American Alliance of Museums

Humanities Tennessee (HT) is one of my foresight heroes—an organization using futures thinking to make the world a better place. I had the honor of contributing to this work in 2024, when HT staff took me on a road trip teaching foresight skills to over one hundred representatives of their cultural partners. Today on the blog, HT’s Caroline Carrico tells us how she and her co...

Will AI make us more productive, healthier, happier, and better informed—or will it fuel mass job displacement, environmental damage, social isolation, and financial collapse? Elizabeth Merritt, director of AAM’s Center for the Future of Museums, will explore why both futures are plausible but neither inevitable, and how museum professionals can make values-informed dec...

This visual Data Story is based on findings from the 2026 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, a national survey of American museum visitors from AAM and Wilkening Consulting. Every year, the survey partners with museums to research their audiences’ behaviors and preferences and how they compare to the broader public. (Learn more about the

The American Alliance of Museums looks forward to working with the newly elected Congress to increase federal funding for museums and advance policies that strengthen their ability to serve their communities. We welcome the opportunity to build relationships with new members and continue working with returning lawmakers across party lines to make museums a national priority.<...

What do your visitors value—and what keeps them coming back?

Every year, AAM and Wilkening Consulting set out to answer this question with the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers. Partnering with museums across the country, we study what makes visitors tick, give individual museums i...