Forum One

MAY 3, 2021

Two outstanding examples of our team’s collaboration in the mission-driven space have been recognized with Webby Award nominations this year, and we are so incredibly proud of the work that everyone has done to make these sites shine and create impact and positive change in the world. Help them win the People’s Voice Award by voting today.

Award 73

Award Museum History Storytelling 73

Amy Sample Ward

JUNE 21, 2011

Ruth Cohen – American Museum of natural History. Jason Eppink – Museum of the Moving Image. Ruth Cohen – American Museum of natural History. For years we have been producing digital media to fulfill our mission of educating the public about science and history.

Game 140

Game Culture Museum Change 140

Forum One

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

For example, we’ve seen our client at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture uncover visitor behavior in GA4 that they couldn’t see before. This is a good thing; setting real KPIs backed by user data and analyzing what works and doesn’t is key to effective digital strategy.

Analytics 75

Analytics Museum University Google 75

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 15, 2019

The Western Museum Association was kind enough to invite me to speak on a panel about engagement at their annual meeting in Boise. Phillip’s early remark about museums was an invocation for everyone. As an outsider, he immediately saw that museums were operating “under a business model that doesn’t work.”

Museum 30

Museum Audience Conversation Associations 30

Connection Cafe

JULY 23, 2019

It’s 2019, and a whole lot is changing in the museum and nonprofit world. That’s not to mention how strained museums already are in terms of resources. According to the American Alliance of Museums, the average museum has 6 volunteers for every paid staff member , a ratio which s oars to 18:1 in museums with budgets under $250,000.

Museum 34

Museum Trend Mail Culture 34

Connection Cafe

DECEMBER 11, 2019

While we’re still calculating how much of that total cultural organizations raised, here are some campaigns that stood out: . Expanding on the examples above, here are some ideas to get your gears turning: . Next year, build on their examples by maintaining a steady drumbeat of social media posts. billion. .

Arts 22

Arts Culture Organization Museum 22

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

DECEMBER 6, 2010

A month or two ago, museums and galleries around the world participated in a Twitter event called Ask a Curator. I asked Jim Richardson, who blogs at the Museum Next Blog and is the brainchild behind the event, a couple of questions: How did #askacurator come about? How did you get 340 museums to participate?

Arts 101

Arts Twitter Examples Los Angeles 101

Museum 2.0

JULY 9, 2014

Earlier this spring, I decided to go on a mission to use social media to increase my cultural competency around Latino experiences, issues, and interests. At our museum, we''re making a big effort to increase our engagement with local Latino families. Here are just two examples: It has made us more savvy surveyors.

Culture 45

Culture Social Media Learning Media 45

Forum One

JULY 20, 2022

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) was planning the next installment of their already-successful and well-attended event, “A Seat at the Table.” For NMAAHC, the idea of “A Seat at the Table” happened conceptually before the museum even opened in 2016. It was March 2020.

Virtual 46

Virtual Personal Museum Discussion 46

Museum 2.0

APRIL 26, 2018

The Washington Post covered the MAH's transformation as part of an article about museums engaging new audiences. The whole second half of the article was dedicated to our work: Smaller museums can be especially scrappy in finding ways to connect with the community. It’s something that any museum, of any size, can work toward.

Audience 49

Audience Washington Museum Intergenerational 49

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Writing my masters thesis for Gothenburg University’s International Museum Studies program while also working four days a week as the Director of Community Programs at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History this spring was certainly a challenge but also an incredible opportunity.

Museum 49

Museum Program Participatory Community 49

Kindful

JANUARY 5, 2022

These three nonprofit types are: Performing Arts Companies, Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events, and Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions. Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions. Pella Historical Society and Museums. Let’s start with the highest median annual ad spend. .

Studies 87

Studies Music Benchmark Museum 87

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

For me, the early stage of writing a book is a treasure hunt--an excuse to seek out new examples and ideas that strengthen the story. Each of these women push the boundaries of cultural institutions in different ways, with digital and physical manifestations. She writes about race, history, parks, culture, and politics.

