PRESS RELEASE - MMF Launches Study on Workplace Equity in US Art Museums 

September 10, 2024 - Museums Moving Forward (MMF) is launching the second cycle of their data study on workplace equity and organizational culture in US art museums with the support of the Mellon and Ford Foundations. The study provides a field-wide view of patterns and trends in art museum workplaces and identifies key opportunities for actionable change. The data collection period will run from November 2024 - January 2025 and the final report will be released in Fall 2025. Currently, 96 museums are signed up to participate (a full list can be found here) with additional institutions joining until the deadline of November 1, 2024.

​​"We believe the data from this ongoing study offers museums a previously absent tool to retain, nurture, and uplift the next generation of cultural leaders, and an invaluable resource to educate staff and funders, and ultimately inform each institution’s journey,” says Jessica Morgan, the Nathalie de Gunzburg Director of Dia Art Foundation and member of MMF’s Advisory Council.

“In the year since the report was released we have convened virtually and in person with hundreds of museum stakeholders,” says Mia Locks, Executive Director of MMF. “Museum workers consistently tell us that these findings validate their experiences—and that they need more tools to make the case for equity and change within their workplaces.”

Funded by initial grants from the Mellon and Ford Foundations, MMF was established in 2020 by a group of art museum workers committed to enhancing gender and racial equity in their workplaces with a data-driven approach to the betterment of the field. In collaboration with SMU DataArts, MMF’s study protects user privacy while creating aggregate analyses for participating museums and the field. 

This year’s study will cover subjects including compensation, promotions, and retention as well as workplace climate and internal culture. Last year’s findings were cited by The Studio Museum in Harlem, A&L Berg Foundation, Verge, and others in a variety of articles about the state of the field and the need for change. 

“This study is crucial not only for understanding the progress made since our initial research but also for identifying ongoing challenges that need urgent attention,” notes Connie Butler, the Agnes Gund Director of MoMA PS1 and member of MMF’s Board. “By translating these challenges into actionable data, we aim to facilitate substantial and positive changes across the field.”

About Museums Moving Forward

MMF is an independent, limited-life organization devoted to envisioning and creating a more just museum sector by 2030. Together with a diverse network of museums, cultural workers, and philanthropists across the US, MMF drives urgent conversations about the most effective ways to make and measure real change inside museum workplaces. 

Press contact: [email protected]