musetech

How 21 Museums & Cultural Organizations engaged with NFTs in 2021

While there is still uncertainty, how are cultural organizations approaching NFTs, and what might they mean for the future?

At this point, many institutions are offering programming and engagement opportunities to help educate audiences on this new phenomenon. Other organizations, still suffering from two years of pandemic slump, have used NFTs as a way to generate buzz and revenue through the sale of digital assets. Lastly, several museums have begun acquiring NFTs for display within their collections.

With this in mind, let’s dive into some examples of how museums are starting to navigate the world of NFTs in order to educate the public, create new revenue streams, and engage their audiences.

Webinar Highlights: Museum Think Tank: Tapping Into Fresh Ideas & Networks to Navigate the “New Normal”

As museums and cultural institutions prepare to reopen, many are facing considerable challenges and new hurdles. Across the globe, organizations have been tasked with rapidly creating new approaches, exploring models of operating, and serving their audiences with limited resources. To tackle these challenges, cultural professionals are turning to their colleagues within the field, as well as seeking inspiration and guidance from other industries to generate fresh ideas and leverage new networks.

To help bring together innovative thinkers from inside and outside the museum field, this webinar will take the form of a museum “Think Tank.” Last Wednesday, over 2,000 people joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Douglas Hegley (Chief Digital Officer @ Minneapolis Institute of Art), Effie Kapsalis (Senior Digital Program Officer @ Smithsonian Institution), Bob Mason (Co-Founder @ Brightcove / Managing Partner @ Argon Ventures) & Claude Grunitzky (Visiting Social Innovator @ Harvard Kennedy School) as they broke down some of the most pressing challenges currently facing the museum field and offered up interdisciplinary solutions and ideas.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: The Onsite Member Experience After Coronavirus Closures 

Across the world, we’re beginning to see museums, zoos, gardens, and other cultural sites reopen after coronavirus closures. Many are initiating phased reopenings, using timed-ticketing and contactless modes of entry, opening to members only, and/or creating special hours for different groups. As these organizations began to reopen in the era of social distancing, many are rethinking what the onsite member experience may look like without the close interactions, friendly encounters with staff, and other personalized experiences that make visiting your organization so special.

Last Monday, over 1,400 people joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), John Perell (Director of Strategy & Member Experience @ Smithsonian Institution), Melissa Dietrich (Associate Director, Membership @ Longwood Gardens) & Zach Winfield (Vice President @ Zoo Advisors) as they discussed what the onsite member experience may look like after coronavirus closures and going into the future.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Webinar Transcript: Virtual Memberships: Creating Digital Benefits & Virtual Access for Members

During the past several months of coronavirus closures, many museums and cultural organizations have pioneered new digital content to keep their members and visitors engaged during these unprecedented closures. Many members have responded so positively to this new digital access that membership professionals may be considering making digital benefits and virtual access a more permanent fixture of membership, or even adding a “virtual membership” level.

Join Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Sarah Owens (Membership Manager @ Exploratorium), Kara Fikse (Advancement Events Manager @ Carnegie Museums), & Cat Harper (Guest Services & Events Manager @ National Steinbeck Center) for a webinar to discuss digital and virtual memberships and how to offer digital access to your members.

View the video recording here.

Read the full transcript below.

Webinar Highlights: Membership Mondays: Virtual Memberships: Creating Digital Benefits & Virtual Access for members

During the past several months of coronavirus closures, many museums and cultural organizations have pioneered new digital content to keep their members and visitors engaged during these unprecedented closures. Many members have responded so positively to this new digital access that membership professionals may be considering making digital benefits and virtual access a more permanent fixture of membership, or even adding a “virtual membership” level.

Last Thursday, over 1,500 membership and museum professionals joined Dan Sullivan (Head of Growth and Partnerships @ Cuseum), Sarah Owens (Membership Manager @ Exploratorium), Kara Fikse (Advancement Events Manager @ Carnegie Museums), & Cat Harper (Guest Services & Events Manager @ National Steinbeck Center) for a webinar discussing digital and virtual memberships and how to offer digital access to your members.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Webinar Highlights: The “Contactless” Future: Reimagining the Visitor Experience in the Era of Coronavirus

Before the vast majority of the world’s museums and attractions were forced to temporarily close due the COVID-19 pandemic, visiting a museum was often an interactive, tactile, and social experience, involving many person-to-person interactions. From exchanges at the admissions and membership desks, interactions with fellow patrons, and special experiences involving touch screens or hands-on activities, the visitor experience has historically been filled with physical touchpoints. Now, as museums prepare to reopen in an era of social distancing, many are imagining a “contactless” future.

