As we enter the second month of 2025 with some anxiety and trepidation about what lies ahead, here are three resources to inspire and encourage you to put people first, prioritize equity, and share the wealth moving forward.

We’re excited to share a thoughtful blog post by Samantha S. Snow, a valued data collector from one of our past projects and a graduate student in Museum Education at Tufts University. In this post, Samantha reflects on her experience and provides a unique perspective on the challenges and rewards of collecting data in museum settings. Her insights offer a behind-the-scenes look at the data collection process and emphasize the critical role it serves in shaping museum research.

In this talk, Cathy Sigmond explores how formative evaluation supports the process of creating audience-centered exhibitions. Cathy covers the ins and outs of formative evaluation for exhibition development, from core principles to strategies for doing formative evaluation in all types of museums. 

This month, we’re reflecting on the importance of cultural context in shaping human experiences. Whether we’re assessing cognitive development, measuring program impact, or designing community spaces, context influences everything—from how we interpret behaviors to how we foster belonging.

About two years ago, my colleague Amanda Krantz wrote about the problematic assumption that museums are inherently “trusted” institutions. I was recently considering how this idea of “trust” connects to other mythology surrounding museums, including the idea that they are the Switzerland of non-profit organizations—“neutral”—an idea that was brought to the forefront in 2017 with the Museums are Not Neutral Campaign created by LaTanya Autry and Mike Murawski. In a 2023 MuseumNext post, the author quotes Murawski as saying “Museums have the potential to be relevant, socially-engaged spaces in our communities. Yet, too often, they strive to remain ‘above’ the political and social issues that affect our lives – embracing a myth of neutrality.”

What does it look like to give in a way that emphasizes inclusive and meaningful relationships rather than traditional, transactional approaches? This month, we share resources that underscore the importance of knowledge sharing, trust-based philanthropy, and repatriation as ways to promote a culture of giving and mutual respect.

Museum educators, does any of this sound familiar?

You care deeply about making a positive difference in museum audiences’ lives, yet...

• You are pulled in many directions by competing needs and agendas

• You have limited resources and capacity

• You need to raise money to fund your programs

• You feel you are having a positive impact but you have no evidence, and 

• You have been told to consider expanding or scaling up your program

If any of these are true of your museum program or department, you probably need a logic model.

Interviewing visitors is a valuable way to gain insight into what they think of your museum, either during or as they finish their visit. Their feedback can also help shape the development of future exhibitions and programs. I’ve had the opportunity to interview many museum visitors onsite at museums, and I personally really love chatting with them. I get to meet a lot of great people and hear so many unique and diverse perspectives. To help out anyone interested in trying out interviews, I would like to share a few tips as a seasoned interviewer!

This month we explore three resources that are focused on expanding perspectives and ensuring that different voices and needs are heard—whether it's women in design, underrepresented groups in Census data, or Gen Z in historical programming.