MMF: Study Groups

The Fall 2024 open call period has ended. Please revisit this page for information about future open calls.

MMF: Study Groups build off the data collected by MMF to zero in on action steps for change inside museum workplaces and across the field. Composed of museum workers across the country and allied folks in adjacent sectors, MMF: Study Groups are uniquely positioned to tackle systemic challenges and offer nuanced insights into how to overcome these challenges in very practical ways.

Study group topics are proposed and led by workers who have a stake in addressing a particular issue. Study Groups members are selected based on a demonstration of personal experience, motivation, and/or insight into the specific topic. All are expected to contribute actively to the group over the course of a co-determined number of virtual meetings as well as any agreed upon asynchronous work. Study Group members are encouraged to seek additional support from MMF staff and its broader network as their project develops.

While each Study Group will take on a different issue, each is committed to a deliverable that will be shared, workshopped, and put into practice. These deliverables may inform new modes of research and can be further discussed and analyzed in future MMF Publications and Study Groups.

The Fall 2024 open call period has ended. See below for descriptions of our current cohort of study groups. If you would like to pitch a topic for a future study group, please email [email protected] with your suggested topic and we will reach out to you to discuss possible opportunities for engagement.

Study Group 1: Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

In response to the MMF 2023 Report conclusion that emotionally intelligent leaders are one of five ways to move museum workplaces forward, the Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Study Group will consider the data and findings from the report tied to emotional intelligence and explore ways to improve this essential trait in leaders. Working with Jenni Kim from MMF’s Advisory Council, the Study Group will analyze current tools and research related to emotional intelligence and work collaboratively to develop a simple rubric (or other resources as determined by the group) to help measure and improve emotional intelligence in museum leadership.  The Study Group will also discuss ways to distribute and implement these resources within the museum field.

Tentative timeline: September 2024 – January 2025. The exact timeline & meeting dates to be determined in collaboration with Study Group members.

Selection criteria: 4-8 applicants will be selected for membership to this study group, with a focus on gathering a group of diverse perspectives from within or adjacent to the museum sector. MMF will aim to convene a group that represents a diversity of lived experiences as well as a range of experiences with developing and using rubrics and/or self-assessment tools to recruit and evaluate staff both within and outside of the museum profession (e.g. HR professionals, leaders or board members with recruiting experience, current or former museum directors).

Prospective deliverables: 1) Emotional intelligence rubric that will be seen as a beneficial tool and lend itself to be used by leaders and recruiters. 2) High-level plan for identifying outlets to distribute the rubric with guidelines for when and how to use it.

Study Group 2: Museum Union Contracts & Equity

This Study Group will come together to collectively address a commonly held question amongst museum workers: to what extent do labor unions help promote equity within and beyond the museum, and how might we broaden the horizons of possibility? As evidenced in the launch of MMF’s Art Museum Unions Index, many MMF stakeholders are curious to learn more about the connections among union contracts and institutional DEAI efforts; additional research demonstrates a clear articulation of social justice and a marked intention among organizing museum workers to advance equity through unionization. Working with Amanda Tobin Ripley as group coordinator, the Union Contracts & Equity Study Group will examine and expand the possibilities of “bargaining for the common good” in current and future collective bargaining agreements in the museum workplace.

Tentative timeline: September 2024 – January 2025. The exact timeline & meeting dates to be determined in collaboration with Study Group members. 

Selection criteria: 4-8 applicants will be selected for membership to this study group, with a focus on gathering a group of diverse perspectives from within or adjacent to the museum sector. MMF will aim to convene a group that represents a diversity of lived experiences as well as a range of experiences with union contracts, including bargaining committee and contract enforcement experience. Additionally, if you have experience on an internal diversity, equity, and inclusion committee or with bargaining for the common good frameworkers (from the museum or other sectors), we would love to hear from you!

Prospective deliverables: 1) Additional content for the Art Museum Unions Index drawing from an equity-focused audit of the contracts contained therein. 2) A PDF brochure, to be disseminated through MMF, with data-driven recommendations for building antiracist and equity-forward provisions in collective bargaining agreements.

Study Group 3: Reimagining Career Advancement in Art Museums *open to attendees from our spring 2024 in-person convenings ONLY

From February – May 2024, MMF gathered in-person with staff in the Bay Area, Houston, Boston, and NYC to discuss the topic of promotions and career advancement. We concluded our Spring 2024 convenings cycle with a collective takeaways document that included the 10 barriers to career advancement and 10 opportunities to transform career advancement in US Art Museums. The purpose of this Study Group is to invite participants from those four convenings to gather with colleagues from across the country to dig deeply into the issue of career advancement using the extended convenings notes, MMF’s Report areas on Pay & Promotions, and other research as determined by the group. The Study Group members will work collaboratively to determine and propose an area of focus, and then co-design an actionable recommendation or resource. 

Tentative timeline: September 2024 – January 2025. The exact timeline & meeting dates to be determined in collaboration with Study Group members. 

Selection criteria: 10 applicants will be selected for membership to this study group, with a focus on gathering a group that reflects all four convening locations, varying roles within museums, and a diversity of lived experiences.

Prospective deliverables: 1) A comprehensive review of the combined takeaways document from all four convenings, with recommendations for revisions and additions to publish final overview of convenings cycle. 2) A tool, resource, rubric, or other actionable recommendation on the topic of career advancement in US Art Museums.

1. Before applying, please review MMF: Study Groups overview page as well as the current st

   udy group topics (above) that are recruiting new members.

2. During an Open Call period, submit a short application for your preferred study group topic through the portal. You will receive an automatic reply that the application has been received.

3. Applications will be reviewed immediately following the close of the Open Call. MMF staff will notify you of your status via email based on the schedule determined by each Study Group lead.

4. If your application is accepted, MMF staff will connect you and the other members of your study group together for you to collectively determine a preferred meeting time and cadence. MMF staff will be available for logistical or organizational support as needed throughout the process.