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Working Your Core: Core Documents, that is! webinar recording

The five core documents are the foundation of a well-run museum, shaping its values, operations, and long-term success. They’re not just paperwork—they’re a museum’s playbook for making …

Reframing the Collection: How a Literary Catalog Experiment Brought New Voices to Interpretation

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (Stanley) is part of the arts ecosystem at the country’s premier university for the study of creative writing. As a curatorial team, we have …

New Standards for Museums with Native American Collections (SMNAC) Now Available

New Document Calls for Equitable Partnership Between Museums and Native Communities For immediate release SANTA FE, NM/ARLINGTON, VA—Today, the School for Advanced Research (SAR) and the …

An Interpretive Plan for a Castle in the Clouds

Every year, dozens of museums around the country participate in AAM’s Museum Assessment Program (MAP), offered in a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. …

Excellence in DEAI Report

Download the report Download a print-friendly version Navigation Introduction and how to use this report Next Steps Thank you and resources Support this work and contribute feedback, …

Core Concept Primer: DEAI work must be measured and assessed

The current system in which we operate and live is one that allocates resources and opportunities unequally, creating disparities within and outside of our institutions. Pursuing and …

Core Concept Primer: DEAI is an ongoing journey without a fixed endpoint

A museum’s DEAI work should be a process of continual assessment, recognizing and reflecting the changing environment not just within the institution’s walls but in the wider world. No …

Core Concept Primer: DEAI is the responsibility of the entire organization

Sustained, meaningful, and impactful DEAI work must be reflected in all aspects of museums, from individuals to organizational culture, to policy and process. This work must not solely rely …

Core Concept Primer: DEAI demands an ongoing commitment of resources

Just as embarking on your museum’s DEAI journey is a task with no defined endpoint, allocating resources to this work must be ongoing. Implementing equity cross-functionally and sustaining …

Why Does Accreditation Matter?

The stewardship of “excellence” by a diverse and dynamic coalition of museums can better equip the field to confront many of the most pressing issues o…

From the President and CEO: Equity and Excellence

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Museum magazine, a benefit of AAM membership. Like society at large, the museum field is at a pivotal moment of …

Meeting the Moment

With its forthcoming report, Excellence in DEAI, AAM seeks to help museums achieve excellence in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. This article originally appeared in the …
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Latest Stories from AAM

Latest on IMLS as of 3/31

Latest on IMLS as of 3/31 On March 31, the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave as a follow up to the executive order from March …

March Advocacy Updates – IMLS Update and Take Action

March 26, 2025 In this Alliance Advocacy Alert: IMLS Update As a follow up to last week’s Advocacy Alert, we wanted to provide you with a few updates and additional ways you can take …

Urgent: Act Now to Save IMLS

NOW is the time to speak up for museums!  On March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, directing further cuts to …

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