Culture 20

Culture Work Museum New York City 20

Museum 2.0

AUGUST 14, 2013

One of the greatest gifts of my babymoon is the opportunity to share the Museum 2.0 First up is Beck Tench, a "simplifier, illustrator, story teller, and technologist" working at the Museum of Life & Science in Durham, NC. As a person who works for a science museum, I work in an environment that supports play.

Museum 51

Museum Roles Game Participatory 51

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

This August/September, I am "rerunning" popular Museum 2.0 Originally posted in April of 2011, just before I hung up my consulting hat for my current job at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. I''ve spent much of the past three years on the road giving workshops and talks about audience participation in museums.

Museum 45

Museum Question Participatory Evaluation 45

Bloomerang

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

For example, if your town is known for gorgeous cherry blossom trees, offering paintings with these trees by a local artist can inspire bidding. For example, a baseball basket could include a ball signed by a famous player, a jersey, and season tickets to home games. Art that has personal meaning for your community is also a safe bet.

Artist 75

Artist Classes Arts Local 75

Connection Cafe

DECEMBER 10, 2013

How can arts and cultural organizations start leveraging content marketing? Surely this doesn’t apply to zoos, museums, and theaters does it? There are 5 steps to start a content marketing program at your arts and cultural organization. Look at your purchase history and see if there are any trends. Absolutely!

Arts 35

Arts Culture Content Marketing 35

NTEN

JUNE 21, 2011

The speakers for this panel include: Tracy Fullerton - Electronics Arts Game Innovation Lab Ruth Cohen - American Museum of natural History Elaine Charnov - The NY Public Library Jason Eppink - Museum of the Moving Image Syed Salahuddin - Babycastles Elaine Cohen: The New York Public Library 100 Years of the flagship library in New York.

Game 52

Game Culture Change Museum 52

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JULY 26, 2017

Throughout history, philanthropy plays a very important role because it directly impacts our wellbeing. Different culture has different understanding of philanthropy and we use different words to represent various aspects of the concept. In most cultures, philanthropy existed a long time ago. I was there as a new trainer.

Children 78

Children Philanthropy Japan China 78

Museum 2.0

JANUARY 15, 2014

This week, my colleague Emily Hope Dobkin has a beautiful guest post on the Incluseum blog about the Subjects to Change teen program that Emily runs at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. Subjects to Change is an unusual museum program in that it explicitly focuses on empowering teens as community leaders.

Teen 45

Teen Change Museum History 45

Whole Whale

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

AS works with nonprofits across a wide range of industries, including arts and culture, the environment, foundations, and government. For example, the firm prioritizes stewardship, prospective donor development, and strategy implementation. Website: [link]. Alexander Haas. Website: [link]. Website: [link] (think this is old: [link] ).

Consultant 52

Consultant Fundraising Phoenix Atlanta 52

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 30, 2013

Earlier this fall, I read this headline: "Stanford study: Participation in a cultural activity may reduce prejudice." When the music video was focused on Mexican culture, the researchers found that the white and Asian participants demonstrated a decrease in prejudice against Latinos, both immediately after the activity and six months later.

Measure 47

Measure Arts People Museum 47

Museum 2.0

JULY 20, 2016

When we say we want our museum to be "audience-centered," what do we mean? My career first got moving at a brilliant example of the customer-centered museum: the International Spy Museum. Many of my favorite museums, libraries, and zoos are customer-centered places. They care about visitor comfort.

Museum 20

Museum Audience Music Arts 20

Museum 2.0

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

Recently, I was giving a presentation about participatory techniques at an art museum, when a staff member raised her hand and asked, "Did you have to look really hard to find examples from art museums? Aren't art museums less open to participation than other kinds of museums?" I was surprised by her question.

Museum 29

Museum Difference Participatory History 29

Museum 2.0

AUGUST 20, 2009

I'm working on a section of my book about sharing social objects and am writing about the most common way that visitors share their object experiences in museums: through photographs. Revenue Streams: Museums want to maintain control of sales of "officially sanctioned" images of objects via catalogues and postcards.

