Open Call

The submission window is currently open. The portal will close at 11:59pm Pacific Time on November 4, 2024. Please click below to submit your pitch to MMF: Publications.

Publication Opportunity

As an independent organization working in partnership with a diverse network of museums, cultural workers, and philanthropists across the US, Museums Moving Forward (“MMF”) is dedicated to driving urgent conversations about the most effective ways to make and measure real change inside museum workplaces. In October 2023, MMF published its inaugural Report on Workplace Equity and Organizational Culture in US Art Museums, which has been a jumping-off point for discussion across the field. MMF: Publications invites cultural workers to contribute texts that help us to better understand the complex realities of museum work and to envision new models for change.  

Central to MMF’s programming are our values of experimentation and collaboration. In this spirit, we are experimenting with a model that weaves together the experiences and analysis of museum workers, activists, and scholars who are thinking critically about change in the sector. We work with authors to publish articles that share common themes and that, taken together, open up new ways of thinking about a particular area of opportunity. An editor’s note from MMF accompany these texts, offering context and connection to the findings of our research, including the 2023 Report. We also moderate a conversation between the authors of the two pieces for further nuance. In conversation and through an intentional partnership with MMF, workers and scholars uncover deeper connections and opportunities to move through issues too multifaceted to solve alone.

Authors will be compensated a flat fee based on their completion of a sliding scale worksheet. See the below “Compensation” section for more information.

Publication Process

Commissioned articles

Through an open call, MMF seeks pitches for articles (1500-2500 words) written by museum workers, activists, scholars, and leaders from underrepresented perspectives. Special attention is paid to articles and voices that expand and deepen our understanding of the experiences of cultural workers from two vantage points:  

• Voices on the ground: through personal storytelling by current and former museum workers, articles in this category illuminate opportunities for individual and collective change-making in the workplace. These narratives focus on the experiences of those closest to the sites of—and barriers to—change. See previous examples here and here.

• Solutions-oriented analysis: articles in this category broaden and deepen our understanding of opportunities for change-making through research and analysis that speaks to an area of MMF’s research. See previous examples here and here.

If your piece does not fit into either of the above categories, you are still welcome to submit. We will work with authors who demonstrate a clear and urgent perspective on the field, regardless of format.

Discovery through collaboration

MMF plays an active role in pairing pieces that share similar themes to put their work in conversation with one another. Each author will have a chance to read their counterpart article/s and—through a focused, interview-style discussion with MMF—work together to thread personal experience with practical analysis. For all paired articles, an edited transcript of this discussion will be published alongside the pieces.

Sparking change

If data is the proof of a problem, then discourse is the spark for change. MMF publications often include the following materials, intended to catalyze further discussion, study, and action: 

• The paired articles.

• An edited transcript of the discussion between the authors.

• An editorial note from MMF as a container for the articles, including questions, ideas, and avenues for moving from discourse to action.

Please note: we work with authors to present pieces in the format that aligns with the nature of the work and, therefore, will continue to experiment with new publication models on a case-by-case basis.

Who and What We Publish and Why

MMF seeks to provide a space for ideas to be workshopped, engaged with, critiqued, and advanced. The pieces we publish are intended to expand and deepen our understanding of the experiences of cultural workers and how to move the field forward, knowing that there are many differing opinions on what direction that is. While we value open discourse and making space for the many viewpoints within and around museums, we seek to bring an equity lens to the work we publish. This means that we prioritize pieces written by current and former museum workers who experience structural disempowerment in our field: staff who are early in their careers, experience economic precarity, and/or identify as women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC. We encourage but do not require authors to include their positionality in the bio section of their pitch. 

We acknowledge that no publishing platform is neutral. All publications inevitably bring in their own biases when selecting, editing, and publishing work. When reviewing pitches, we consider how each article can enrich and advance our understanding of the experiences of museum workers and move us toward change. Below is an evolving set of selection principles we consider when reviewing pitches:

• The author articulates the points of connection between their piece and MMF’s mission. 

• The pitch demonstrates a measured, focused, and unique perspective grounded in the author’s lived experience or research. 

• For personal pieces, the author exhibits a self-awareness of their own position in relation to the museum sector and an emotional readiness to share their story.

For authors pitching personal narratives: While we invite authors to dig into the nuanced, uncomfortable, or painful realities of museum work, we aim to create a future-focused space that helps us collectively imagine a path (or many paths) forward. When drafting a pitch, we invite authors to imagine: How can your story help the next generation of museum workers? What is made possible by you sharing your story? 

A Note on Anonymity 

From the outset of MMF’s work, we have recognized the fundamental lack of trust in our field, borne from decades of un/under-addressed harm. We allow authors to publish anonymously when their current circumstances make them unable to publish with their names attached. In such cases, MMF verifies the author’s identity and employment history.

Compensation 

MMF is committed to an equitable approach to compensation and opening up dialogue around pay and pay equity. We are experimenting with a sliding scale compensation model that encourages authors to choose a flat fee within the range of $1500 – $3000 that you feel adequately compensates you for your contribution while considering your personal circumstances. You will be provided with a sliding scale worksheet at the contract stage of the publication process (prior to submitting a piece), wherein you will indicate your compensation preference. You will not be required to justify or discuss your choice with us, unless you wish to. We trust your ability to choose the amount that makes sense for you.

The submission window is currently open. The portal will close at 11:59pm Pacific Time on November 4, 2024. Please click below to submit your pitch to MMF: Publications.