This article offers a case study of "Small Acts, Big Impacts", an annual public program designed by education staff at Discovery Museum (Massachusetts, USA) to encourage children's development of empathy and social awareness. After observing unfortunate changes in visitor behavior, combined with the societal context of the global…

Over the past 10-15 years, the Volunteer Program at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County has undergone an immense transition. This program overhaul tackled historical methodology that had been creating barriers to participation, addressed the changing needs of modern volunteer audiences, and worked to highlight access and inclusion in…

This paper delves into the intricate dynamics of trust-building between museums and community organizations, proposing a paradigm shift in understanding professional relationships, likening them to personal relationships with their inherent complexities. The authors examine the common perception of "soft skills", as well as prevailing…

At the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a new museum being built in South Los Angeles, members of the Learning and Engagement and Social Impact divisions lead neighborhood orientations for staff from across the museum. During orientations, staff visit four neighborhoods directly surrounding the Exposition Park neighborhood, where the museum will…

Artistic and educational possibilities abound when institutions open their doors to local artists and allow them to work within their confines. The following case study articulates how the often unrecorded and unseen discourse between cultural workers leads to a deeper understanding and application of strategies that encourage effective…

This article posits that advancing equity is necessary but not sufficient for creating a more just world: we need belonging. Using a lens of racial justice to define the concept of belonging, the author considers how to practice cultivating it within the context of an aquarium's community-based engagement. Through case studies framed by belonging…

Museums are increasingly transforming from passive repositories of history and culture into dynamic spaces that facilitate interdisciplinary learning and active community engagement. This shift is evident in the integration of art and science within museum settings, which enhances public understanding of complex global challenges such as climate…

To truly fulfill their missions and make positive strides toward the conservation of our ocean, aquariums need to reach diverse audiences and reflect their local communities. Reaching audiences not adequately represented at our facilities takes work and time. It requires building relationships and trust. We need to understand which audiences are…

Museums and disabled people can create co-designed spaces that lead to a more authentic agency for museums as well as their audiences. Together they can center disability as significant program and exhibition content, include disability representation and perspectives, and ensure that environments -- physical, communication, sensory, and…

Recognizing the renewed national awareness of racial tensions and economic disparities, the need for solace in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and the legacy of the events of September 11, 2001, American art museums have unique opportunities to provide safe spaces in which to encourage mutual respect through interfaith dialogue. This case…

This paper explores the narratives of participants in museum community engagement projects in Scotland. Emphasis is placed on how taking part in museum community engagement projects can have a positive impact on the participants' wellbeing. This qualitative study employed a dialogical research strategy, which involved careful and mindful…

This paper explores the development of Civic Wellness programs at the Art Institute of Chicago, with an emphasis on how Civic Wellness teaching, partnerships, and strategy are informed by social justice-oriented values. These include equity practice, antiracism, strength in community, and democratic justice-oriented andragogy. The paper lays out…

In this article I make the case for including queer narratives in historic house museums, both because including queer history in public history settings is important in its own right and as a way to invigorate museum interpretations and appeal to wider audiences. I dispel concerns about "outing" historical actors and describe some…

With the onset of the pandemic, Philbrook Museum of Art's education department grappled with loss of staff, suspension of long-standing programs, and an unclear sense of identity and purpose. As the larger institution sought to continue a transformation towards more equitable and culturally resonant practices, we undertook a process of…

In the past 20 years, the number of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand has increased tremendously. Due to several criminal incidents in which offenders were Myanmar workers shown in the news over the last decade, many Thais have developed prejudice against Myanmar migrant workers. This article contends that a museum can be a starting point in…