“As Our Communities Change, Museums Have to Change”
In a recent blog post for the American Alliance of Museums, Elizabeth Merritt cites the US Census Bureau's projection that the US will be “majority minority” sometime in the 2040s to make the case “that museum audiences do a pretty good job of reflecting American society…in the year 1900.”
The implication being, says Merritt, that if museum practices don't change to be more relevant to communities of color, audiences will continue to shrink. She adds:
The underlying point I’m trying to address about demographic change is still valid and important: as our communities change museums have to change as well if they are to remain valued and useful. And demographic data, however imperfect, suggests that we are losing ground.
Image: Pixabay/Ichigo121212