Guest Post – Page 2 – American Alliance of Museums

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 …
Staying True to Mission: Why JANM Spoke Out

By Ann Burroughs

As my colleagues and I catalogue the damage being done to our sector, we take heart from a small but growing cadre of museums taking principled positions in the face of attacks on their institutions and the communities they serve. In 2019, …
CAMPing Out: Making Museums More LGBTQ-friendly with Chicagoland Alliance of Museums with PRIDE

By Katie Slivovsky and David Carrasquillo

Part 1: Katie Slivovsky, Exhibit Development Director, LGBTQ Access & Inclusion Chair, Chicago Children’s Museum Something wonderful is brewing in Chicago—and I don’t mean craft beer. I’m talking about the 80-plus staff from over 25 …
Keeping History Above Water

By Elizabeth Merritt

One of the themes we explored in TrendsWatch2015 was how rising sea levels and increased storm frequency are threatening museums and heritage sites. Over the past year we’ve invited guest authors from museums with a vested interest …
Coming Soon—the Smithsonian Learning Lab

By Elizabeth Merritt

Many museums are retooling their digital resources to create more meaningful experiences for visitors—both local as well as virtual. Earlier this year we highlighted one example—the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s Innovation Studio. …
A Modern, Morbid, Cabinet of Wonder

By Elizabeth Merritt

Post-2008, it is difficult to make the books balance for even the most well-established museum. Which makes me particularly interested in those hardy souls who brave the odds to start a new museum. What niches do these new museums fill? …
The Entrepreneurial Museum: Down on the Farm

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’m collecting examples of entrepreneurial museum projects—mission-related initiatives that contribute to the financial bottom line. Last month I profiled the Spark!Lab National Network, an initiative of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center. …
Access: No Longer About Unlocking the Front Door

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’ve blogged about my brief experience with Google Glass at the Tech@LEAD conference. Turns out @nealstimler loaned that same pair of specs to Nik Honeysett, head of administration at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Today Nik shares his …
Choosing Roles: Can we advance action AND enhance experience?

By Elizabeth Merritt

In the course of my ongoing quest for stories of how museums make the world a better place, I met Douglas Meyer, a consultant who’s worked with a variety of nonprofits in the U.S. and internationally. For example, teaming with the firm of …