Beyond the administration’s buyout for federal employees, there is growing concern that further indiscriminate staff reductions could disproportionately impact agencies like IMLS. It is essential that IMLS retains the authority to manage its own staffing decisions to continue serving communities effectively.

Please reach out to your representatives today—via email or phone—and urge them to protect IMLS from harmful staffing cuts.

Thank you for your advocacy and support.

But a job description alone isn’t enough. Assessing a candidate’s skillset during the hiring process is just as critical. Museums need professionals with a wide range of expertise—from curation and collections management to education, visitor engagement, and security. Beyond technical qualifications, traits like adaptability, communication, problem-solving, and cultural competency are crucial in a candidate’s success.

By combining well-crafted position descriptions with thorough skill evaluations, museums can build dynamic teams that fulfill job functions and drive the institution’s mission.

Since every museum is unique, these template descriptions should serve as a foundation for customizing to reflect your organization’s specific needs, culture, and goals. These descriptions and skill sets were developed with the assistance of various experts in the museum field. Particular thanks go to Leah Melber, Ph.D., Chris Morehead, Danyelle Rickard, Grace Stewart, and Joseph O’Neill. 

Collections Manager

Curator

Executive Director

Museum Educator

Museum Preparator

Operations Manager

Security Guard

Store Manager

Visitor Services Manager

Volunteer Manager

Resources 

FAQ from Venable on the federal funding freeze

This chart from the National Council of Nonprofits outlines some of the Executive Orders (EOs) which President Trump has signed since January 20 that may affect nonprofits directly or indirectly. It is updated periodically with new developments, and covers a broad range of issues including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; government grants and contracts; census and civic engagement; and immigration. It covers how nonprofits serving LGBTQ+ communities may be affected, and how nonprofits who work with federal government partners and granting agencies may face new challenges. While some of the EOs won’t take effect immediately, and many are expected to be challenged in court, staying informed about these rapidly evolving changes can help museums prepare for the path ahead.

This chart from the Education Counsel outlines the potential impacts of recent executive orders on early childhood, K-12, and higher education.

Updates from AAM

Update 2/3/25

Read a letter to our members from AAM President & CEO, Marilyn Jackson

A survey was distributed to museum CEOs to assess the impacts of recent Executive Orders and threats to federal funding. If you are a museum CEO and have not received this survey, please email research@aam-us.org. Your answers are valuable whether or not your museum receives federal funding.

Share your biggest questions and concerns with us. Responses will help us work with our partners to share updates and resources with the field. All responses are anonymous and will not be shared publicly.

Update 1/29/25 1:35 pm

The administration has rescinded the federal funding freeze order.

Update 1/29/25 12:13 pm

The information below is provided by the National Council of Nonprofits, of which AAM is a member.

Just before the federal funding freeze was set to take effect, United States District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan issued an Administrative Stay through Monday, February 3 at 5:00 pm. The stay allows time for both sides of the case to present the judge with more information, so the court can make a more lasting ruling. With the Administrative Stay in place, nonprofits have a few days to try to gain more clarity over whether their programs are affected and to make contingency plans. Our hope is that Judge AliKhan will find in our favor and put a more lasting order in place. And Monday may not be the final word on this, as either side may appeal this all the way to the Supreme Court. For now, nonprofits should be taking these next few days to make contingency plans, just in case. If you receive any federal funding – whether directly from the federal government or a pass-through, such as a state or locality – reach out to your grant/contract contact immediately to ask if you will be affected if the freeze is allowed to go into effect.

Update: 1/28/25 5:38 pm

A federal judge has temporarily halted President Trump’s pause on federal funding through at least 5 pm ET Monday, February 3.

Update: 1/28/25 4:55 pm

Last night, the Trump Administration announced a temporary pause on the disbursements of funds and other activities that “may be implicated by” the administration’s recent executive orders.

This action would “temporarily” halt billions of dollars in federal grants and loans to organizations across the country. The memo leaves many federal payments in jeopardy — including grants and loans issued to charities, research bodies, and all types of nonprofits, including museums.

The text of the order is here. It raises large constitutional questions, is getting significant pushback from advocacy coalitions and Congressional leaders, and is already being challenged in lawsuits.

While we take issue with much of the language of this memo, our immediate concern is for museum staff, and the communities they serve, whose livelihoods depend on these legally awarded grants and contracts.

We ask that you please contact your members of Congress using our template letter to express your concerns about how this memo will impact your museum or community. Update: As of 1/29/2025, the administration has rescinded the federal funding freeze order.

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• One Week Left to Register: Museums Advocacy Day 2025

• President Trump to Take Office, 119th Congress Convenes: Museums Need to Mobilize Now

• Take Action: What You Can Do

• January Advocacy Tip: Economic and Education Impact Statements

Museums Advocacy Day 2025 – Registration Closes January 17

This is your last chance to register for Museums Advocacy Day 2025! The start of the year will be a pivotal time to advocate for museums as a new Congress begins and the Administration changes over.

Museums Advocacy Day is taking place on February 24-25, 2025 in Arlington, VA and Washington, DC. New to advocacy? We’ve got you covered. On day one, you’ll participate in a day-long program to prepare you for your Congressional visits, all of which we schedule for you. On day two, you’ll spend the day putting what you learned into action when you visit your members of Congress’ offices in Washington, DC, ending the day at our Congressional reception. For more information and to view frequently asked questions, visit the Museums Advocacy Day webpage. Read Museums Advocacy Day success stories.

We need representation from as many states as possible, don’t assume your state is covered. You can make a difference!

Join this powerful opportunity to combine our collective voices to share the unique value of museums of all types and sizes across the country. Your participation matters.

Unable to attend Museums Advocacy Day but want to help make the case for museums? Visit AAM’s Advocate from Anywhere page for other advocacy activities.

President Trump to Take Office, 119th Congress Convenes: Museums Need to Mobilize Now

There will soon be a transfer of power to a new administration and the 119th Congress recently convened. Now comes the governing, policymaking, and setting of federal budget priorities. President-elect Trump will have a “trifecta,” although with a slim Republican majority in the Senate and and an even slimmer majority in the House of Representatives. Now is when our work begins in earnest. Congress continues to work on FY 2025 funding. In December, Congress passed a second Continuing Resolution that will keep the federal government running at FY 2024 levels until March 14.

In the coming weeks, President-elect Trump will release a formal budget plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, which begins October 1, 2025, and then Congress will begin the work of writing bills to fund federal government agencies and programs (and to complete the process for the current fiscal year, which began October 1, 2024).

We need every museum professional, every trustee, and every volunteer to speak with one voice to help preserve these vital agencies. We have the power to make our voices and priorities heard, and as a united field, fight for museums.

• IMLS, NEH, and NEA: Recall that previous Republican-controlled Congresses did not enact past Trump budgets that would have eliminated funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In fact, Congress ignored the Trump Administration’s requests and increased funding. We don’t expect funding increases now due to changes in the composition of the lawmakers in Congress. However, we know that members of Congress do not want to vote for bills that will cost jobs in their district or harm their constituents. We need to keep speaking up for these and other vital federal programs that benefit museums and the communities they serve. Support for museums is strong, regardless of political persuasion:

  • 96% of Americans would approve of lawmakers who acted to support museums.

  • 96% of Americans think positively of their elected officials for taking legislative action to support museums.

  • Three-quarters of the public believe museums are an important part of our civil society.

  • The total economic contribution of museums in 2016 amounted to more than $50 billion in GDP, 726,200 jobs, and $12 billion in taxes to local, state, and federal governments.

• Tax Reform: Congress is expected to pivot quickly to debate a major tax package in 2025 as the 2017 Trump tax cuts are set to expire. Museums could see increased revenue and public support if a non-itemizer charitable deduction, such as the one proposed in last Congress’ bipartisan Charitable Act (S. 566, H.R. 3435), expected to be reintroduced soon, is included in the package. AAM has been a long-time advocate of the non-itemizer charitable deduction and is a member of the Charitable Giving Coalition, a broad coalition of charitable nonprofits working to boost charitable giving. AAM also will be working to oppose harmful polices some think tanks are currently proposing, such as the Tax Foundation’s disastrous proposal to require nonprofits, including museums, to pay the regular corporate income tax rate on any earned income. Additionally, Congress previously has shown interest in establishing rules for private foundation museums to ensure they are adequately accessible by the general public.

• Reinforcing Bipartisan Support for Museums Is Critical. Museums have always enjoyed support from both sides of the political aisle, and we will continue to build relationships with all our elected officials—learning about their priorities, finding common ground, and ensuring that lawmakers know that museums are essential to their communities.

Take Action: What You Can Do

• Register Now for Museums Advocacy Day 2025 (Feb. 24-25)

• Take Action Now to Support Funding for Museums: Use our templates to urge your legislators to support at least $55.5 million for OMS and support at least $209 million each for the NEH and NEA.

• Take Action to Support Increased Charitable Giving: Use our template to urge your legislators to support the nonitemizer deduction.

• Share Your Connections: The AAM Government Relations & Advocacy staff looks forward to working with the new Congress. We know that you may already have connections with your new or returning members of Congress. If you have not already, we hope you will share that information with us by filling out our Washington Connections Contact Form, so we can work together on outreach.

• Invite Legislators to Visit your Museum: We also encourage you to introduce and/or invite returning and new members of Congress to visit your institution and tell them your story about the positive impact you have on improving your community.

• Engage Your Board Members in Advocacy: Download a copy of Stand for Your Museum Mission and begin a dialogue with your board about how they can play an important role in advocating for your museum.

