The Empathetic Museum: Help Widen the Conversation

Following up on  June 7 and June 29  posts on empathy in museums, six museum colleagues from a variety of areas in the field are proposing a session called “The Empathetic Museum”  for the  May 2014 American Alliance of Museums Conference in Seattle, WA.  I’m one of the panelists, so this is a shameless plea for…

Collecting Trayvon Martin’s Hoodie: A Conversation We Need to Have

Now that the 24/7 discussion of the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case has died down, it’s time to look at the implications of a discussion that flared briefly in the aftermath of the not-guilty verdict for Zimmerman. On July 31, 2013, Lonnie Bunch, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)…

The Trayvon Martin Case: Do Museums Have a Role?

Those who have read my March 26. 2012  post on Trayvon Martin will know that my answer to the question about museums’ role is “yes.” This case is a part of U.S. history, African American history, social and cultural studies, research on race relations, the history of social media, and digital humanities, to name just a…

The Empathetic Museum: Institutional Body Language

Since my last post, on the pop-up discussion about The Empathetic Museum at the American Alliance of Museums conference, Regan Forrest of the blog Interactivate has picked up on this theme and examined it from the perspective of interpretation and design. Her posts are well worth reading, and have generated more widespread discussion on this…

Museums and the Marathon Bombings: New Perspectives

Last week I posted a reflection on the varied responses of museums in Boston in the immediate aftermath of the Marathon Bombings–from closing in honor of the victims to free admission in solidarity with the community  to direct outreach to the injured children and families.This week I direct you to two thoughtful and heartfelt posts, Our…

Museums and the Boston Marathon Bombings

Compassion+Systems in Place+Timeliness=Community Impact In the midst of the international outpouring of support and sympathy for the victims of the two bombs that went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15,2013, what role did museums, especially Boston museums, play in their beleaguered community? As readers of Museum Commons know, I…

Seeing Myself Where I Didn’t Used to Be: A Reflection on Empathy in the Museum

(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened) –e. e. cummings Recently I have been attending an Episcopal church where there are both men and women priests.  This is a new experience for one who has spent a lifetime in a church that is inclusive in many…