By Gretchen Jennings and Monica Montgomery At the start, many of us were curious about why the project was designed as a partnership with a library instead of another museum. However, by the end of the project, we not only understood why, but also realized it would not have worked any other way. Student report. On January 16, 2016, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, The…
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…
Museums have to look at where they can challenge the status quo, and where they can push, but also where they can partner. Peoria, 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. Is this synchronicity, the zeitgeist,…
History is not about the past; it is about arguments we have about the past. Ira Berlin, The Long Emancipation I’ve been visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico for about 30 years. From the first I was enchanted by the ambiance, the weather (in all seasons), the food, the architecture, the art, the museums,…
As many readers know I was in India from mid-July to early August this year, teaching a museum studies class for the National Council of Science Museums masters program in Kolkata. My co-teacher Karen Lee of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and I also had a chance to travel north to Dehradun and Mussoori…
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. 1942. I’m not sure why this phrase “Everything that rises…
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, a group of bloggers (including this one) and colleagues posted their Joint Statement urging museums to become involved and…
Guest Post by Sarah Pharon, Senior Director, Methodology and Practice, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience I travel frequently for my work. I spend more time than I would like at airports eating an embarrassing amount of “bad food” from food courts. While waiting for my order from one of the airport fast food chains…
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, I wrote with admiration about the ways in which Boston museums had rallied for their community. A week or so later I posted again , this time focusing on the…