Posts
Mission & Institutional Planning
How a Disturbing Historical Discovery Inspired a New Mission at Old North Foundation
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The enduring fame of the Old North Church in Boston began on the evening of April 18, 1775, when church sexton Robert Newman and vestryman Capt. John Pulling Jr. climbed the steeple and …
Reimagining Manchester Jewish Museum
Manchester Jewish Museum has re-opened after a major renovation. It features a new gallery, studio, kitchen, shop and café, doubling its original space. The museum , which holds over …
How the Museum of Science and History in Memphis Used the Pandemic to Springboard Its Strategic Plan
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By the time the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis had already started a radical reshaping of its image, structure, and programming. When I began as Executive …
A Futures Approach to Museum Planning
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Nothing gives me greater joy than learning how the futurist materials created by CFM have helped museums and museum people in their work. Today on the blog, Ty Smith and Jeremy Taylor tell …
The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership
In the face of increasingly pressing systemic inequities, nonprofit boards must change the traditional ways they have worked and instead prioritize an organization's purpose, show …
Point of View: The Era of Traditional Planning Is Over
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“‘Inconceivable!’ You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” —Mandy Patinkin, in the role of Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride This article which appeared …
New TrendsWatch! Navigating a Disrupted Future
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In a normal year, TrendsWatch explores the impact emerging forces of change may have on museums in the next decade or longer. Some, such as demographic shifts, affect all museums in the …
onePULSE, Many Perspectives: Collaborating with Diverse Stakeholders to Develop the National Pulse Memorial & Museum
In the aftermath of a tragedy, there is no one way for communities to grieve and heal. This is especially true when the event impacts people on a national or even international scale. The …
TrendsWatch: Building Financial Resilience in a Time of Crisis
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Support Free COVID-19 Resources for the Field: The current crisis is taking a distressing financial toll on cultural organizations, and AAM is no different. The Center for the Future …
Sustainable Investing: A Practical Guide for Museums – Part 1
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Earlier this year a guest post on this blog advocated for museums harnessing their endowments to mission-related goals through a financial practice known as impact investing. In today’s …
Double Duty: How a historic botanical garden reached a balance in managing its plant and art collections
All museums face many challenges maintaining and displaying their collections. But these challenges are exacerbated when collections of vastly different needs and care protocols share the …
Pursuing Learning through Intentional Practice
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Most museum staff yearn to affect those who visit their museum; they want to create meaningful experiences that will be remembered long after people’s encounters. Stephen Weil believed that …
Latest Stories from AAM
A Q&A with Dirk Hiscock, Designer of This Year’s Winner for Excellence in Publication Design
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Category:
Alliance Blog
After reviewing hundreds of entries every year, the jury for AAM’s annual Museum Publications Design Competition awards only one publication with the Frances Smyth-Ravenel Prize for …
Pushing the Boundaries
Category:
Museum Magazine
The Whitney Plantation Museum confronts the truth of its history in all facets of its …
Beyond the Museum Walls
Category:
Museum Magazine
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. The Queens Museum serves as a community anchor by embracing porosity, …