Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures

undefinedWhat challenges will society and museums face in the next quarter-century? How will the demographic profile of America change between now and 2034? How will energy and infrastructure costs affect the sustainability of museums? What are the likely impacts of today’s educational and regulatory priorities? What will Web 3.0 – or 5.0 or 6.0 – look like? Will the “real” survive the assault of the “virtual”? Will the number of leisure-time alternatives continue to grow? Will the lines between work and leisure, public and private, continue to blur? Most importantly, how will museums face these challenges and shape the future they will have to inhabit?

To find out, the Center for the Future of Museums (CFM) commissioned this discussion paper on social and cultural trends and their potential effect on museums. The report was prepared by James Chung, Susie Wilkening and the staff of Reach Advisors – a marketing strategy and research firm with extensive experience in the museum field – in consultation with CFM staff and outside experts.

This paper was designed to be a catalyst – a fact-based platform for further exploration, and refinement rather than the final word on museum trends. In that spirit, CFM hosted discussions on the paper online and at the 2009 AAM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Download a PDF of the paper here
Read the press release here.
 
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