January Advocacy Tip: Economic and Education Impact Statements

Do you have an economic and/or education impact statement for your museum? Economic and education impact statements are impactful in advocacy efforts at all levels of government, no matter if you are advocating at the federal, state or local level. These statements highlight the impact your museum has on your community. As we start a new year, now is a great time to prepare your impact statements, share them with your legislators, and invite them to visit your museum. View economic and education impact statement templates and samples.

Your steadfast advocacy efforts make a big difference in building needed support for museums and museum professionals.

Looking for more advocacy tools and resources? Visit the Advocacy section of the AAM Resource Library today!

Visit http://www.aam-us.org/advocacy to learn more about AAM’s advocacy for museums.

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Register Today: Museums Advocacy Day 2025 in Washington, D.C., Feb. 24-25

• Take Action: Contact Congress in Support of OMS Funding

• Report: Annual National Snapshot of US Museums Report

Museums Advocacy Day 2025 – Feb. 24-25: Registration is Open!

Registration is open for Museums Advocacy Day 2025! The start of the new year will be a pivotal time to advocate for museums as a new Congress begins and the Administration changes over.

For over 15 years, Museums Advocacy Day has mobilized museum advocates nationwide to help ensure we reach every member of Congress with our message that museums are worthy of federal investment and are essential to their communities.

New to advocacy? We’ve got you covered. On day one, you’ll participate in a day-long program to prepare you for your Congressional visits, all of which we schedule for you. On day two, you’ll spend the day putting what you learned into action when you visit your members of Congress’ offices in Washington, DC, ending the day at our Congressional reception.

Don’t miss this powerful opportunity to combine our collective voices to share the unique value of museums of all types and sizes across the country. Your participation matters.

Register Today

February 24: Programming and Training, Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, Arlington, VA

February 25: Congressional Meetings and Reception, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Unable to attend Museums Advocacy Day but want to help make the case for museums? Visit AAM’s Advocate from Anywhere page for other advocacy activities.

Contact Congress in Support of FY 2025 Funding for Museums

Legislators are busy wrapping up the 118th Congress before the end of the year. A major outstanding item is FY 2025 appropriations. The current FY 2025 stopgap measure keeping the federal government funded at FY 2024 levels will expire on December 20. Congress will need to pass another stopgap spending bill or pass an omnibus appropriations bill by that date. With time running short, it looks increasingly likely that there will be another stopgap spending bill expected to run until March.

Now and throughout the new year reinforcing bipartisan support for museums will be critical. Museums have always enjoyed support from both sides of the political aisle, and we will continue to build relationships with all our elected officials—learning about their priorities, finding common ground, and ensuring that lawmakers know that museums are essential to their communities.

In the meantime, we encourage you to keep telling your legislators to support at least $55.5 million for OMS and support at least $209 million each for the NEH and NEA.

It is especially important to reach out if your senator is one these key Senate Appropriations Committee leaders: Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

Snapshot Report on US Museums

The 2024 edition of the annual National Snapshot of US Museums was released in November. This year’s report offers a window into the state of the museum field in 2024, with information on attendance, employment, finances, disruptions, cybersecurity, and exhibitions. The data shows encouraging financial improvement over the statistics reported in the 2023 report, but recovery remains uneven, and there are continuing challenges in recruitment and shifts in philanthropy. Despite this welcome progress, we need to continue to advocate for funding from federal agencies and programs that help museums better serve their communities.

Your steadfast advocacy efforts make a big difference in building needed support for museums and museum professionals.

Looking for more advocacy tools and resources? Visit the Advocacy section of the AAM Resource Library today!

Visit Advocacy to learn more about AAM’s advocacy for museums.

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced 1 first time accreditation and 25 reaccreditation awards made at the October 2024 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, 1112 are currently accredited.

Through a rigorous process of self-assessment and review by their peers, these museums have demonstrated they meet standards and best practices, and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.

Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for nearly 55 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Accreditation Program ensures the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.

First time Accreditation

• Avenir Museum of Design & Merchandising, Fort Collins, CO

Reaccreditation

• Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL
• Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
• Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island, SC
• Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL
• Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
• De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA
• Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY
• Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
• Grout Museum District, Waterloo, IA
• Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, Honolulu, HI
• Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, MA
• Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY
• Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
• Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, San Juan, PR
• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
• North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, Bismarck, ND
• Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City, OK
• Paine Art Center & Gardens, Oshkosh, WI
• Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas, TX
• Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY
• Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX
• The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL
• USC Museums (Fisher Museum, Pacific Asia Museum), Pasadena, CA
• Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, IA
• Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, WI

To earn accreditation, a museum submits a self-study questionnaire and key operational documents for evaluation, then undergoes a site visit by a two-person team of peer reviewers which produces a report for the Accreditation Commission. The Commission uses these materials and its collective expertise to determine whether to grant accreditation.

The Accreditation Commission meets 3 times a year (February, June, and October) and can make one of the following decisions:

• Grant accreditation (usually for 10 years)
• Table its decision for 1 year so specific issues can be addressed
• Deny accreditation due to failure to meet multiple Core Standards
• Defer a decision to gather additional information

A museum’s accredited status is not changed during a period in which a decision is tabled or deferred.

Read more about the Alliance’s Accreditation Program.

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, we have been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward.

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Press Contact:

Natanya Khashan

media@aam-us.org

Frontline, or front-of-house, staff play a critical role in museums, beyond ensuring guests/visitors have a positive and memorable experience. They are often the first, and sometimes the only, staff a visitor will encounter during their visit. Frontline museum staff face many challenges, including low pay, underappreciation, lack of opportunity, burnout, and stress. Supporting them is essential to ensuring they can successfully perform their duties and represent the museum in a welcoming way.

This tipsheet provides topline guidance on how to best support and train frontline staff.

Providing Ongoing Support:

Developing an engaged frontline staff begins with understanding their individual needs and motivations. Why work in a museum? What areas do they want to grow into? Leaders need to listen, learn, analyze, and implement tools and resources this cadre of staff can use to better serve the visitor.

Provide personalized and ongoing support to frontline staff to help improve their performance and address any challenges or concerns they may have.

For example:

• Treat them as experts in their field. Frontline staff often have useful skills such as verbal and nonverbal communication, problem-solving, technical knowledge, and emotional intelligence. Include them in planning for new exhibitions and events to help prepare for instances with visitors that frontline staff deal with every day.
• If possible, offer flexible scheduling to meet them where they are.
• Offer coverage during a shift so that they can take breaks as needed.
• Have ongoing health and wellness programs available, including mental health support, fitness programs, or access to counseling services, and always maintain open lines of communication.

Recognition and Appreciation:

Implement a formal recognition program to acknowledge outstanding performance. Recognize frontline staff for the work they do to ensure visitors feel welcome and appreciate them for their dedication to their roles in the museum.

For example:

• Introduce an employee of the month award program.
• Ensure public recognition during staff meetings.
• Host an annual appreciation lunch or dinner scheduled during a time when all frontline staff can attend.

Resources and Tools:

• Keep frontline staff up-to-date and in communication with other departments so they can answer visitor questions on upcoming exhibitions, permanent collections, and other museum policies so they aren’t caught off-guard.
• Guarantee that they have access to all of the equipment and technology they need to perform their tasks, such as handheld devices for ticketing or communication tools for emergencies (for example, two-way radios).

Team Building and Collaboration:

Model open communication by being transparent and approachable and foster a culture where employees feel safe to express their ideas and concerns without fear of retribution. This can be achieved through regular team meetings and by scheduling regular one-on-one and team check-ins to discuss progress, challenges, and ideas.

• Foster a sense of teamwork and collaboration by organizing and including frontline staff in team-building activities, group outings, or staff appreciation events.
• Encourage open communication and collaboration among staff members to ease problem-solving and information sharing.

Providing Feedback Mechanisms:

Create feedback mechanisms to let frontline staff give input and suggestions for improving training programs, policies, and procedures.

You can inspire staff to share their ideas:

• During staff meetings
• Through regular anonymous surveys
• Utilizing physical suggestion boxes
• Conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews to discuss their progress, provide constructive feedback, and find areas for improvement.

Developing a Comprehensive Training Program:

Offering hands-on training opportunities covering all areas of the frontline staff’s duties helps them become familiar with their responsibilities and gain practical experience. Keep an updated written handbook with instructions and expectations for reference in their workspaces, if possible. Make sure that frontline staff get the opportunity to visit all the museum’s exhibits and attractions so that they are better able to advise and encourage visitors.

Some areas to cover include:

• Customer service
• Safety procedures
• Other museum policies around diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion
• And other relevant information about the museum

Customer Service Skills:

Train staff on handling and anticipating visitor needs including knowing the location of the restrooms, café, shop, seating, or other areas to rest and reflect. To this end, printed maps and handouts with relevant materials could be a helpful reference for staff to use when explaining or to give to visitors.

Other customer service skills include:

• Effective communication
• Problem-solving
• Being welcoming and inclusive to all
• Conflict resolution, including de-escalation techniques

Safety and Emergency Procedures:

Create safety protocols, including if they must conduct bag checks at entrances to prevent prohibited items from entering the museum.

• Develop evacuation plans, first aid response, and managing emergency situations such as fires or medical emergencies.
• Schedule regular drills and training sessions to reinforce safety procedures and ensure staff are prepared to respond effectively in case of an emergency.

Cultural Competency and Inclusivity:

Provide training on cultural competency and inclusivity to help frontline staff interact respectfully and sensitively with visitors from diverse backgrounds. This includes awareness of cultural differences and the skills needed to interact effectively with diverse groups of people.

• Train staff to recognize and address unconscious biases
• Create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all visitors. There are any number of in-person workshops, online training, and blended learning programs that can serve to teach cultural competency skills.

Dealing with hostility:

Being welcoming does not mean letting others take advantage of your hospitality. To address the issue of some visitors who may not have the same sensibilities or inclusive leanings, leadership needs to be proactive about giving frontline staff the training, support, and resources needed to handle situations where individuals are resistant to what the museum is sharing, and their values are not confirmed by staff.

