The Progress Report
A newsletter for museum professionals that’s serious about audience progress but playful about the process.
Contributors
- Alexa Magladry 1
- Aubrey Bergauer 1
- Ben Mosior 1
- Erin Milbeck Wilcox 2
- Isabel Singer 1
- Isabella Bruno 2
- Jennifer DePrizio 1
- Kelly Cannon 3
- Kimberlee Kiehl 1
- Krista Dahl Kusuma 1
- Kyle Bowen 159
- Lynda Kelly 1
- Nameiko Miller 1
- Rachel Ropeik 1
- Randi Korn 1
- Rebekah Harding 1
- Robert Weisberg 1
- Rosie Siemer 11
- Ruth Hartt 1
- Steve Boyd-Smith 1
- Susan Hawksworth 2
You don’t have to build faster horses for funders
Waiter: The funder at table 7 ordered Pumpkin Spice French Fries.
Chef: We don’t serve Pumpkin Spice French Fries.
Waiter: I know, but they’re going to evaluate our performance based on our ability to produce Pumpkin Spice French Fries, so I took their order, and you’ll need to fulfill their requirement.
Chef [sighs]: Well, ok. I just wish we didn’t operate in a system that requires us to fulfill funders’ expectations. I’m sure there’s a better way to do things, but until the funders who visit our restaurant develop a more refined palate, I’ll have to keep making Pumpkin Spice French Fries and Quesadilla Burgers.
Community Goals takes the stand
The Court of Ideas will now hear the case against Community Needs.
Museums As Progress v. RELEVANCE, NEEDS, & ENGAGEMENT LLC
A leaked transcript from recent proceedings in the Court of Ideas.
Is your museum grocery shopping when it’s hungry?
Chewing on a question that’s been eating at me.
Gathering for Inclusive Leadership this September
Join us next month for a new workshop with Dr. Elizabeth Dickinson.
Relevance points to goals
Just as a fool, on seeing a finger pointing to the moon, looks at the finger and not the moon, so a museum that pursues relevance does not see the goals of the communities it hopes to support.
Point! Counterpoint!
A study reveals how empathy is easier when we think in analogous terms, but true empathy requires continuous exposure and deep listening. Try applying this approach in your museum, remembering that listening is a skill everyone can develop.
“But you’re a museum.”
Museums must sometimes use demographic definitions of audiences, but that doesn’t mean we have to always use demographic definitions.