Posts
Human Resources
Strengthening Our Core: How Defining Shared Values Can Revitalize Teams
All aquariums, zoos, and museums have core values—beliefs, philosophies, and principles that drive the organization. These values support the organization’s vision, shape its culture, and …
Excite, Build, Consider: A Structure for Open and Honest Feedback in Project Development
One challenge we’ve all probably faced in collaborative program and exhibit development/design is creating a space for open and honest feedback. We know candid feedback is crucial for …
Virtual Internships Are Here to Stay—and That’s a Good Thing
Amid the challenges of 2020, one of the most successful learning experiences for me was pivoting to a 100 percent remote internship program at the National Gallery of Art. When I began …
How the National Air and Space Museum Took Volunteering Virtual
A mother and her spaceship-loving children, ages five and seven, arrive at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center using their timed tickets. As they enter the museum, unsure where to turn first, a …
Hosting Remote Internships: Successes, Challenges, and Thoughts for the Future
When I posted our call for internship applications last December, I had a very different idea of what the summer would look like. A typical internship at the Chrysler Museum of Art involves …
How Can We Make Volunteer Programs More Inclusive and Accessible?
Last year, AAM released a popular toolkit on structuring, developing, and supporting volunteer programs—whether starting from scratch or reimagining an existing program. Since the release …
The Hiring Practice That Stymies Equity in the Museum Workforce
The authenticity of an organization’s actions to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) is judged by two key factors: their consistency and comprehensiveness. …
Mind the Accessibility Gap
When we talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion in museums, we have a usual list of groups we mention: Black and Indigenous people, other people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, unhoused …
Mutual Aid in a Time of Crisis
The upheavals of 2020 are drawing more attention to a venerable form of community self-help: mutual aid societies. These self-organized support groups arose in the eighteenth century as a …
Do Volunteer Programs Need Reinventing for the Reopened Museum?
Last year, AAM released a popular toolkit on structuring, developing, and supporting volunteer programs—whether starting from scratch or reimagining an existing program. Since the release …
For Museum Leaders Who Want to Do Better
In the midst of a pandemic that has brought an incredible amount of pain and suffering to so many of us, I know there’s a lot on your plate as a leader, and you are being pulled in multiple …
Restarting Teams to Restart Museums
As we develop strategies and protocols that will allow us to safely reopen our museums, we’re faced with a glut of new challenges to consider: How can we welcome members and visitors back? …