For example:

• The customer is not always right, but frontline staff need to deal with the situation firmly and confidently without fear of reprisal from leadership.

Continuous Professional Development:

Offer opportunities for workshops, seminars, or online courses, to help frontline staff enhance their skills and stay updated on industry trends and best practices. Make sure they have coverage to take advantage of professional development resources.

• Encourage staff to pursue certifications or other training programs related to their roles in the museum and offer compensation (increased pay, covering costs of certifications) if possible.
• Ask for their help with special projects, from making membership renewal phone calls to redesigning museum wayfinding signage, etc. They can be a real asset due to their knowledge of the visitor experience.

By using these strategies, museums can support their frontline staff in getting the training and support they need. This support can have many outcomes that are beneficial to the employee, the museum, and the visitor, such as increased knowledge, motivation, and employee retention. This way, they are ready to offer top-notch customer service and ensure visitors have a wonderful experience.

Resources

• At the Barnes Foundation, Internal Internships Support Frontline Staff
• Front Line Staff Take Center Stage in Career Advancement
• On the Ground: How Visitor Experience Teams Are Teaching Front-Line Staff to Be DEAI Advocates
• Sharing Human Centered Workplace Practices

Following the Annual Meeting’s theme of “Thriving Museums, Healthy Communities,” the sessions explore ways museums can promote individual, organizational, community, and societal well-being. Here’s what you’ll find:

Impact Investing: Putting Your Museum’s Money Where Your Values Are

Across the United States, museums hold an estimated $58B in endowments, which are a critical source of annual funding and support for special projects. These endowments are managed carefully for financial return, but do our financial investments align with our visions and missions? While endowments that fuel many museums and non-profits often operate independently from the museum’s values, impact investing recognizes that this money itself can help promote social and environmental good while the returns benefit museums. In this session, a diverse panel of nationally recognized investment experts and museum staff will define impact investing and shed light on what it takes to make this type of commitment and where to turn for resources.

Presenters:

• Judy Gradwohl, President and CEO, San Diego Natural History Museum
• Laura Callanan, Founding Partner, Upstart Co-Lab
• Lillie Moreno, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, John G. Shedd Aquarium
• Noelle Laing, Chief Investment Officer, Builders Initiative, Builders Vision
• Peter L. Bain, Board President, The Walters Art Museum

Museums and Community Archiving: A Collaborative Approach

In this session, attendees will be empowered and inspired to work more closely with community collecting initiatives in their vicinity and beyond. Learn from staff from the Maryland Center for History and Culture’s H. Furlong Baldwin Library, who are exploring how shared stewardship and flexible agreements in community archiving initiatives across the country provide community groups ongoing ownership, voice, and active participation in the archiving of their words, stories, and images. Panelists will present recent findings from this work and share recommendations for meaningful engagement and collaboration with communities through an equity-based approach to collecting.

Presenter:

• Martina Kado, Vice President of Research and France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Maryland Center for History and Culture

Beyond Financial Sustainability: Nourishing a Healthy Financial Ecosystem

Financial sustainability has long and rightfully been among the primary strategic goals of museums and their staff and boards–but what if the drive for financial sustainability could also be preventing individual, organizational, or community healing, trapping us in ways that exhaust our resources without achieving intended impacts? What if we were to broaden our definition of financial health beyond our own museum’s budgets, embracing our finances as a connective tissue that drives social change across sectors and communities rather than scarce resources to be “balanced”? In this session, members of a museum’s strategic planning team who, together with staff and Board, recently grappled with these exact questions will provide inspiring insights into what good lies in reframing financial sustainability.

Presenters:

• Mirella Rangel, Consultant, Colibri Collaborative LLC
• Nisha Gulati, Associate Director of Digital Strategy, Oakland Museum of California
• Kimberly Ondreck Carim, Chief Financial Officer, Oakland Museum of California
• Hilda Schmelling, Development Events Manager, Oakland Museum of California

Rematriation of the In‘zhúje‘waxóbe/Sacred Red Rock

The session will tell the story of the “rematriation” of the Sacred Red Rock and the positive effect this effort has had on its stakeholders and surrounding communities.

Presenters:

• James Pepper Henry, Director/CEO, First Americans Museum
• Sydney Brooke Pursel, Curator for Public Practice, University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art
• Diane Lochner, Vice President, PGAV Destinations
• Thomas C. Owen, Vice President, PGAV Destinations

Creating Access, Inclusion, and Belonging through Language

Panelists in this session share how they incorporate Spanish language into visitor and staff experiences. Featuring four case studies from a diverse set of institutions, this session explores the presenters’ motivations and approaches for incorporating Spanish into their work, successful strategies, and challenges they have faced. While the focus of this session will be Spanish, the lessons shared for creating access, inclusion, and belonging are applicable across languages and can shed light on how museums and cultural institutions can effectively communicate with diverse audiences, fostering a more inclusive and accessible environment.

Presenters:

• Eleanor Hill, Senior Evaluation Researcher, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• Melissa Brito-Alvarez, Manager of Access Programs and Resources, Dallas Museum of Art
• Kerry Butcher, Interpretation Associate, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
• Sean Trujillo, Programs and Interpretation Manager, Museo de las Americas
• Julietta Da Silva, Community and Engagement Manager, Museo de las Americas

F&B/Retail and Rentals that Consider Mission, Community, and DEAI

This well-rounded panel of museum leaders present an engaging presentation regarding food, beverage, event rentals, and retail within their museums. Representing a mix types of institutions, these museum leaders and a leading industry F&B and retail consultant will outline solutions and tactics to address your most common challenges in approaching earned income from ancillary sources through a broadened lens.

Presenters:

• Tracy Lawler, President, JGL Consultants
• Catherine Surratt, Chief Operating and Business Officer, Speed Art Museum
• April Farrell, Chief Advancement Officer, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• Jillian Jones, Deputy Director, Buffalo AKG Art Museum
• Valarie McDuffie, Chief Financial Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Natalie Boten, Chief of Staff, Milwaukee Art Museum

Destigmatize Addiction Disorder: Fostering Partnerships for Systemic Change

Through a shared purpose to destigmatize addiction disorder and make social change, in the summer of 2023, a museum, an artist educator, and three organizations serving the recovery community collaborated to impact over 700 individuals. Using this partnership as a case study, this session explores the reciprocal benefits and best practices for supporting road-tested, community-based projects when establishing relationships with new museum audiences.

Presenters:

• Xoe Fiss, Director of Youth & Family Programs, Milwaukee Art Museum
• Patty Bode, Associate Professor & Coordinator of Art Education, Southern Connecticut State University

Healthy Museums, Thriving Careers: Mastering Project Management Essentials

Whether you come from a large institution with a project management office (PMO) or you are an individual contributor who plays a role in shepherding projects of all sizes, there is a wide range of project management methods and tools that can be applied in museum contexts, which can have a transformative impact on the health and well-being of your museum and its mission, business, and employees. In this workshop, learn from a panel of professionals from diverse roles and backgrounds who will share essential project management knowledge that can enhance your professional growth and the organizational health of your museum.

Presenters:

• Kalie Sacco, Director of Member Strategy, Association of Science and Technology Centers
• Barbara Punt, President and Chief Project Manager, Punt Consulting Group
• John D. Shaw, Co-founder, Principal, Museum EXP
• Uma Nair, Management & Strategy Consultant, The Strategic Museum
• Liz McDermott; Head, Digital Media & Content Strategy; Getty Research Institute
• Dean Briere, Interim CEO, Arizona Science Center

Neuroarts 101: How the Arts and Aesthetic Experiences Advance Health and Wellbeing

This workshop provides an overview of neuroarts: the study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the body, brain, and behavior and how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and wellbeing. This experiential and immersive workshop will include lectures, group discussions, and creative activities.

Presenters:

• Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Karen Alexander, Director of Outreach and Education, International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Keely Mason, Senior Research and Education Associate, International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Alyssa Tiedemann, Senior Research Project Coordinator, International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Algorithms & Artifacts: Deciphering AI’s Role in Museums

As museum professionals, understanding the basics of AI and its implications to our industry is crucial. If the museum community can approach AI with a balanced perspective, harnessing its potential while being mindful of its implications, ethical concerns, and informational biases, we have the opportunity to revolutionize how we work and foster innovation. This presentation provides an overview of AI and explores the various opportunities, challenges, and serious concerns that we must face together.

Presenters:

• Jack Ludden, Digital Experience and Innovation Strategist, Balboa Park Online Collaborative
• Nik Honeysett, Chief Executive Officer Balboa Park Online Collaborative
• Uma Nair, Management & Strategy Consultant, The Strategic Museum
• Jonathan Munar, Arts Team, Bloomberg Philanthropies
• Jessica Herczeg Konecny; Lead Technical Analyst, Digital Asset Management; The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Not the F Word You Know: Embracing Failure to Move Forward

In the museum field, we work tirelessly to create safe environments where our visitors can explore, build skills, discover, and learn – but how are we creating safety in our workplace for our staff to push themselves and embrace failure as a positive part of the process that helps us to learn about ourselves as individuals and as team members? This session brings the power of hands-on maker learning to build skills and capacity for work processes that foster a culture of belonging and a “failing forward” approach.

Presenters:

• Jacqueline Eyl, Chief Program Officer, KID Museum
• Annalise Phillips, Managing Director of Programs and Learning Innovation, KID Museum
• Cat Scharon, Sr. Manager of Research and Evaluation, KID Museum
• Adam Maltese, Professor of Science Education, Indiana University

Reducing Carbon Emissions in a Complex Environment

In this session, learn about the Heritage Museums and Gardens’ Strategic Sustainability Plan, which outlines the institution’s strategies and tactics as they aim to become carbon neutral by 2040, along with several related initiatives geared toward enhancing the visitor experience through accessibility improvements and new environmental and sustainable systems.

