Welcome to our eight case study museum interviews recorded for the Essential Questions Program Series!
Over the course of this program series, we’ve been finding out how museums are faring today, three years after the start of the pandemic and civic unrest following George Floyd’s murder. To prompt dialogue, we’ve asked five guest moderators – Bob Beatty, Jenn Edginton, Richard Josey, Michelle Moon, and Sara Phalen – to interview eight museums in the Midwest about what they’ve learned, what changes they made that have stuck, and what new models or approaches they have tried. Videos include ASL and YouTube’s built-in captions.
Interested in learning more? Have follow up questions? Click here to sign up to attend any or all of the live Q&A sessions with our eight featured museums.
Museum Case Studies
Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
During this talk show style interview, Bob Beatty starts with a broad look at how the museum’s mission and approaches have changed over the last few years, how the pandemic and civic unrest may have influenced their new approach and commitments to diversity and representation, as well as their takeaways and struggles from the process. Then learn more about their work with Indigenous artists and community members to reimagine their Native American galleries, shifting away from anthropological depictions of Native Americans to “creating a space for the peoples themselves to tell their own stories.”
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Eiteljorg Museum on April 17, 11:30 am CT/12:30 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, MN
During this talk show style interview, Michelle Moon discusses shifts in mission, programs, or operations at The Bakken Museum over the last few years, as well as their takeaways and struggles. Then she does a deep dive on their work to create an inclusive, equitable workplace. The Bakken Museum has regularly returned to the Museums and Race Report Card as a resource. When discussing what to use as inputs, the DEAI Theory of Change team decided to use the descriptions from the rubric for the grades they gave themselves on the report card.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with The Bakken Museum on April 26, 11:00 am CT/12:00 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
Putnam Museum, Davenport, IA
During this talk show style interview, Jenn Edginton and Sara Phalen hear from members of the Putnam Museum’s leadership team and a community partner about the changes that have been taking place at the museum over the last 4 years prompted by an exhibit by Science Museum of Minnesota called RACE: Are We So Different? and a subsequent Museum Assessment Program (MAP) assessment. Learn about why and how they took time to reimagine the Putnam for their visitors and reexamine their role in the community, and how their new focus on community engagement has shaped their programs and permanent galleries.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Putnam Museum on April 27, 10:00 am CT/11:00 am ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire, WI
During this talk show style interview, Jenn Edginton and Sara Phalen examine changes that have taken place at the Chippewa Valley Museum over the last few years, looking broadly at their takeaways and struggles. Then they do a deep dive into the specific conditions or factors that prompted a recent merger with the Wisconsin Logging Museum, how that’s going, what their structure and operations look like now, and what they hope for the future.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Chippewa Valley Museum on May 3, 11:00 am CT/12:00 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI
During this talk show style interview, Michelle Moon digs into how the operations and mission of the Chazen Museum of Art have changed over the last few years, particularly as a university museum, their takeaways and struggles. Among the topics explore is their work to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a new project and exhibition “re:mancipation,” focused on reinterpreting a problematic statue on the university’s campus, a process that began in 2019.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Chazen Museum of Art on May 8, 11:30 am CT/12:30 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, IL
During this talk show style interview, Bob Beatty inquires about how the Freeport Art Museum’s mission or programs changed over the last few years, their takeaways and struggles. Then they do a deep dive on their BIPOC Initiative, a new community-led approach to exhibition planning that centers the voices of BIPOC artists.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Freeport Art Museum on May 10, 11:00 am CT/12:00 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
Anoka County Historical Society, Anoka, MN
During this talk show style interview, Richard Josey starts with a broad look at how the Anoka County Historical Society’s programming or operations have changed over the last few years and their takeaways. Then they talk further about how the museum took to digital modes of community and member engagement – stretching their programming to include a podcast, digital collections, and even the creation of an original film – An Un-Wise Murder. Hear about their steps to find balance between digital and in-person offerings.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with Anoka County Historical Society on May 15, 11:30 am CT/12:30 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.
African American Museum of Iowa, Cedar Rapids, IA
During this talk show style interview, Richard Josey discusses with museum leadership and staff about how the the mission or operations of the African American Museum of Iowa have changed over the last few years, their takeaways and struggles. Then he explores how their role as the only museum of their kind in Iowa has shifted as a result of civic unrest following George Floyd’s murder, new opportunities this presented and what they’ve learned about their audiences.
Sign up to attend the live Q&A session with African American Museum of Iowa on May 17, 11:00 am CT/12:00 pm ET.
Watch the YouTube video linked below or download the mp3 to listen on your device.