How often do you hear about the leadership behind a successful exhibit?
Not often enough.
Individuals behind innovation in the museum industry rarely receive credit for their creativity and determination, so we are here to shine some much due light on their devotion to cultural institutions and museums globally.
Many of these leaders are also founders/authors of highly resourceful programs and publications, so don't be shy, explore their sites at the end of this blog to see how these Trailblazers will turn your organisation right-side-out.
Alfonsina Russo
Our first Trailblazer reigns from Italy, but she has fueled change in museum design, preventive archaeology, and territorial valorisation worldwide. She has been an Executive Archeologist for the past twelve years and is currently the Director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park.
Recently, Russo has been theorising and planning for a shift in visitor's priorities post-pandemic.
She believes that museums will need to be ready for specialised visits that will satisfy a deeper curiosity. This includes visits from more global audiences with a wider range of language necessities.
Ann Friedman
This brilliant woman is the Founder and CEO of Planet Word and she has always had a love of language and culture. Friedman began her career as a copy editor and translator, but she
is now involved in many powerful organisations with thoughtful purposes:
Vice Chair of the Board of the SEED Foundation
Trustee of the American Alliance of Museums
Advisory Board of Ascend - Aspen Institute
Co-vice Chair of the Aspen Music Festival and School
Board of the National Symphony Orchestra
Founding board member of the Downtown DC Foundation
On top of all of this, Friedman has also managed to establish Planet Word; a foundation and museum in Washington, DC that works to inspire a global love of reading and an appreciation of languages.
Monica Montgomery
This Trailblazer is bridging the gap between people and movements. How?
Social change and creativity!
Monica Montgomery is a museum activist, curator, cultural consultant, professor, and the founding director of the Museum of Impact’s first mobile social justice museum. In 2020, she was hired by the Smithsonian as the Curator of Social Justice, Programs & Special Projects, Arts and Industries Building.
Montgomery stops at nothing to push through traditional rules and boundaries to make learning and culture more accessible. She even created an entirely new course at the Museum Studies graduate schools of Pratt Institute and New York University, and Harvard University: Museums, Public Programs & Social Change. Montgomery is also a co-founding strategic director of Museum Hue, which advocates for people of color in the arts, culture, and museum industries.
Francesca Cappelletti
Francesca Cappelletti is the Director of the Galleria Borghese in Rome, and she has devoted her life to the preservation and appreciation of Italian art and cultural heritage. On top of her many positions and involvements, she is also a full-time professor at the Università degli Studi di Ferrara, teaching History of Modern Art.
In her somewhat recent (2020) position at the Galleria Borghese, Cappelletti has been focusing on the digital transformation; establishing new online and virtual programmes that focus on the visitor's experience and engagement. She understood that when museum doors close, their online resources must open.
Nina Simon
Our final Trailblazer for this week is an author and advocate for joyful and inclusive public institutions. She has written many books, blogs, and even conducted two TEDx Talks that all act as resources for those in the museum and culture sectors.
"We envision a world in which cultural and civic resources are shared generously."
- OF/BY/FOR ALL
This nonprofit organization (OF/BY/FOR ALL) that Nina Simon has founded works to create a supportive ecosystem for civic and cultural organisations that want to build a more inclusive community. Her blog, Museum 2.0, also provides helpful firsthand experiences about museum best-practices and all of Simon's lessons learned.
We had the pleasure of meeting Nina Simon when she gave a keynote speech at the MuseumNext Conference in London 2018. She spoke about how, as Executive Director (2011-2019), she turned the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History into a thriving institution, opening it up to people of different age, race, and income levels.
She pushed to make the museum a gathering place for community events like Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Her book, The Art of Relevance, remains one of the best resources for museum professionals wishing for a more open and inclusive cultural institution.
Alfonsina Russo:
Ann Friedman:
Nina Simon:
Monica Montgomery:
Francesca Cappelletti: