Open Forum

 I'm writing to share with you the first white paper released by the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums,  "Seizing the Moment: A Manifesto for Next Practice" by Avi Decter and Ken Yellis.

This white paper is, essentially, "a manifesto championing next practice among museums in the United States." The authors state, "Our case is simple: changes in our society and the global environment require that we rethink and repurpose our organizations if we intend to remain relevant in the post-pandemic moment. Some of the changes we propose have been advancing for years, but have gained urgency in a time of plague, social upheaval, technological change, systemic racism, and environmental disaster. Other ideas have come to the fore as a direct consequence of contemporary disruption, economic scarcity, social and political division. Still other insights have come from imaginative colleagues of varied backgrounds across the museum field."

This white paper is free and available to all by viewing or downloading from MAAM's website: http://midatlanticmuseums.org/white-papers/

Please consider sharing with your networks as we move into reopening our museums and our spaces. Avi Decter and Ken Yellis offer great introspection on museums in the United States in this piece. All of us at MAAM feel that their words are important to consider as we move forward as a field.