Guest Post – American Alliance of Museums

How a Chatbot is helping museums wish about the future

By Cory Garfin and Devon VanHouten-Maldonado

As a futurist, there is nothing I love more than encouraging people to think both forward AND back. America’s 250th anniversary is a great opportunity to reflect on our country’s past and to “remember the future” we …
Speculating on the Futures of Here

By Anand Pandian and Jordan Tierney

“I don’t exist in an after climate crisis—we know now that there is no after, only varying degrees of loss, varying degrees of change. My mother was a climate writer who found that her words had run dry one day, that she had run out …
When a Hurricane Hits: Lessons from a Natural Disaster

By Ross Pristera

One of the critical issues addressed in this year’s TrendsWatch is the profound impact climate-related disasters are having on museum insurance. As the frequency of severe weather events and wild fires rises, insurance is becoming …
Beyond the Ask: Securing the Future with Community-Centric Fundraising

By Jessica Proctor

This year’s TrendsWatch examines changes reshaping philanthropy. While charitable giving overall remains strong, that total masks a troubling trend: a shrinking number of US households engage in giving while wealthy individuals play …
Unlocking Teen Genius: A New Toolkit for Museums Designing the Future

By Tess Benoit

When the Center for the Future of Museums imagines the cultural institution of tomorrow, we often point to a world where museums are not just repositories of history, but engines for human possibility, civic imagination, and the skills …
Teaching with Museum Collections in the Age of AI

By Sarah Anne Carter

I started writing about artificial intelligence and the implications for museums back in 2017. In the ensuing years, the technology has gone from “on the horizon” to a major disruptor of work, jobs, parenting, dating, and, …
Supporting JANM and Unlocking the Future

By Ann Burroughs

It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is easier to raise capital for bricks-and-mortar than for projects that are less tangible, but may be more closely aligned with a museum’s mission and a community’s needs. How can …
The Sounds of Change

By Meeghan Kane

I have an enduring interest in multi-sensory museum experiences, especially when they bring in outside experts to expand a museum’s sensory impact. My collection of favorites include the Brooklyn Museum appointing a Cellist in …
The Formula for Relevance

By Alex Fraioli

I love finding examples of museums that use their resources to boost the fortunes of makers, craftspeople and local businesses. The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center fostering Native-led food start-ups, the Empowerment Hub at …
What’s your wish for U.S.? turns history museums into future-imagining incubators

By Caroline Klibanoff and Adam Rozan

In 2021, history museums across the nation, working in collaboration with one another and with Gen Z-ers through Made By Us, generated an idea to link together Juneteenth and the Fourth of July in a new tradition – Civic Season. Civic …