Posts
Collections Stewardship
Microclimates: A Greener Future for Collection Care
There are many options available for museums to address climate action and become more sustainable, but recent work at two institutions has highlighted the value in one particular method: …
German Museum Repatriates Lakota Chief’s Shirt, Citing ‘Moral and Ethical Reasons’
“Even if it represents a loss for the collection and the object was legally acquired by the Weltkulturen Museum: I see the return of the leather shirt to Chief Duane Hollow Horn Bear …
Germany first to hand back Benin bronzes looted by British
“We face up to our historic and moral responsibility to shine a light and work on Germany’s historic past. The treatment of the Benin bronzes is a touchstone [of this process].” …
Baltimore Museum to Sell 3 Blue-Chip Paintings to Advance Equity
“This is done specifically in recognition of the protest being led by museum staff to be paid an equitable living wage to perform core work for an institution with a social justice …
Building True, Lasting Collaborations with Source Communities
It’s well-documented by this point: museums are changing. No longer solely repositories of information and keepers of culturally important artifacts, museums today are taking on new roles …
Eye of the Storm: How Do Museums Prepare for Hurricanes during a Pandemic?
It’s a Thursday afternoon in July and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) is almost empty. Director Marta Mabel Pérez is in her office, leading a virtual hub of staff and other …
Brooklyn Museum to Sell 12 Works as Pandemic Changes the Rules
The Brooklyn Museum is using the proceeds from the sale for “direct care” including cleaning and transporting art, and to cover a portion of the salary of collections staff, …
Of Law and Ethics: What do museums need to know in this new era of cultural property ownership disputes?
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. A tension often exists between the law and the ethics of collecting cultural …
Now What?: Project Ideas for Museum Staff Working Remotely
By now, most of us are well into our stints of working from home. But weeks or months in, you might be finding it hard to think of new tasks you can do without access to your physical site. …
What Does a Welcoming Online Collections Portal Look Like?
In late February 2020, the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University became the latest institution to launch an online collections portal, a feature that is increasingly …
One Museum’s Plan to Keep Its Full Staff During COVID-19
Like most sectors of the economy, the museum field is facing sharp losses in revenue and uncertainty about when they will be reversed. Many institutions have decided to lay off, furlough, …