Preparing for Our Future Museums: Museum Studies in the 21st Century

2020–2021 Research and Creative Collaborative

Conveners
Diane Mullin, Senior Curator, Weisman Art Museum
Lin Nelson-Mayson, Director, Goldstein Museum of Design and DGS, Museum Studies

The Preparing for Our Future Museums Collaborative is researching the academic program needed to provide knowledge and skills for new museum professionals to successfully meet current and future challenges of the field. The current Museum Studies (MST) graduate minor, established in 1988, allows students of all majors to add a museum focus to their studies. The goal of the Collaborative is to strengthen this program to provide a more robust museum studies experience. Fall semester activities include a lecture by Elizabeth Merritt, Director of AAM’s Center of the Future of Museums, on the impact of the current crushing financial challenge for museums, and the development of a comprehensive database and report on the national State of the Field of Museum Studies Programs. Spring semester will feature “Museums and…,” a series of public discussions on Decolonization and Institutional Racism, Accessibility and Inclusion, Climate Change and Sustainability, and Museum Leadership.
 

This series features an IAS Research and Creative Collaborative. Each profile is written by the group as a way to share their projects, goals, and experiences as part of their time supported by the IAS.