Gearing up to Explore the Museum of Tomorrow

We are in full annual meeting prep mode here at AAM, getting ready to offer you a great experience in Houston. Since this year the whole meeting pretty much revolves around the future, CFM won’t be producing our usual “guide to the future at the annual meeting.” (This year that would be...the conference program!) However, we will be spotlighting sessions we think will be of particular interest.

Here’s a few suggestions for what to pencil in on your dance card for a full futurist experience:

• Register for a crash course in Museum Future Studies 101 in the CFM workshop being offered on Sunday, May 22. Learn the basics of scanning, forecasting and scenario development, and work with fellow attendees to envision some dark, and bright, futures. Last year people were trying to wheedle their way into the invitation-only version sponsored by CAM. This year it is open to all—jump on the opportunity while there is still room!

• Join futurist Peter Bishop in probing how museums can help their communities envision the future (The Future of the Museum is the Future, Tuesday May 23, 9 a.m.)

• Question three directors who have used CFM forecasting reports. (“Practical Futurism: Integrating Forecasting into your Planning,” Tuesday, May 24 at 9 a.m.)

Throughout the meeting join us in MuseumExpo to try out a museum tarot deck at the “Ask a Futurist” booth (staffed by the University of Houston Futures Studies Program) and contribute your thoughts on the future of natural history museums, provoked by an installation by artist Tracy Hicks.

And for those of you who can’t attend, we will be tweeting, blogging and (I hope) posting videos to share glimpses of the Museum of Tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you in the near future!