IRL Convenings on Trust in US Art Museums (Spring 2026)

During the spring of 2026, MMF staff held in-person convenings with art museum workers in Seattle, St. Louis, and Chicago to discuss the topic of trust in US Art Museums. Grounded in the data that emerged from MMF’s 2025 field-wide study, the convening was an opportunity to connect in person and co-create potential roadmaps for meaningful change.

Below are the combined takeaways from the three convenings, which include: 10 barriers to trust and 10 opportunities for building trust in US Art Museums.

1. Wage and day-to-day experience gaps between staff and executives create a divided culture wherein leaders may struggle to empathize with how precarious, overextended, and undervalued their employees feel. When leaders don’t acknowledge these gaps or propose changes that don’t address the root problems (e.g. low pay and burnout) staff lose trust in leadership’s ability to understand or improve their working conditions.
   
   

2. Managers and leaders exhibit a distrust of staff by micromanaging (especially entry-level workers) and withholding access to decision-making structures. Staff who feel that distrust will, in turn, not trust their leaders.
   
   

3. An overwhelming belief that HR is on the side of the institution, not the workers. The process of seeking accountability for harm caused can be demoralizing and demanding, leaving workers to feel that it would be easier and safer for them to stay silent. Staff at small museums without dedicated HR personnel feel as if they have nowhere to go to address their concerns.
   
   

4. Budgeting decisions—fighting staff unionization drives, hiring short-term contractors, investing in new acquisitions or expansions while claiming a lack of funds for staff promotions—convey that the museum is more interested in its public image and retaining control than retaining their staff.
   
   

5. Worker efforts for shared power—from asking questions in a staff meeting to unionization—are met with defensiveness and antagonism, with leaders assuming ill intent rather than as opportunities for collaboration.
   
   

6. A lack of follow-through, resistance to change, and a culture of conflict aversion causes disillusionment and confusion among staff.
   
   

7. A museum’s size impacts on how valued and connected workers feel, how actively invested and involved leaders are in their day-to-day work, and how responsive museums are to emergent needs. However, workers at smaller museums can also feel taken advantage of by these closer relationships, which are sometimes manipulated to drive overwork.
   
   

8. When the museum is silent, retreats from equity promises, or insists on political neutrality (e.g. on Palestine, impacts of Trump-era policies, DEAI rollbacks, Black Lives Matter, etc.), workers do not trust leaders to make decisions based on the needs of their staff, but rather based on the pressures of the donor class.
   
   

9. The dominant culture in museums, and museum leadership, harms those who fall outside of it. Staff of marginalized identities enter into a field they already know is not set up to support them. This distrust is magnified when their experiences, within and outside of the workplace, are not taken seriously, understood, or reflected by those in positions of power.
   
   

10. A culture of individualism and complacency that perpetuates unhealthy working conditions. The idea that “this is just the way things are” promotes the belief that a worker is disposable to the organization and should simply leave if they are unhappy.

1. Address wage gaps, especially between executive- and entry-level staff and pay inequities across the institution. A more equitable approach to pay will improve staff satisfaction and demonstrate that everyone is valued. Help the board understand how critical pay equity and staff retention are to your museum’s financial stability.
   
   

2. Model trust-building from the top. Demonstrating trust in employees by taking accountability for harm caused and seeking to understand staff has a positive impact on trust across the workplace. Follow through, don’t overcommit, and make the changes you implement open to continual feedback from staff.
   
   

3. Implement consistent, top-to-bottom accountability mechanisms like 360° reviews, as well as worker-centered systems outside of HR. Follow through on the outcomes just as with other mission-critical efforts. Apply expectations and standards clearly and equally to all, including those in leadership.
   
   

4. Present more information in the right way. Proactively invite staff into understanding how board members are selected, how organizational budgets are set, and who and what influences institutional decision-making, etc. Prioritize care and clarity when sharing the “why” behind decisions, so as to not overwhelm or cause fear.
   
   

5. Recognize that unionization is a sign of care and commitment by staff for the museum. Unions present an opportunity for workers to gain stability, accountability, and camaraderie. A union also offers a clear blueprint for what staff need and how leaders can support them. Voluntary recognition of a new staff union provides a solid foundation upon which to build trust.
   
   

6. Consistent and non-performative opportunities for staff to participate in decision-making processes and for leaders to learn from staff, such as engagement with board members, bottom-up structures like staff advisory councils, anonymous feedback, and inclusion in key hiring decisions. Although these structures may take time to build, start from a place of commitment to the value of staff participation and ownership.
   
   

7. Restructure departmental and organizational leadership. Consider co-leadership models or redistribution of direct reports so that staff feel heard and supported in a sustainable way. Leaders at larger museums can learn from those at smaller museums by demonstrating investment in the day-to-day work of their staff, providing open door opportunities, and adequately and consistently crediting the labor of all workers.
   
   

8. Commit to understanding and improving the workplace experience of those most marginalized within the institution. A safer and more equitable workplace for these workers is a better workplace for everyone.
   
   

9. Foster a culture that breaks down siloes between departments. When staff understand and are interested in the work of other departments, approach their colleagues with curiosity, and develop real connections with coworkers, the broader culture of trust improves.
   
   

10. For staff: build the muscle of solidarity among colleagues. While many workers do not feel that they have the power to change the museum’s structure, they can push back against a culture of individualism and competition by fostering a culture of care and understanding with each other.