Opportunities – Page 2 – American Alliance of Museums

Finding the Future at #AAM2023

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’m taking a short break from prepping my materials for #AAM2023 to share a preview of what The Future will be up to in Denver. For me the conference starts on Thursday, May 18, with the latest iteration of the “Diving into Strategic …
Invite Your Visitors and Participants To Be Seen in a National Research Portrait — Especially if Your Museum Serves BIPOC or Rural Communities

By Elizabeth Merritt

Sometimes “anyone can participate” isn’t as inclusive as it seems. There can be all sorts of invisible barriers, including who even hears the invitation to begin with. Sometimes it takes an extra effort to make sure that …
Gen Z is leaning in. Are museums ready to make room?

By Caroline Klibanoff

Change is multifaceted, and demographic change is no exception. For example, the population of the US is steadily becoming more diverse with regard to race, culture, and gender. Children under the age of 15 are already “majority minority” …
Opportunity! Dedicated funding for museums taking climate action

By Elizabeth Merritt

As I note in this year’s TrendsWatch, this is truly a “syndemic” year. We face multiple crises that, left unchecked, will interact to make each other worse. For example, the pandemic-induced financial crisis will make it more difficult for …
Game Plan Call for Applications! Professional Development for Museum Educators

By Elizabeth Merritt

In 2008, Dr. Jane McGonigal delivered the inaugural lecture for the new Center for the Future of Museums. McGonigal, who is both a professional futurist AND a ludologist, made the case that museums could learn a lot from games design. (AAM …
The Museum of Future History: An Antidote To Chronological Squatting

By Elizabeth Merritt

Those of you who follow my writing may be aware of my passion about the need to decolonize the future. I believe museums can play a vital role in helping the public be better stewards of the world we leave to future generations. Today’s …
Culture and Community in a Time of Crisis: Join a National Audience Research Collaboration

By Elizabeth Merritt

As museums navigate the coming months and plan for reopening, they find themselves both deluged with too much information and sorely lacking critical data to inform their decision-making. Your news feeds are probably flooded with stories …
Workshopping the Future: Foresight in Hindsight

By Elizabeth Merritt

At AAM 2019 in New Orleans, I led a three-hour futuring workshop, teaching attendees how to conduct foresight activities at their own organizations. Katie Eagleton attended that workshop, and in today’s post she shares how she has applied …
Come Future with Me at AAM 2020

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’m teaching a workshop on strategic foresight at the AAM annual meeting in San Francisco this May. This is a chance to learn how to use the Alliance’s futurist resources, including our TrendsWatch reports and scenarios, to enhance your …
Resources and a New funding opportunity for museums—Help shape the future

By Leigh A. Grinstead

I’ve spent many years thinking about the future of museums and the field. Where are we going? What work is critical at this moment? What issues are bubbling up that we need to be aware of? Like many of you, I actively seek out information …