The context of museums in the United States

Museum Planning
2 min readAug 21, 2023
Diagram of the context of museums overlapping with; Sociopolitical Dynamics, Cultural & Technological Shifts, and Global & Environmental Changes
The context for museums in the United States

Museums in the U.S. serve as mirrors to the nation’s multifaceted identity, reflecting its historical, cultural, and sociopolitical complexities. The pronounced political polarization, evident in debates around figures like Trump and Biden, finds its way into exhibitions, programs, and even the discourse around museum funding and governance. This polarization, often seen as a divide between “coastal elites” and…

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Museum Planning

Mark Walhimer is the managing partner of Museum Planning, LLC, and the author of Museums 101 (2015) and Designing Museum Experiences (2021).