
Category:
Center for the Future of Museums Blog
CFM’s summer dive into artificial intelligence has included scenarios of potential …
From Fragmentation to Alignment: Project Management in Museums
Category:
On-Demand Programs
Project management in museums is often misunderstood as task tracking or administrative …