Presenters:

• Anne Scott-Putney, President and CEO, Heritage Museums and Gardens
• Judith Holt; Board Member, Sustainability Expert; Heritage Museums and Gardens
• Kate Scurlock, Sr. Associate, GWWO Architects

Shields Up! Safety, Security, and Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Programming

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access–these core values are central to museum standards of excellence yet are not always easy to uphold in an increasingly politicized climate that is often hostile to LGBTQIA+ communities. How can museums continue to safely offer queer-centric exhibitions and events? Join Drag Story Hour leadership and the AAM Task Force for Transgender Inclusion in a workshop exploring safety and security practices around LGBTQIA+ programming. This workshop will empower museum professionals to serve in their roles as cultural stewards and defenders of pluralist ideals with confidence!

Presenters:

• Tony Pankuch, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Cummings Center for the History of Psychology
• Samantha Evelyn Eisenberg, Director of Development, JQ International
• Jonathan Hamilt, Executive Director, Drag Story Hour
• Regan Lopez-deVictoria, Program Coordinator & Grant Writer, Drag Story Hour

Strategy, So what? Using the Strategist’s Toolkit to Help Museums Thrive

Strategic planning gets a bad rap. Hours of meetings. Hundreds of post-its. And at the end, all you get is a fancy document that collects dust on a shelf. So why do the words “strategy” and “strategic” seem to appear everywhere, justifying new priorities, now processes, and even new job titles? Join four senior strategy practitioners as they unpack what it really means to be strategic in a museum context, and how necessary it is to build healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient institutions for all.

Presenters:

• Andrea Kalivas Fulton, Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer, Denver Art Museum
• Andrew Cone, Chief Strategy Officer, Whitney Museum of American Art
• Erin Prendergast; Chief, Strategic Initiatives; Art Gallery of Ontario
• Hilary Branch, H E Branch Advisors

60 Ideas in 60 Minutes: Small Museums are Thriving!

In this fast-paced and dynamic session, four small museum professionals showcase how small museums–which face unique challenges but are also hubs of innovation, creativity, and community engagement–are thriving in today’s ever-changing landscape. Watch for an exhilarating exchange of 60 actionable ideas in just 60 minutes, all centered on the theme of small and mid-size museums thriving within their communities. Viewers will leave with a treasure trove of ideas to implement in their own institutions, showcasing the resilience and creativity that small museums bring to the cultural landscape.

Presenters:

• Ann Bennett, Executive Director, Laurel Historical Society
• Allison Schell, Director of Public Programs, Marshall Steam Museum and the Friends of Auburn Heights
• Susan Goganian, Director, Historic Beverly
• Kenny Libben, Curator, Cleo Redd Fisher Museum

Leveraging Permanent Collection Objects for Collaboration and Change

Throughout the museum field, institutions have been grappling with how to address problematic objects in their collection, taking various approaches from removing the works from view, deaccessioning them, or leaving them in place as is while they grappled with how to best address them. In 2021, the Chazen decided to take a path uncharted, entering into a partnership with the artist Stanford Biggers and MASK Consortium to undertake the re:mancipation project–an exhibition that sought to recontextualize an overtly racist sculpture in a way that felt authentic to the Chazen’s mission as a teaching museum, but also honest and inclusive. In this session, take a deep dive into the re:mancipation exhibition planning process to learn how the Chazen approached a project fraught with risk and uncertainty and which has influenced organizational change at the museum.

Presenters:

• Amy Gilman, Director, Chazen Museum of Art
• Mark Hines, MASK Consortium
• Kate Wanberg, Exhibition and Collections Project Manager, Chazen Museum of Art
• Katherine Alcauskas, Chief Curator, Chazen Museum of Art

Confronting Colonialism: Intersections of Scientific and Cultural Knowledge

Natural history museums play a unique and urgent role in helping document and understand the world’s plants and animals during the current biodiversity and climate crises. This work is taking place at a time when museums are reckoning with their past; challenging–and being challenged on–their authority to do this work; and aspiring to consider and apply indigenous knowledge in their collecting, research, and interpretive practices. This recorded session explores this topic through two case studies from different sides of the Pacific Ocean and in different cultural contexts.

Presenters:

• Hae Su Oh, Su Oh Consulting
• Amy Gusick; Curator, Anthropology/NAGPRA Officer; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Miguel Ordeñana; Co-Senior Manager, Community Science; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Migoto Eria, Head of Matauranga Maori, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Philip Edgar, Head of Natural History, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Gabrielle Crowe, Vice Chair & Secretary of Environmental Sciences, Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal Council of Southern California

Curating Trauma and Violence: Preparing and Caring for Communities and Staff

In this session, museum professionals from various institutions–a museum focused on the Holocaust, a museum telling stories related to terrorist attacks, and a university conservation lab experienced in working with objects where damage is part of their value–discuss the challenges and opportunities that arise when working with populations affected by trauma and violence. Panelists will impart helpful tools, questions, and prompts that attendees can apply within their organizations and personal practice.

Presenters:

• Stephanie Arel, Professor
• Alexandra Drakakis, Chief Acquisitions Curator, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Ian Kerrigan; Senior Vice President, Exhibitions; 9/11 Memorial & Museum
• Lisa Conte, Visiting Associate Professor of Conservation, New York University–The Institute for Fine Art

Research Insights from AAM’s Museum Board Leadership Survey

What is the state of museum governance today? Hear the results of AAM’s Museum Board Leadership survey, including critical benchmarking data on governance practices, board responsibilities and performance, board culture, diversity, and more. Drawing from the insights of museum board members and directors across the country, this session will share where museum governance is flourishing and where there’s room to grow, and as well as share actionable takeaways for how museums can help their board, and their museum, thrive for years to come.

Presenters:

• Cory Garfin, Senior Research Scientist, Co-Director, Slover Linett at NORC
• Linda C. Harrison, Director and CEO, The Newark Museum of Art
• Jacqueline Jordan, Senior Vice President and Regional Director, Foundation and Institutional Advisors, Northern Trust Company
• Carys Kunze, Research & Data Specialist, American Alliance of Museums

Money Matters: Creating a Path to Financial Sustainability

As museums compete against a growing range of leisure and educational options, they must reevaluate their approach to pricing to demonstrate value while developing more holistic revenue strategies. In this lively and thought-provoking recorded session, panelists will explore how cultural organizations are leveraging pricing strategies to maximize revenue, prioritize accessibility, engage new audiences, and grow membership. Viewers will take away inspiring ideas and concrete strategies they can apply at their own institution to create more purposeful and sustainable earned revenue strategies.

Speakers:

• Rosie Siemer, Founder + CEO, FIVESEED
• Rehn West; Director of Development & Marketing; Nauticus, Maritime Discovery Center
• Mary Bradley; Director of Membership, Visitor and Volunteer Services; Denver Botanic Gardens
• Spencer Jansen, Deputy Director and Director of Membership and Guest Services, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Disrupting the Traditional Narrative: Including Oral Histories in Museums

Museums have been guilty of discounting oral histories as “non-academic” or “inappropriate” methods of historical documentation–a trend that contributes to the erasure of Latinx and BIPOC stories and culture. Through a series of case studies from institutions doing exciting and effective work with oral history, this recorded session explores how to engage community members in oral history projects, advocate for the importance of this work in museums, and share research on how the inclusion and prioritization of oral histories in museums can impact the relationships between the museum and its community and staff members of color.

• Asami Robledo-Allen Yamamoto, Project Manager, Latinos in Heritage Conservation
• Sehila Mota Casper, Executive Director, Latinos in Heritage Conservation

Fostering Resilience in Children through Virtual Mindfulness

In the face of an epidemic of anxiety, depression, and physical disease, many museums have been exploring mindfulness practices to support the health of their communities. This recorded session addresses how museums might develop mindfulness programs that address the developmental needs of youth, a currently underserved population in mindfulness-based museum programming. The goal is to prepare museum educators to confidently incorporate mindful movement into object-based learning programs for youth at their museums.

Presenters:

• Jennifer Reifsteck, School and Teacher Programs Manager, National Museum of Asian Art
• Lisa Danahy, Founder and Director, Create Calm Inc

Toward a More Human Museum: Trust and Well-Being for Staff and Visitors

In the current political climate, the work museums are doing to become more human and empathic may be misunderstood both internally and externally, and the latest data by a leading museum research consulting firm already indicates a lowering of public trust in museums. In this recorded session, panelists and attendees will explore the relationship between public trust and the changes the museum field is making, using examples from various types of museums to understand how we can better formulate policies and communicate while building trust among staff, visitors, and non-visitors.

Presenters:

• Gail Lord, President & Co-founder, Lord Cultural Resources
• Susie Wilkening, Principal, Wilkening Consulting
• Lisa Biagas, Chief Human Resources Officer & Title IX Coordinator, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
• John Hampton, Executive Director & CEO, Mackenzie Art Gallery
• Christy Coleman, Executive Director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

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As the country rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic, how are museums doing? Who is coming to museums and why, how does attendance compare to pre-pandemic norms? What are the barriers to visitation? In this Future Chat, AAM’s Elizabeth Merritt chats with guest Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting, about the latest data from the Annual Survey of Museum Goers.

Transcript

Elizabeth Merritt:

Hello and welcome to Future chat. I’m Elizabeth Merritt, Vice President of Strategic Foresight and founding director of the Center for the Future of Museums at the American Alliance of Museums.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with CFM, this is the Alliance’s think tank and research lab for the museum sector, and my job is to help you think about the future and learn some of the skills of applying strategic foresight to your work.

