Search Results for: covid

Inclusive Practices, Writing in a Time of Crisis

Refocusing Museums on People: my dreams for museums in a post-COVID world

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Written by Isabel Singer Reposted with permission from American Perceptionalism, a site dedicated to examining how museums are reinventing themselves in a changing world. As I watch museums lay off thousands of highly qualified underpaid staff during this pandemic, I have been asking myself why I keep investing in museums. Museum staff are overwhelmingly white, straight, and … Continue reading Refocusing Museums on People: my dreams for museums in a post-COVID world →

Field Notes

COVID-19 Has Taken a Toll on Museum Education

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Written by Juline Chevalier I keep thinking of the start of this post like the set-up for an uninspired stand-up comedy routine. Me: Wow, it’s been a bad year for museum education! Audience in unison: How bad is it? Me: We did a survey to find out … let me tell you about it. Not … Continue reading COVID-19 Has Taken a Toll on Museum Education →

Writing in a Time of Crisis

How can museums & schools continue their relationship during & after COVID-19?

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Written by Stephanie Downey My career began at the intersection of museums and schools, and it will always be at the heart of why I do what I do.  I discovered museum education while working as a program evaluator for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS).  I was doing that work because of my … Continue reading How can museums & schools continue their relationship during & after COVID-19? →

OpenThink, Writing in a Time of Crisis

“It’s Been Two Years Since…” – Reflecting on being laid off & where I am now after two years

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IMPORTANT NOTE: I want to let the Art Museum Teaching community know that I am moving my writing over to my new Substack publication called “Agents of Change.” I started this publication around the end of last year, and I’ve been posting there each month on topics that emerge from my book, Museums as Agents … Continue reading “It’s Been Two Years Since…” – Reflecting on being laid off & where I am now after two years →

leadership, Leading Towards a Different Future

Making the Case for Collaborative Leadership in Museums

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Written by Mike Murawski Early this week, it was so fantastic to see the Birmingham Museums Trust announce its decision to bring Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah on as joint CEOs, making a bold leap into co-leadership that can help serve as a model for many other museums and nonprofit institutions in the years to … Continue reading Making the Case for Collaborative Leadership in Museums →

Inclusive Practices, Spotlight on Practice

Museums Must Become More Trauma Informed

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Written by Jackie Armstrong When I took my first steps into the world of visitor research and evaluation there was a lot of emphasis on how to make the museum a more engaging place. The word engaging often got thrown around with no outline of what that actually looked in practice, or sometimes even no … Continue reading Museums Must Become More Trauma Informed →

Leading Towards a Different Future

Leading Means Being More Human

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Written by Mike Murawski In an April conversation with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman about leadership in times of crisis, business expert Dov Seidman stressed the need for business leaders to put people ahead of profits and heed the call to pivot in ways that are anchored in “deep human values.” Seidman ends the … Continue reading Leading Means Being More Human →

Leading Towards a Different Future

Upending Our Ideas About Leadership in Museums

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Written by Mike Murawski Since the beginning of this pandemic crisis and throughout the ongoing protests demanding racial justice, we have seen evidence of a wide range of leadership qualities on the public stage—watching national political leaders on TV and through social media, seeing governors and mayors respond to these crises in their own states … Continue reading Upending Our Ideas About Leadership in Museums →

Spotlight on Practice, Writing in a Time of Crisis

Art Therapy at the Manchester Museum

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Written by Chloe Sykes This guest post from Chloe Sykes, Art Therapist Trainee, is reposted with persmission from the Manchester Museum’s hello future blog. As a trainee art psychotherapist, I was very fortunate to be offered my final placement at Manchester Museum in the UK. As it has come to an end, I have been … Continue reading Art Therapy at the Manchester Museum →

Teaching Tools, Writing in a Time of Crisis

Trauma-Aware Art Museum Education: Principles & Practices

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Written by Andrew Palamara, Ronna Tulgan Ostheimer, Stephen Legari, Emily Wiskera, and Laura Evans After our initial discussion of developing a trauma-aware practice, we have had several conversations about what T-AAME could become. We initially began thinking about T-AAME in reaction to the trauma inflicted by COVID-19, but it has taken on new urgency in … Continue reading Trauma-Aware Art Museum Education: Principles & Practices →

Social Action

The Power of Collective Action: PMA Union Announcement

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Written by Members of the Division of Education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art The past few months of pandemic response have given the museum education community plenty of reason for heartbreak. Many of our colleagues across the country have been laid off or furloughed. Programs into which we’ve poured months of creative planning have … Continue reading The Power of Collective Action: PMA Union Announcement →

Writing in a Time of Crisis

Making the Case for Museum Education in the Midst of a Crisis

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Written by Jason Porter All of us have been watching closely as museums across the country layoff their educators and interpretive staff. I understand why these decisions were made: staff costs for a non-profit are expensive, right now unemployment benefits are generous and long-lasting, and decision-making metrics that take into account experience, seniority, and “essential” … Continue reading Making the Case for Museum Education in the Midst of a Crisis →