Museum 54

Museum Photo Policy Open 54

Museum 2.0

JUNE 12, 2013

TCG is the industry association for non-profit theaters, the way AAM is for museums. Given TCG''s multi-year Audience (R)evolution initiative, I took the opportunity to write a new talk about what revolution has looked like at our small museum in Santa Cruz. We heard again and again that the museum was cold and uncomfortable.

Museum 55

Museum Learning History Arts 55

Museum 2.0

JULY 26, 2010

I've been spending time recently interviewing people who run unusual cultural and learning venues. From a museum perspective, I think there's a lot to learn from these venues' business models, approach to collecting and exhibiting work, and connection with their audiences. Skill-sharing free schools. Community science workshops.

Culture 49

Culture Alternative St. Louis Los Angeles 49

Whole Whale

MAY 20, 2021

AS works with nonprofits across a wide range of industries, including arts and culture, the environment, foundations, and government. For example, the firm prioritizes stewardship, prospective donor development, and strategy implementation. Website: [link]. Alexander Haas. Website: [link]. Website: [link] (think this is old: [link] ).

Consultant 52

Consultant Fundraising Phoenix Atlanta 52

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 8, 2014

How does this question play out in museums? At the 2013 American Alliance of Museums annual conference, a group of exhibition designers explored authenticity in a session called Is it Real? They explored a huge range of museum objects and grey areas of "realness." To remake a thing correctly is to discover its essence.

Artist 55

Artist Museum Washington Arts 55

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 29, 2016

We spend most of our days with people who look like us, who share our culture, background, and class. That's why our museum, the MAH in Santa Cruz, focuses on social bridging. Rather than operating in a bubble of “art people” or “history people,” we strive to connect ALL people in our county. Neighborhood. More of us.

Museum 20

Museum History Arts Celebrate 20

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 24, 2012

I like to ask myself this question periodically, challenging myself to find substantive ways for visitors to contribute to our museum. And when I think back on the past year, some of the most magical things that have happened at the museum have NOT been designed by us. We don't have to convince them that it's their museum.

Platform 41

Platform Open Museum Participatory 41

Museum 2.0

MARCH 28, 2012

At the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), we've started experimenting with a "community first" approach to program development. We asked the whole group to brainstorm communities/constituencies who they thought could make a stronger connection with art, history, and culture. Then, we went honeycomb-crazy.

Program 49

Program Community Design Museum 49

Museum 2.0

APRIL 29, 2015

These are the slides and notes for the talk I gave at the American Alliance of Museums conference on Monday, April 27 about the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. When I became the director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History four years ago, I took this work with me.

Build 20

Build Community Museum Artist 20

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 1, 2013

The book begins with an overview on my multi-channel marketing is important and provides a summary of research data and examples of how nonprofit institutions are using multiple channels effectively as part of advocacy, fundraising, and community building. The book offers some recipes for culture change. Click to see larger version.

Campaign 97

Campaign Online Chapter Model 97

Museum 2.0

JANUARY 14, 2010

Recently I've been looking at ways cultural institutions invite people to self-identify relative to the visit experience. This external profile technique was also used at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum when it first opened to let visitors connect with the stories of particular people affected by the Holocaust.

Museum 34

Museum International Roles Greece 34

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

MAY 7, 2010

Nina has written a fantastic book engagement called The Participatory Museum. Despite its long history, few researchers studied the use and impact of citizen science until the 1980s. Most of my work involves museums, but these categories can be useful in any project that involves user participation.

Model 98

Model Activities Active Activism 98

Museum 2.0

JUNE 8, 2010

This guest post was written by Rebecca Lawrence, Museum Educator, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsylvania. You can join the conversation in the blog comments, or on the Museum 2.0 The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center (SLHC) is a small museum located in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Place 27

Place Museum Discussion Pennsylvania 27