Future Chats are a chance for me to share a piece of recent news from my scanning and explore its implications with you.

Normally, when I do a Future Chat, I look at my scanning feed. I pick a story and I share it, and then I bring on stage an expert to discuss it. Its implications and our topic today is museum data. So I went online looking for a recent news story to anchor our discussion but I couldn’t ignore the fact that swamping everything else in my news feeds is the outcome of the US presidential election.

And the elections already influencing how I think about my work how to help museums and museum people over the next 4 years, what data, we’ll need to support that work. So I started thinking about the connection between data and how the election may affect our work.

And here’s one connection, one thing that stresses people out about the future is uncertainty and its partner, fear. And there are a lot of things up in the air right now and that uncertainty may make us anxious about outcomes, it can actually help to identify what we want to know in order to reduce uncertainty and where we can look for that information.

So, we’re going to ground our chat today in a review of some of the data that we collect and share about museums in their audiences. We’ll start by discussing shifts that have happened over the past several years, including emergence, from the pandemic and we’ll talk about how that data can inform our path forward and even in the uncertainties introduced by the election.

With that preamble, I’m so happy to bring on stage, my valued research colleague, Susie Wilkening. She is principal of Wilkening Consulting, trusted research partner of AAM. She helps us and the museum sector understand people’s attitudes and opinions and expectations about museums notably through the data she collects and interprets from the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers [(ASMG)]. Susie has been doing the ASMG for 9 years, 6 years of that, uh, together with me at AAM.

Susie Wilkening:

Thank you so much for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.

Elizabeth Merritt:

I think many of us feel a little bit uncertain now about what the next few years will bring, um,

Uh, can you share with me some of your thoughts as a researcher about how what you’re thinking, as you look at the news and how it might affect your work?

Susie Wilkening:

Sure. I mean we are all feeling that sense of uncertainty. I mean that’s not unusual but I think it’s just been exacerbated by the results of the federal elections last week. So I’m a researcher. And, you know what I want to do is I want to wrap my arms around these patterns that we’ve been seeing for some time and also bring in that new information that we got last week to help us understand the path ahead a little bit better.

And so, what I would love to start with is a poll that I created to gauge how all of you are feeling right now about things, So, I think that poll should be about starting.

Here it is. So, thinking about today’s discussion topic…How are you feeling?

And I think you can answer more than one choice here.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes, multiple choice. Pick all that. Apply. And our choices are resolved. Worried, hopeful, was uncertain of the path forward, confused or bewildered, or isolated and alone.

For our results… looking at Susie.

Susie Wilkening:

I don’t I can’t see the results. Can you see the results?

Elizabeth Merritt:

Oh, I can let me tell you what they’re wanting.

Susie Wilkening:

Okay. Yes, please do.

Elizabeth Merritt:

So, so far, our front runner at 35 and a half percent is uncertain of the path, forward followed by worried at about 25%, and trailing behind that is hopeful at 14%. And then running a distant next to last and last are resolved at 9% and isolated and alone at 5%.

Susie Wilkening:

And was anybody saying they thought confused or bewildered?

Elizabeth Merritt:

That was 12%. Sorry, I missed that one.

Susie Wilkening:

Okay. I’m just jotting that down because you have a data geek.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes.

Susie Wilkening:

So, yes, there’s a lot of uncertainty here. There’s some worries. The better, maybe some considerations, the pathways that make people feel hopeful too. And I think that kind of wraps up how I feel about things as well. Oh there we are. Okay.

So, what I really want to do to help us think about that, path ahead is to look at some of those significant shifts that have been happening with museum audiences over the past several years because that helps us inform the trajectories of what’s been happening.

So, we’re going to look at some very quick attendance trends, since before the pandemic to today. We’re going to look at some shifts in audiences by race and ethnicity and we’re going to look at political values and that how that affects visitation and how that affects the experience in a museum setting.

So, just for a moment before we start.

There’s a really important question which is how do we know any of this stuff? And it’s a methodology question. The really good news is that over the past several years, as Elizabeth mentioned, we’ve been running the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and nearly 500 museums have participated in the annual survey during that time period. This provides us with both robust data sets of frequent museum-goers, and a frequent museum-goer is someone who’s on the communications list of a museum receives the invitation to take [the] survey and then takes time to do so. So, they’re having that interaction regularly with at least one museum. And those museum-goers, it’s about 100,000 respondents every year.

As well as, [we field at] that the same time, a demographically representative sample of the broader population. And that’s going to be, uh, casual sporadic and non-visitors to museums. So, we have those two data sets that we have every single year we can look at this stuff.

Because of that depth of data, we know a lot about the public and museums and then the museums that participate in the annual survey have even greater insights into their specific audiences.

So, the first thing I want to start off with was looking at some attendance trends, particularly through the lens of the COVID pandemic. So let me just open up some slides right here.

There we go.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Awesome.

Susie Wilkening:

But that’s okay. I’m going to talk you through it.

So, this is from broader population sampling. This is that demographically representative sample of us adults, it’s the very first question, we asked them in a survey, which is which of the following have you done in the past year?

This is how we assess what percentage of us adults have been to a museum in the past year. So, if we look, over on the far right of this screen or this other right-hand side, you see that museums and you see that result, going from 2021 and 2024, there’s a weird year in 2022, because we actually asked previous two years, I don’t think we would have done that in retrospect. We should have that… just, so kind of take that one with a grain of salt, but you can see for all of these activities there’s kind of a … for the most part. There’s an upward trajectory, right? And we see the same thing for museums. So even before the pandemic, we were typically seeing around 25 to 31% of US adults were saying pretty consistently, I’ve … set foot in a museum in the past year.

The good news is that in 2024 when we were in the field, it was 33%. So, we’re actually exceeding, our pre-pandemic norms. People are back at museums.

However, we also know that half of US museums have not recovered their attendance from the pandemic. So why is that happening, and so, that’s when we’re going to look at the frequent museum-goers. There’s people who are on those communications lists, who take our survey.

And when we look at the frequent-museum goers, we’re looking at this in two different ways.

So first, we’re looking at repeat visitation rates. This is you know they’re thinking of this museum that asked them to take the survey. I’m going to pick on a local Seattle museum, the Burke Museum of Natural History, you know, they are on their list.

They received an invitation to take a survey that I think you have [visited] the Burke. How often do I go to the Burke? Okay, so I live in Seattle. I have kids. I probably go there 2 or 3 times a year and so I would mark that off. Alright so what we’re doing here is we’re aggregating. All those individual museum results and looking at them over time. And what we see if you look at that 2 and 3 times a year, it’s a little bit higher but it’s a little bit lower for that 4 plus. And also, if you look at that less than once a year, it’s a little bit lower than that once a year, but all adds up and away that indicates that frequent visitation isn’t quite back where it was pre-pandemic.

And so, people are back at museums, but they’re not visiting as frequently to their museums. We look at one more way, which is similar. It’s a similar question, but it’s just, but it’s also a very different question. This is not about how frequently they’re visiting a very specific museum. This is asking how many different museums did you visit, in the past year?

And so, you know, personally me, I am on vacation and 3 days, I can knock out, 6 museums, but I know I’m an outlier and probably all of you are too.

Most people don’t visit that many museums.

So, you can see these are the results from these frequent-museum goers. And if you look at these results, especially if you’re looking at the 5 or more, the 3 or 4 categories, you can see it’s a little bit lower still than where we were in 2020, which that’s actually a pre-pandemic sample in 2020 because we were in the field January and February of 2020. And so, we’re just not back. People are back at museums but not as frequently. So, if you add up all those repeat visits and that breadth of museum going all those visits, it actually adds up to a lot of visits that we haven’t gotten back since the pandemic.

So that’s that big ship that we’re still continuing the track and we’ll continue to track in the 2025 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, to see if we have any more gains that happened in the past year.

Okay, Elizabeth. You ready for me to switch to race and ethnicity or do you have any thoughts about that?

Elizabeth Merritt:

Go for it. Yes, please.

Susie Wilkening:

Okay.

But now, let’s think about by race and ethnicity. What’s really interesting is we’ve been tracking this for several years. And we have seen actually a really big shift happen over the past several years, which is really exciting.

So, first off, let’s think about those frequent museum-goers. Those people who are on this communications list, when we look just at that group of people, it’s a small slice of the broader population.

What we find is that the vast majority of them, 83%, identify as white. Now, that is a big skew, right?

But that said, since 2017, it’s a ball of drop of 10%, it was 92% in 2017. So, we’re seeing this slow progression downward and the percentage are identifying as white because we have more people of color responding as frequent museum-goers.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Just pausing … is there a last slide for that because I’m still seeing the historical data slide.

Susie Wilkening:

In a second. Yeah, we’re gonna move the slides in just a second.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Just checking.

Susie Wilkening:

So, we having a slow shift happening what by race and ethnicity among frequent museum-goers, and it’s slow, and it seems to be pretty steady the more things get a lot more complicated and where we’ve seen them, much more massive shift is with the broader population.

And that’s now I’m going to go ahead and change that slide. And let’s look at those casual and sporadic Museum goers.

The big shift that’s happened here is several years ago. Those two categories who have also skewed disproportionately white. But that’s no longer true.

Casual, and sporadic visitors are actually same as casual visitors. They almost exactly matches the US population by race and ethnicity. And sporadic visitors. It’s pretty close. It’s within just a few percentage points.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And there is a question in chat. Susie, how much do these numbers [correlate with education]? Ethnicity reflect education levels. Do we have any data on that?

Susie Wilkening:

So, it’s really kind of tricky to correlate with, with education. When we have our sample of 20,000, we would need a bigger sample to really be able to do that effectively.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Okay.

