On View Knight Foundation

In order to understand where museums are going, first we need to understand where they've been. In this episode, we speak to Majorie Schwarzer, professor of museum studies at the University of San Francisco. Schwarzer is the author of Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of Museums in America, which chronicles the transformation of museums in the United States. In this conversation we discuss the colonization, the professionalization of the museum field, and the power of objects.

In this episode we hear from Sina Bahram, Nina Simon and Cecille Shellman. All three are working to make museums more welcoming, relevant and reflective of their communities. We talk about how cultural institutions can design experiences and programs that are inviting and participatory, how technology can help level the playing field for accessibility, and how staffing decisions can bring new perspectives into organizations.

New kinds of experiences are popping up around the country, creating new competition for audience attention. These organizations think like start-ups. And they take many shapes, from the selfie-focused to the artist-driven. In this episode we speak with Vince Kadlubeck of Meow Wolf, Maggie Hartnick of LaPlaca Cohen, and Josette Melchor of Gray Area.

On this episode, we talk about how museums tell stories. We’ll learn how museums are starting to talk less like institutions and more like humans. We’ll talk to Erich Brubaker about how Museum Hack is revamping museum tours to create some space for fun and whimsy. And we’ll hear from Theresa Bembnister from the Akron Art Museum about their work to treat the gallery as a giant conversation starter. And finally, we’ll chat with Kimberly Drew, curator and former social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.