Recommended Reading – American Alliance of Museums

Refresh Your Reading: Summer 2017

By Elizabeth Merritt

I know that in reality summer is just as busy as any other season, but somehow it feels to me as if I have a little extra time to breath, step back from my daily news feed and expand my horizons. In case you feel the same, here are a few …
Tweeting about the Future

By Elizabeth Merritt

Hello future peeps. I’m enormously encouraged by the reception for TrendsWatch 2017. People have been sending me links to great articles related to this year’s topics (empathy, criminal justice reform, artificial intelligence, migration …
Museums: NYT Special Edition

By Elizabeth Merritt

Last week the New York Times released its annual special section on museums. I LOVE curling up with the print version of these stories for a good read. The NYT gives non-subscribers access to a limited number of content pieces (articles, …
Futurist Friday: The Science of Prediction

By Elizabeth Merritt

Hey museum futurists, this is just a quick note to point you towards a great long read: the February issue of Science magazine, which is devoted to prediction.The issue kicks off with a brief essay by Barbara Jasny and Richard Stone on how …
Futurist Friday: Immersing Yourself in Your Fears

By Elizabeth Merritt

Today’s video–the Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano–is longer than my usual FF suggestion, but it is so sad, weird and thought-provoking I’m serving it up anyway. It would be well worth taking 24 minutes during lunch, …
Futurist Friday: Who Will You Care For? Who Will Care For You?

By Elizabeth Merritt

Many of my friends are members of the “sandwich generation”–caring both for children and for their own parents. That’s difficult enough right now, and as a new report from the Institute for the Future (IFTF) points …
Museum People are the Best!

By Elizabeth Merritt

Dan and Marieke at the Renwick Galleryin Washington, DC One of my favorite museum podcasts—Museum People—just launched its second season with an episode profiling AAM’s own Laura Lott. In this series, produced by the New England …
Futurist Friday: Telepathic Theater

By Elizabeth Merritt

What if you could hear what characters in a play were thinking, as well as what they were saying? How would that change how playwrights create and audiences experience performance?While my main futurist focus is museums, I keep my eye on …
Futurist Friday: A View of the Future Curated by Women

By Elizabeth Merritt

Usually I select small snips for your Friday assignment: videos that are less than 10 minutes long; short reads; sometimes just a mind-blowing picture.This week I’m strongly recommending a long read as well worth your while: The …
Futurist Friday: The Eyes Have It

By Elizabeth Merritt

I’ve been writing and thinking a lot lately about very serious topics: gender bias in the workplace; the way assistive technology can increase the “the digital divide;” the barriers to welcoming people who are not …