Susie Wilkening:

But 20,000 is a great sample for the US population sample, so we’re not quibbling with that, but yes, some of it is going to be due to increased levels of educational attainment, among people of color overall, because educational attainment is a strong predictor of museum visitation. So, that’s certainly going to be a contributing factor and it’s one of the most significant contributing factors.

But you know, several years ago, this was not true when we looked at casual and sporadic visitors in terms of race and ethnicity. It was still skewing more significantly white. So, we’ve had this massive shift now but someone… I was a casual and sporadic visitor so we’re not seeing this on our email list as much right now or among our frequent visitors but it’s getting there. Now, it may surprise a lot of people is when we look at this non- visitors, because they’re also skews to proportionately white. So, among the white population, we actually have the split where white people are more likely to be that super frequent museum-goer, but also white people are more likely to be that non-visitor.

And so that’s really interesting as well. So why doesn’t it feel this way when we’re standing in the museum, it’s all those frequent visitors who are making all those frequent visits that we can also skew your perceptions.

Okay. So, the last thing is around political values.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes. Actually, before you dive into that data, I want to because there’s been a lot of anxiety about how political values are going to influence attitudes towards museums. I want to remind everybody that overall, we have great news about how the public perceives museums. So, this is all from AAM’s advocacy data. 96% of Americans would approve of lawmakers who acted to support museums, and this is consistently high among respondents who consider themselves liberal, moderate, or conservative.

96% of Americans think positively of their elected officials for taking legislative action to support museums. Three quarters of the public believe, museums are an important part of our civil society.

Republican-led states are among the strongest funders of their own cultural institutions, and museums, and the total economic contributions of museums in 2016 was over 50 billion dollars. Over 725,000 jobs and 12 billion in taxes, on local state and federal governments. And that’s the kind of economic impact that’s appreciated by all across the [political spectrum]. So yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah, I mean we have some fantastic news at museums are very much perceived as bipartisan organizations.

So overall people love museums, they love having museums in their communities and they think they contribute positively to our society. So, we don’t want to lose sight of that. Yet.

Individual political values do influence museum visitation as well as that visitor experience.

And so, when we look at who’s visiting museums through that lens of frequency, what we see are some really vast differences by political values.

Among frequent museum-goers, the majority of frequent museum-goers actually identify as liberal.

And not that many identify as conservative. But if you look at casual visitors, we’re at parody. Sporadic, visitors skew a little bit more conservative and non-visitors, skew, more conservative.

So, we do see how those political values seem to be affecting how frequently people are visiting museums or how if they’re visiting museums at all. So, we won’t be very mindful of that.

And there’s something else that we want to keep in mind. And I’ve been saying this for about 5 years and that is, the number one thing that happens. The number one thing that affects how people view the content in a museum, regardless of what you share and how apolitical it is or not.

That political lens is how they view their the content that you’re sharing in museums, [it’s] the number one predictor.

And it’s also the number one complaint. We typically have… about museum content, that content has become political even if the only people who think that content is political are the ones who happen to dislike the content itself, which often isn’t perceived as political by most people that seems like a, a little bit of a circular argument, but it’s actually true. So, you have to grapple with this, whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to deal with political values.

Fortunately, we’ve been asking political values and the annual survey since 2021. So we know a lot about how they influence museum visits and how, and museums that participate in the annual survey know their own audiences political values quite well.

Now, we’re not going to go into today. How it affects that visitor experience.

Except to note that about 20% of museum-goers and the broader population really strongly pushed back when confronted with specific kinds of content.

The things that tend to really create that pushback are things around … inclusive content and history, climate change, public health, civics and civil society, as well as outcomes such as empathy and connection.

And hope… So, those are all subjects and outcomes that museums focus on every day, which makes this particularly challenging. Because we have to really know our audiences including politically to effectively navigate that future.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And what I have heard you talk about, and we’ll be talking about this more in the future. Susie is… a lot of it’s about the language you use in talking about those things. So, it isn’t necessarily the underlying concepts are values. It’s the words you use.

Susie Wilkening:

So, we want…

Elizabeth Merritt:

So, what I’m hearing you say just to summarize, repeat visitation is not back to where it was and that reflects shifts in leisure time.

Susie Wilkening:

Yep.

Elizabeth Merritt:

On audiences are getting more diverse and casual and sporadic. Visitors are reflective of us … by race and ethnicity and we’re continuing to work on that.

Susie Wilkening:

Right.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And museums absolutely have bipartisan support. But political values are influencing how people experience with local content. And we need to be aware of how it does this and how it might affect overall perception of museums.

Susie Wilkening:

Yes, exactly.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Awesome.

Okay. Now, we are going to transition to the other regular feature of our future chats, by giving all of you a chance to talk to each other about this topic. So, what we’re going to do is break you out into discussion rooms and give you a couple of questions. They frame your conversations and then at 3:40, we’re going to bring you back in to compare notes and share some thoughts. Now, both of [the] things before we do this.

First of all, please remember the number one role of future chats is, what is said in chat remains in chat. So please, hold anything that is shared by your fellow attendees in confidence, and don’t [share their] remarks without attribution.

Before we go out into breakouts, a couple of notes. First of all, we’re going to send you out into rooms of 8 people.

But uh, if you find yourself in a room by yourself, or if only a couple of other people, their want to be a big bigger group, you can use the join another feature to move yourself into a room with more people.

Please enable… to allow other participants [in]. See, you can hear … in the rooms.

And warning. If you’re joining us via a mobile device, or you’re using Safari as your browser, it may not support participation in the breakout rooms and you’ll be going, I can’t get in.

If that’s the case, I encourage you to step away for a little while, come back at 3:40, when we reconvene to share thoughts, that’s when Susie, and I are going to discuss our concerns by advice for your museums in the next few years, as well as hearing from you so many things that happen in the chat rooms. Okay? With that online. Sure, there are the assignments. We’re giving you for a breakout rooms.

When you get there, go around the circle and make it a production. Say this is who I am, I’m with this organization and in your introduction to share, 1 thing, that feels uncertain about how the election may affect your museums and your communities.

Then second time, I’m going around the room.

[And] share one thing. You’d like to know something that would help you manage those uncertainties in the next 4 years. So, a piece of information or a piece of data that would help you feel less uncertain about what’s going to happen.

Okay.

We’re gonna break you into breakout rooms now and we will see at 3:40.

Hello, Susie. Welcome back. I you were in one of our many chat rooms with some of the participants.

Susie Wilkening:

I’m back.

I crashed a chat room. It was fun. I had three friends in there. It was awesome.

Elizabeth Merritt:

That’s great.

So, I noticed before we went into breakouts that we had some very vigorous participation going in in the chat, which is a sidebar on your screen. So, I’m hoping that you’ll use that to start sharing some of the ideas that surfaced in your discussion rooms. So please tell us some of the uncertainties you identified and tell us what data would help you manage these uncertainties.

Now, I know it usually takes a few minutes for people to begin to wait in the chat. So, while you’re doing that, we want to feel a second poll and what we want to do is gauge how talking over this with other people. May have changed how you feel. So, maybe if we could put that second poll up,

And it’s going to take a minute to go live. All right, and you’ll see it’s asking you now that we’ve talked about things, how are you feeling? And it’s the same voice choices. So, you’re going to say are you more resolved? Having talked about it, are you more worried, are you more hopeful? Are you more certain of the past forward? Are you more supported or feel more supported or part of a community? So, let’s get a little read on how to discussing it with people. Change may have changed how you feel and Susie, I don’t know if you can see these or should I read out the results to you.

Susie Wilkening:

You should read them out. I am ready with my pen and my paper.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Okay. So, the front runner at 45%, bopping up and down but it’s over. 40% is people saying they feel more supported and part of a community, and trailing behind that at about 25% are people who say they feel more worried. That’s sad. I feel bad about that.

Susie Wilkening:

Oh, okay.

Elizabeth Merritt:

About 11% though, feel more hopeful that’s great. Uh 10% feel more resolved. About 6% feel more, a more certain path forward, and about 7% are more confused or bewildered.

Susie Wilkening:

Okay. So, it sounds like feeling of support is growing that you’re not alone.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Now.

Susie Wilkening:

But those worries are still persisting. And the because that lack of certainty is still kind of persisting.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes, and I’m going to close the poll, which I think we bring it up for you.

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah, I see it.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Okay. It’s very interesting. Well, so it seems like a lot of positive but some negative, uh …

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah. Influence from talking to other people around this.

Susie Wilkening:

Yes.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And looking on the right, I’m reading some of the certainties that people are reporting like the impact of tariffs and other economic policies on disposable income uh concerns about how to present inclusive history. That’s something you’re going to be able to speak to.

Susie Wilkening:

I can.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Well, these are jumping. There’s so much coming in, I’m having trouble focusing before it jumps around, ah, help …

Susie Wilkening:

Okay.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Uncertainties about how the impact will trickle down to education. Will federal funding to public schools be cut. I think federal funding to public schools is only about 10% of the total, is …

Susie Wilkening:

It’s not very much and I think some states are already thinking through like okay, what happens if we just eliminate federal funding, so.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

We could do it on our own. I know that’s the conversation that’s happening in Washington state right now.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Awesome. Um well, Susie with the new administration and the shifts in Congress. What are your concerns for museums? What are your anxieties?

Susie Wilkening:

So, I have 3. And Monique Davis at the Mississippi Museum of Art. She and I had a conversation that’s really helped me kind of solidify what my three big concerns were she was like you need to tell me what my you’re the top 3 are, the first 1 and this is by far the biggest 1.

It is what I call The False Consensus Effect and the empowered far, right? So this is not, specifically, what politicians might do? This is not the political stuff, it’s the empowerment of the far-right.

