presentation at organization of american historians

Emergent Trends and the Future of [History] Museums

Philip M. Katz, AAM2012 OAH/NCPH Conference

Center for the Future of Museums

•Prod museums to look to the future with a longer time frame.

•Find, interpret, digest and deliver trends data.

•Help museums collaborate with communities/society to address needs.

•Cultivate connections between museums and all sectors.

•Encourage risk-taking and innovation.

www.futureofmuseums.org @futureofmuseums

Demographic realities (population)

source: Julie Ajinkya, Toward 2050 in California (Center for American Progress, March 2012).

Demographic realities (visitors)

Courtesy of Reach Advisors.

According to 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts ...

museum and historic site visitors are significant more likely to be white and older.

Demographic realities (staffing)

= men

79.0% white10.1% Hispanic

Race/ethnicity unknown

68.1% white, non-Hispanic

81.8% white, non-Hispanic

U.S. (2010) = 49.2% men & 63.7% white, non-Hispanic

Trend 1: Harnessing the Crowd

One variant is “Citizen History”

Outside of museums

Coordinated by museums

Trend 2: NPO No Mo’ (Threats to Nonprofit Status)

PILOTS = Payments in Lieu of Taxes

Now Includes

Taxes!

= one alternative?

Trend 3: Takin’ it to the Streets

(Mobile, Distributed Experiences)

Trend 3: Takin’ it to the Streets

Trend 3: Takin’ it to the Streets

source: glbthistory.org

sourc

e:

fro

m a

Yelp

revie

w

of

the p

op-u

p e

xhib

it

The GLBT Historical Society in SF went ...

from a pop-up museum in 2008

to a permanent home in 2010

Trend 4: Alt Funding

NB: history museums lag in mobile technology adoption ...

Trend 5: Creative Aging

Trend 6: More than Real

Trend 7: New Educational Era

From this ...

... to this?

Trend 7: New Educational Era

Declining Confidence in America's Public Schools

Dramatic Rise in Homeschooling

source

: A2

Z H

om

esch

oolin

g

For more trend information from CFM:

visit www.futureofmuseums.org

Contact information:

Philip M. Katz Assistant Director, ResearchAmerican Association of Museums pkatz@aam-us.org202-218-7687

www.aam-us.orgwww.futureofmuseums.org