Fostering Empathy by Acknowledging Credit
Art Museum Teaching recently posted an article about empathy in the workplace. As always, Mike Murawski’s post was thoughtful and thorough. In reflecting on the article, I wanted to think further about the situations when empathy is lacking in the workplace. What is Empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand other’s feelings and act …
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The Regional Arts and Culture Ecosystem
No institution is an island. Understanding your part in the greater whole of your community can help, your organization find the best way to work in the community. Large Single-Sited Institutions: ex. Museums Multi-Sited Institutions: ex. School systems, Library systems Event-Focused Organizations: ex. Reader/ Writing Events, musical festivals Small Single-Sited Organizations: ex. Arts centers Mobile/ …
What Museums Can Learn from the Black Panther
Taken from the Marvel Comic Books, the Black Panther is a movie about a fictional African nation that cloaks its advanced civilization as a form of self-preservation. The king of the nation has superhuman strength thanks to serious sumptuary success. The Black Panther’s trail to bring a bad guy to justice starts some even worse …
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Employee Engagement: Cultural Silos and Personal Ladders
Trends come and go in business. You might hear one person say in a meeting, “It’s all about stories.” And then all of a sudden every article in business journals and blogs are about stories. Breaking silos is a particularly fashionable phrase current. Silos Silos dot the countryside in much of the US. These tall …
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The Future of the Art Museum: The Alternative Possibilities
I was struck by this response to a previous post of mine. I wasn’t the only one. It had 40 likes and 18 retweets. I want loud art museums. I want social art museums. I want playful art museums. I want art museums that rip me from my bubble world & throw me into …
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Addressing Inadvertent Bias in Language
Words matter. Actions matter too, don’t forget. But, words can be harbingers of actions. They are certainly bellwethers of the inner mind. Words belie deep secrets. Words are the ultimate tells. Most imperative, however, words are not static. Their meaning, their usage, their connotations fluctuate. The transmutation of meaning can feel imperceptible for people, like …
The Strengths of Museums: What We Can Learn From Each Other
Last week, I had a wonderful amount of feedback on my post. I had compared two fairly different types of museums, Art and Science Museums, to see what they can learn from each other. Often, museums silo their practices within their own specialty. By looking over the wall at the successes of others, the whole …
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How to make museums more engaging? Develop Employee-Centered Museums First
Museums share collections and research for visitors. But, of course, they are also workplaces. People, who work at museums, create research and installations for visitors. This simple equation highlights an essential challenge for museums. Unhappy People equals Unhappy Product Unhappy people are some of the most generous folks around. They share their negativity with awful …
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Work Better: Foster your Curiosity
Two weeks into the year, and statistically speaking, you are probably a failure. Most people who make new year’s resolutions break then before their holiday decorations are down. Why is this? Start with the moment you make your plan. You focus on what is wrong in your life. You don’t exercise. You are not good …
Inequity in The Arts & Culture Economy Equation
The arts and culture present some serious funding challenges for society and represent some serious inequities. Production: The top of the pyramids, like the directors of museums or the owners of galleries, make much more money than those starting out. Many people cannot afford to work in the arts because of the low salaries. …
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