And what I fear, is going to happen is that they’re going is going to be a narrative that’s created. Where the far right? Says we have a mandate on these 10 issues.

Or 15 issues or whatever many, we have a mandate on anti-DEAI because that’s how the voting came out. We have a mandate against climate change, shifts or or adoptions, because we have a mandate because that’s how the voting turned out. Or, you know, we have a mandate that to ban inclusive history in schools because that’s the voting turned out, alright? And that’s not actually true.

And we know that’s not true. Most people actually want museums to do these things in schools to do these things. And for us to do take climate action because people were not voting in terms of all of those issues, they were voting on what their number 1 priority was, which was …

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes. Which must have been some might have been something else entirely.

Susie Wilkening:

And for many years, probably their family and their family economic future.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

And what they perceive to be the better choice in that sense.

So that False Consensus Effect is basically when a small group of people projects, the image that most people agree with them on a topic when the opposite is actually true.

And so, we have to be then double down and really focus on what does the data tell us about what people think about these certain topics that are controversial.

Find you know, what we learned is that most people want to do this stuff and then we need to talk about that really visibly.

So that they can take that rug out from underneath them before they even start with that False Consensus Effect.

Because it’s going to be chilling if we let that happen. So that’s by far my number one.

My number 2 – and this one is a much smaller one, even though it’s actually really big – is the power of executive orders and legislation to restrict what schools people families museums educational institutions everything can do and so it’s not just, you know, within the museums it’s also you know, public health and vaccines, it’s also climate change action, things like that but you know, things like you can’t get this IMLS grant unless you agree to banish, you know, any inclusive Dei content or positions in your Museum. So, there might be some ties and executive orders things like that and they may or may not hold up in court, I don’t know.

But thinking through what are those possibilities that might tie our hands or tie the hands of others or affect us all. So that’s number 2.

And then number 3 is, of course, Very specifically, the future of IMLS, NEA, NEH and those kinds of things. And that’s where we have to really again come together.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

And advocate.

And join us in February and go storm Capitol Hill in a good way for museums.

Yes.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Well, these are all big things to be concerned about.

Susie Wilkening:

Yes, they are. All huge.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Definitely advocacy day. I will have more information about that, but do you have any other thoughts on things museums can be doing to prepare?

Susie Wilkening:

So, we can prepare we are. This conversation is like a great start for preparing. There are lots of things that we can do to think about these things and be proactive and be ahead of them. So, the first big one is to know your audience.

And to figure out, you know, what, where are their values, what are those shared values that you have as a community that you at the Museum can build on? , you know, most people did seem to vote on their economic issues and they don’t agree with the far right on everything. So we want to understand how that’s playing out in your community.

And look to that data and in terms of how people are responding in your community on this issue. So you know and are prepared on those issues before you even put that that information forward in the museum.

Think through in advance and be tactical about The False Consensus Effect and how it will be likely deployed by the far, right.  there’s not a mandate on these issues, remember that and be on the offensive about it. There is a process called disinformation inoculation which you can go through with your leadership with your colleagues. You can do it with your board. You can do it with your volunteers. You can even do it with donors. Even do it with the public where you’re getting ahead of misinformation. You’re getting a head of The False Consensus Effect in a way that you can, then support you doing the work that you want to do. That’s true to your mission and it’s true to history science and art.

Calibrate, calibration is incredibly important.

You want to be effective and think through what that most effective path forward is on lots of issues. And so, and that most effective path isn’t necessarily straight calibration does not mean backing down.

It means being caring. And means being thoughtful. And making this individual choices as museums of what’s going to be it that path for. But remember, the tortoise won the race.

So, we’re going to all, you know, kind of champion tortoises when we’re going to win the race on so many of these issues.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

And advocate for museums.

Elizabeth Merritt:

We have a couple of, uh, comments in chat. I wanted to pull forward, someone’s asking. Can you say that list of topics that we see more push back on, one more time.

Susie Wilkening:

Sure. So, there’s right now. We have a bucket I think of it is bucket of topics. Three are topics and two are outcomes. Basically, that seem to be really sensitive to that 20% on the far, right? Who just don’t like them climate change, for sure. Inclusive efforts inclusive, history, inclusion, and art museums.

Sequence. Now we’ve never tested on public health, but I would assume that that’s going to be another one.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Well, okay, but to this point I want to back up and remind people and push back if I’m getting this wrong. Susie, even on those topics, the vast majority of people may support music like climate change. The vast majority of people whether they’re a conservative or liberal support. Museum is teaching about climate change and taking action. So, when you say, it’s a trigger point, it’s a trigger for a very small percentage of highly vocal people. And one of your excellent data stories that I would recommend to people is about how not to give too much weight to a small. Number of people who are very loud. So maybe you could say a word about that.

Susie Wilkening:

Of course. Yes. Yes. About 20%.

Yes, so there’s a data story called, Amplification versus over-amplification. And it talks really specifically about how do you pay attention and make sure you’re amplifying. Push back, that’s valid. And not over amplifying. Push back this coming from a white supremacist position or, or, or anti-science position, things like that. So you can then assess it more fairly and also consider and think through your own emotions as you are dealing with push back, because emotions for yourself, come into big play. As you’re dealing with push back and criticism because we all kind of go when we get criticized about something. So that, that can be really helpful. There’s also another data story. It’s about The False Consensus Effect specifically. And if you go onto the data stories website and search for False Consensus you can…

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah. Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

… find that one really easily as well and it also takes you through those steps of this information inoculation and how to do that, with your teammates or or your leadership or whomever,

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah. I also noticed my former CFM, colleague, Phil Katz is saying, there may also be a False Consensus on the left and middle assuming attitudes about political opponents.

Susie Wilkening:

So…

Elizabeth Merritt:

First of all, yes, I’ve been going through a lot of research that says 1 of the problems that’s causing what political polarization there is in the US is people tend to put a label on the other, whether that’s saying, ooh, your conservative or your label and then the your label fill in here liberal. So therefore, you believe all these things, and it’s way more complicated than that and until that you have a real and open listening conversation with somebody, you don’t know what they believe on, all these different points. And then…

Susie Wilkening:

Absolutely. Well, thank you to another valid point that we tend to make assumptions based on demographic characteristics.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yes, yes. Yes.

Susie Wilkening:

And that we shouldn’t do that, too. I mean, we can, we can understand that big picture. There are certain demographic characteristics, excuse certain way but we can never make that assumption about a person standing in front of us until we start understanding who this person is.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Absolutely. Absolutely. The other point that Phil made is you’re not going to change somebody’s mind by yelling at them.

Susie Wilkening:

Mm.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And one of, I think, one of the skills we have to learn in the in coming years is what is an effective way of reducing polarization and really communicating in a lot of that starts with listening. It’s not going to help to yell at people and say all the same things and think that if we say for the tenth time, they’re suddenly going to hear it, it’s going to be more listening, it’s going to be more understanding. It’s going to be being sensitive to our language. And knowing when certain words or trigger points for somebody else, and the fact that a word means one thing to, you doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean something, uh, else to somebody.

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah, and civics is a great example of that. We tend to use it as a, as a dictionary describes it. But, on the far right, they use the word very differently and …

Elizabeth Merritt:

So, this is an example of there’s good research out there. Again, we’ll be sharing this in blog posts and talks and coming months about what language is less triggering. So, for example, I was just reading that civics has a negative connotation as you say to some people, but the word community, for them means the same thing and has fewer negative connotations. So fine, I’ll say community, not a problem.

Susie Wilkening:

Right? And but saying, ahead of these language shifts, I’m going to be honest is is very exhausting.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Yeah.

Susie Wilkening:

And the good news is that we tend to be ahead of it, through our coding of, open-ended responses in the annual survey to really help us. Get ahead of like, oh, we start noticing trends.

And we try to share those with you. And through those data stories that y’all are already aware of them. Before it starts percolating up more commonly…

Elizabeth Merritt:

And I will say, for those of you who will be joining us at the am annual meeting in Los Angeles and met Susan. And I do an annual data session where Susie previews, the as yet unpublished data from the current Annual Survey of Museum-Goers. So that’ll be a great place to preview some of the next results.

Susie Wilkening:

And we’ve got some really great themes in this year’s survey that fit in really well with this entire discussion, because one of the big things we’re looking at, is our responsibilities to community.

Curious about is a question about what you know as a responder you’re thinking, here’s this random person who’s taking your survey.

What does that person think that other people in their community?

Think are important. And looking at those Community shared values more perceived to be those shared values.

So, then we can route our work in that a little bit more effectively and then start rebuilding again.

Elizabeth Merritt:

One of the questions in chat. Uh was would we be offering some resources for advocacy am over the coming months and yes, we will. And let me tell you a little bit about that first of all.

Here’s what I hope. You all are taking away from the session. First of all, you are not alone. We’re all in this together when it comes to navigating disruptions I hope that 1 thing you learned from your discussion groups is a lot of other people share these concerns.

And I hope what you’re hearing from Susie from me from a am, is there are things that might help us collectively and maybe you individually feel more in control. One thing you can do is sign up for Advocacy Alerts from AAM. There’s one coming out tomorrow about what the election means. For museums, we’re going to drop in chat, I’ll link you can use to sign up for Advocacy Alert. But the other thing is if you sign up too late to get that one, they’re posted on the Advocacy Alerts page so you can read that, that’s a beginning … series of things that we will be pushing out and coming months about ways that you can engage, information you might need, and how you can help influence your legislators in appropriate ways and [move] things forward.

Susie. How about you any closing thoughts for our participants?

Susie Wilkening:

Well, they should absolutely go to [Museums] Advocacy Day. It’s fun. It’s actually a lot of fun. I actually …

Elizabeth Merritt:

Hey, so there are people who haven’t participated, just give them a little preview of what it would be like and people who have been to advocacy day, could you, could you drop and chat some comments?

