Pop Ups: Disrupting the Idea of “Museum”

  By Gretchen Jennings and Monica Montgomery 슠At the start, many of us were슠curious슠about why the슠project슠was designed as a partnership with a슠library슠instead슠of슠another museum. 슠However, by the end of the project, we not only슠understood슠why, but also realized it슠would not슠have worked any other way. 슠 Student report. On January 16, 2016, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, The…

Joint Statement on Museums and Ferguson: First Anniversary

On December 11, 2014, and in the days following a number of us posted a joint statement expressing our concern about museums’ lack of recognition of the underlying causes of the events in Ferguson (writ large). The statement has had both immediate and continuing impact, so I think it’s worth republishing it, and reflecting on…

Characteristics of the #Empathetic Museum: 1) Civic Vision

Museums have to look at where they can challenge the status quo, and where they can push, but also where they can partner. 슠Peoria, IL City Manager   Every once in awhile a confluence of books, articles, conference presentations, and blog posts calls attention to the same phenomenon in the museum world. 슠Is this synchronicity,슠the슠zeitgeist,…

History: The Arguments We Have About the Past

슠 슠 슠History is not about the past; it is about arguments we have슠about the past. 슠 슠Ira Berlin, The Long Emancipation I’ve been visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico for about 30 years. 슠From the first I was enchanted by the ambiance, the weather (in all seasons), the food, the architecture, the art, the museums,…

Everything that rises must converge: Reflections on AAM2015

Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.슠 1942.   Im not sure why this phrase Everything that rises…

#MuseumsrespondtoFerguson: What’s Authentic?

  In December 2014, in the midst of demonstrations and widespread discussion about race and racism in the aftermath of a grand jury’s decision against indicting a white police officer for shooting an unarmed black teen, 슠a group of bloggers (including this one) and colleagues posted their Joint Statement urging museums to become involved and…

Dear Boston: Bravo!

In the wake of the terrible bombings at the Boston Marathon last year on April 15, and as part of my series of posts on the Empathetic Museum, I슠wrote with admiration슠 about the ways in which Boston museums had rallied for their community. A week or so later I posted again슠, this time슠focusing on the…