Last Wednesday, over 4,400 people joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO and Founder @ Cuseum), Atiba Edwards (Executive VP & COO @ Brooklyn Children’s Museum), Andrea Montiel de Shuman (Digital Experience Designer @ Detroit Institute of Arts), & Don Undeen (Former Senior Manager of MediaLab @ Metropolitan Museum of Art) as they explored the evolving “visitor experience” and what the “contactless” future may hold. This webinar examined the merits of digital media, emerging technologies, and more!

Here, you can also view and add to the Coronavirus Preparedness Community Document. This is a living document for organizations to share their best practices.

Watch the full recording here.

Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Tips for Leveraging TikTok at Your Museum

As museums face prolonged closures due to the coronavirus, the importance of engaging audiences inside their homes has become of growing importance. As museums and cultural organizations work to adapt their content strategy and reach audiences remotely, many may be finding that the “tried-and-true” social channels are no longer as effective as they once were. As a result, such organizations may be interested in experimenting with newer channels that will give them greater reach to different demographics.

Even though it has been around for several years now, TikTok is still considered an emerging and relatively untapped channel for many museums. It also has enormous capacity to help you connect with your audiences and community in new ways.

If you’re looking to get started on TikTok at your museums, check out some tips below:

Webinar Highlights: How Museums Can Experiment with Social Media to Boost Audience Engagement During Coronavirus

As the coronavirus continues to prevent museums and cultural organizations from welcoming audiences to their physical spaces, the importance of digital engagement has increased exponentially. In the face of this all, many organizations are embracing the opportunity to use this time as a period of experimentation, especially with regards to social media and other digital channels.

Webinar Transcript: How Museums Can Experiment with Social Media to Boost Audience Engagement During Coronavirus

As the coronavirus continues to prevent museums and cultural organizations from welcoming audiences to their physical spaces, the importance of digital engagement has increased exponentially. In the face of this all, many organizations are embracing the opportunity to use this time as a period of experimentation, especially with regards to social media and other digital channels.

This past Wednesday, over 2,500 museum professionals joined Brendan Ciecko (CEO & Founder @ Cuseum), Hilary-Morgan Watt (Digital Engagement Manager @ Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden), & Emily Haight (Social Media Manager @ New-York Historical Society) as they talked through the ways museums can begin experimenting with social media, hashtags, digital outreach, and other means to boost engagement among their audiences.

Watch the full recording here.

Read the full transcript below!

3 Things You Need to Know About AI-Powered “Deep Fakes” in Art & Culture

In the past year, the term “deepfake” has entered into news headlines and the realm of popular culture. If you’ve run into articles like “Deepfakes are getting better. Should we be worried?” and “Internet Companies Prepare to Fight the ‘Deepfake’ Future” you might be feeling apprehensive or even wondering what, exactly, a deepfake is. In the era of fake news where content can spread through the internet like wildlife, this emerging technology is sparking new debates and driving new experiments.

How Data Can Help You Create a Vibrant & Sustainable Membership Program

The world is abuzz about “big data” and “data-driven” strategy. As defined by IBM, “Big data analytics is the use of advanced analytic techniques against very large, diverse data sets.” In the commercial sector big data has applications in everything from product development, customer experience, operational efficiency, to innovation. According to Intel, “big data analytics is a technology-enabled strategy for gaining richer, deeper, and more accurate insights into customers, partners, and the business.”

3 Reasons Why Museums and Nonprofits Should Be Thinking About Cybersecurity

It’s October, and that doesn’t just mean Halloween – it’s also National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). NCSAM is a joint effort between government and industry “to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.” 

What is the Value of a Visitor, Member, and Evangelist to Your Organization?

For museums and cultural attractions, bringing in and engaging visitors is a top priority. Especially in recent years, the “visitor journey” has been a major topic in discussion, inspiring many organizations to start “mapping the visitor journey” to provide a better experience for audiences.

Introducing Guest Pass Referral by Cuseum

Increasing attendance, membership, and visibility are some of the top priorities across the cultural space. To date, there’s been no easy and cost-effective solution that empowers organizations to leverage the networks of their most dedicated supporters to address these goals. Your constituents have valuable connections with the potential to elevate your organization – if only there were an easy way to tap into them. 

Headed to Blackbaud's bbCon? Here are 10 Awesome Things to Do in Nashville

Blackbaud’s bbCon, premier tech gathering for social good, is less than two months away. To quote our friends at Blackbaud, we’re ready to hit a high note in Music City! We’ve assembled a top-notch list of sights, eats, and adventures to help guide the bbCon crowd through the city. From cultural landmarks, outdoor spaces, to local favorites for food and drink, we’ve got you covered on every front.

The Benefits of Having a Digitally Savvy Board – for Museums & Nonprofits Too!

This year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Information Systems Research released a study that showed just how much companies in the commercial sector benefit from having a tech-savvy board. In fact, companies with digitally literate board members significantly outperformed their peers on key metrics:

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