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah. I mean it feels it can’t be like very intimidating like oh my gosh, I’m going to Capitol Hill but it’s but there’s a whole day of training.

We give you lots of information, we give you data, we give you lots of ways to make your case.

To your legislative offices and then you get to go wander around Capitol Hill. How cool? Is that? I mean, how amazing is it that we live in this country, we can go walk in the door of our legislator’s office and say what we think.

And so, it’s an amazing experience of democracy. And people are so nice up on the Hill, even when you go into office and they’re like, they’re not, maybe a little bit not as, you know, excited to see you as maybe what I get in Washington state. But, you know, it’s still great experience and you’re advocating for something you care about and lots of people care about, so it’s fun. You should totally go do it.

Elizabeth Merritt:

So, two days here in Washington, DC, Ariel could you find and drop a link into the chat about museums advocacy day, sorry we didn’t have that pre lined up, but when you come, as Susie said, you’ll get training, you’ll get support. You’ll get practice on how to do this and then AAM sets up all these appointments with you. So, we’ll group you… with other people who, also are in the same legislative district for Congresspeople. Or for Senators, you’ll have an appointment. You’ll go to the office building. You’ll be welcome in. You are sat down, and you often talk with aides. Sometimes you actually talk to the legislators and it’s like the best part of participatory democracy after voting.

Susie Wilkening:

Yes. It’s easy. And new friends.

I bring my kid because I want them to learn about it too. It’s awesome. Okay, the other thing you can do is you need data on your organization because how are you going to navigate all these different values that people have? If you’ve never asked them about their values,

And so, you know if you haven’t already participated in the annual survey Museum goers which we do in partnership with AAM, you know, this is a great year to go out and do that. The survey instrument has been vetted by people. It’s a bipartisan survey instrument, we vet across the political spectrum. Before it goes out into the field and, signups are happening right now. It’s the base fee is 1,250, so it’s not very expensive. You can probably do it on a budget. [W]e’re going to put the link in the chat, … and it goes out in the field in January and February my colleague, Jessica does an amazing job, helping every single museum to participate to get their survey out the door and get some good data reports into their hands. By the middle of … spring, so you can then have that information that you need to navigate this effectively and to calibrate for your audience and your community.

Elizabeth Merritt:

And we often write about it, we share it through AAM so that you can benefit from the overall data whether or not your participating.

Susie Wilkening:

Yeah, absolutely.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Okay, well that’s our chat for today, Susie, it was a pleasure working with you always I’m value. You so much as a research partner and thank you for all you do for the field.

Susie Wilkening:

Well, I love doing this for the field and I love working with everyone at AAM because I love museums. So, we’re going to get through all of this over the next few years together.

Elizabeth Merritt:

Okay, great take care. Be strong and look forward to working with you in the coming year.

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Registration Opening Soon: Museums Advocacy Day 2025 – Feb. 24-25

• Nominate a Legislator: Nominate a Legislator who has Championed Museums

• Election 2024: What it means for museums

Museums Advocacy Day 2025 – Feb. 24-25: Registration Opens Soon!

Registration will soon be opening for Museums Advocacy Day 2025! With the many changes 2025 has in store including first-time elected members and changes in leadership and committee assignments, the start of the new year will be a pivotal time to advocate for museums.

For over 15 years, Museums Advocacy Day has mobilized museum advocates nationwide to help ensure we reach every member of Congress with our message that museums are worthy of federal support and are essential to their communities. Together, we communicate with lawmakers and their staff to ensure museums are included when relevant legislative policies are enacted and important funding decisions are made.

AAM will provide training and talking points as well as schedule all of your Congressional meetings. On Monday, February 24 at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA, participants will attend a daylong program to prepare them for their visits. On Tuesday, February 25, participants will spend the day visiting the offices of their members of Congress in Washington, DC including attending a Congressional reception that evening.

Don’t miss this powerful opportunity to combine our collective voices to share the unique value of museums of all types and sizes across the country. Your participation matters.

Nominate a Legislator Who Has Championed Museums

Has a member of Congress supported or helped advance the work of your museum? Each year during Museums Advocacy Day, we present awards to members of Congress who have demonstrated exemplary support for museums.

See past honorees and nominate a legislator by November 30.

Election 2024: What it means for museums

As noted in its recent statement, the American Alliance of Museums recognizes the 2024 federal election results present the potential for significant policy shifts that could directly impact museums. As your Alliance and as a nonpartisan 501(c)(3), we are steadfast in our decades-long commitment to strong, bipartisan support. There is a lot at stake, and we look forward to reinforcing the message that museums are a critical investment for our country.

President-elect Trump has a “trifecta” with a slim Republican majority in the Senate and and an even slimmer majority expected in the House of Representatives. While we continue to assess the election’s impact on museums, here are our initial top takeaways:

What It Means for Museums:

• IMLS, NEH, and NEA: Recall that previous Republican-controlled Congresses did not enact past Trump budgets that would have eliminated funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In fact, Congress ignored the Trump Administration’s requests and increased funding. We don’t expect funding increases now due to changes in the composition of the lawmakers in Congress. However, we know that members of Congress do not want to vote for bills that will cost jobs in their district or harm their constituents. We need to keep speaking up for these and other vital federal programs that benefit museums and the communities they serve. Support for museums is strong, regardless of political persuasion:

  • 96% of Americans would approve of lawmakers who acted to support museums.

    • This number is consistently high among respondents who consider themselves politically liberal (97%), moderate (95%), or conservative (93%).

  • 96% of Americans think positively of their elected officials for taking legislative action to support museums.

  • Three-quarters of the public believe museums are an important part of our civil society.

  • The total economic contribution of museums in 2016 amounted to more than $50 billion in GDP, 726,200 jobs, and $12 billion in taxes to local, state, and federal governments.

• Tax Reform: Congress is expected to pivot quickly to debate a major tax package in 2025 as the 2017 Trump tax cuts are set to expire. Museums could see increased revenue and public support if a non-itemizer charitable deduction, such as the one in the Charitable Act (S. 566, H.R. 3435), which will need to be reintroduced next year, is included in the package. AAM has been a long-time advocate of the non-itemizer charitable deduction and is a member of the Charitable Giving Coalition, a broad coalition of charitable nonprofits working to boost charitable giving. AAM also will be working to oppose harmful polices some think tanks are currently proposing, such as the Tax Foundation’s disastrous proposal to require nonprofits, including museums, to pay the regular corporate income tax rate on any earned income. Additionally, Congress previously has shown interest in establishing rules for private foundation museums to ensure they are adequately accessible by the general public.

• Reinforcing Bipartisan Support for Museums Is Critical. Museums have always enjoyed support from both sides of the political aisle, and we will continue to build relationships with all our elected officials—learning about their priorities, finding common ground, and ensuring that lawmakers know that museums are essential to their communities.

• Big Picture: Here’s a broader agenda on what could be expected in Trump’s second term.

• AAM Statement: Read the American Alliance of Museums Statement on the 2024 Elections.

“Firsts” in the 119th Congress

The 119th Congress will usher in a number of notable “firsts” when it kicks off in early January. Here are some of the incoming members who are poised to make history:

• Sens.-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) will become the first two Black women to serve together in the Senate. Neither Delaware nor Maryland have ever had a Black senator. Delaware has never been represented by a woman in the upper chamber.

• Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) will become the first openly transgender member of Congress. Her election comes at a time when Republicans have increasingly targeted transgender rights.

• Rep.-elect Julie Johnson (D-Texas) will be the first openly gay member to not only represent Texas but the entire South.

• Emily Randall (D-Wash.) will become the first openly LGBTQ Latina in Congress.

• Sen.-elect Andy Kim (D-N.J.) will be the first Korean-American senator.

• Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) will become the first Hispanic senator from Arizona.

• Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) will become the first Hispanic lawmaker to represent Ohio statewide. He will also become the first senator born in South America.

What You Can Do Now

• Take Action to Support Funding for Museums: Urge your legislators to support FY 2025 OMS funding.

• Take Action to Support Increased Charitable Giving: Urge your legislators to support the nonitemizer deduction.

• Share Your Connections: The AAM Government Relations & Advocacy staff looks forward to working with the new Congress. We know that you may already have connections with your new or returning members of Congress. We hope you will share that information with us by filling out our Washington Connections Contact Form, so we can work together on outreach.

• Invite Legislators to Visit your Museum: We also encourage you to introduce and/or invite returning and new members of Congress to visit your institution and tell them your story about the positive impact you have on improving your community.

• Engage Your Board Members in Advocacy: Download a copy of Stand for Your Museum Mission and begin a dialogue with your board about how they can play an important role in advocating for your museum.

• Register for Museums Advocacy Day 2025 (Feb. 24-25): Opening Soon.

Lame Duck Congress

Congress returned this week for upcoming leadership elections and a long list of unfinished business, including fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations, hurricane relief funding, a massive farm bill, and the annual defense reauthorization bill. The current FY 2025 stopgap measure keeping the federal government funded at FY 2024 levels will expire on December 20. While Speaker of the House Johnson (R-LA) in recent days has expressed that he’s leaning toward extending the stopgap spending bill into March, president-elect Trump has yet to weigh in and no final decisions have been made. In the meantime, we encourage you to keep telling your legislators to support at least $55.5 million for OMS and support at least $209 million each for the NEH and NEA.

Your steadfast advocacy efforts make a big difference in building needed support for museums and museum professionals.

Looking for more advocacy tools and resources? Visit the Advocacy section of the AAM Resource Library today!

Visit http://www.aam-us.org/advocacy to learn more about AAM’s advocacy for museums.