One Door Closes and Another Opens
When things don’t go as planned, it can be painful and frustrating. Yet there are other ways to do something, other paths to take. This month we share three resources to remind us of this.
What’s Making Us Curious?
RACHEL’S PICK
Finding a New Home
“After withdrawing her show from the National Portrait Gallery over censorship concerns, I’m glad to see that Amy Sherald’s exhibition ‘American Sublime’ will next be hosted by the Baltimore Museum of Art starting on November 3rd! The museum will also honor Sherald with the ‘Artist Who Inspires’ award, recognizing her notable achievements as an artist and activist. It's encouraging to see institutions like the BMA step in to promote critical conversations through art, especially when artists' voices are under threat.’”
STEPHANIE’S PICK
Financial Contingency Plans
“Despite many years as a consultant in the museum field, I realized I didn’t fully understand how museums are funded. I brought a lot of assumptions to the table. Under the current administration, with museums facing executive orders, federal grant cuts, and censorship, I’ve felt overwhelmed. They say ‘knowledge is power,’ and this resource on the future of museum funding from the American Alliance of Museums proved that true for me. It clarified the funding landscape, addressed questions I didn’t even know to ask, and helped me think through the possibilities for the future of museums.”
CATHY’S PICK
Scatteredness is the Strategy
“One of my favorite things about working in museums and evaluation is that no one’s career path looks the same. Even after many years in this field, I’m still surprised and inspired by the stories I hear about how people arrive where they are. This short LinkedIn article from consultants Emily Holmes and Lee Wilmoth beautifully captures that truth: none of us is ever just one thing. We all contain multitudes, and no single job title can capture the full picture. Read it the next time you need a reminder to embrace the twists, turns, and richness of your own professional journey.”
New on the Learning Hub
What’s New At Kera?
New project summaries are live on our website! Learn how we provided evaluation coaching for the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience’s Addressing the Silences—a nation-wide project to foster co-creation and correct silences and absences in museums—and how we partnered with the Baltimore Museum of Art understand visitors’ perceptions of new and older labels through walk-and-talk interviews and surveys ahead of a full reinstallation of their American Art Wing.
The latest issue of the Visitor Studies Journal is out now, featuring an editorial co-authored by Amanda! This themed issue—part of the Reimagining Evaluation for Diversity and Equity to Foster Inclusive Environments project—explores what it means to practice visitor studies today and in the future, with attention to belonging, safe spaces, and inclusion for all learners. Members of the Visitor Studies Association and the Museum Education Roundtable can access it for free, and several articles are also open access.
Moment of Wonder
“I took my daughter to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo for her first birthday, and we saw one of the two giant pandas! Cute aggression is expected when seeing pandas tumble around, play, and eat so much bamboo."
— Lina
