004: Back to the Future

In 2008, AAM (now the American Alliance of Museums) established the Center for the Future of Museums to help museums understand the cultural, political, economic, environmental, and technological trends shaping the world, and envision how museums can help their communities thrive in coming decades. Why is this important? As CFM Founding Director Elizabeth Merritt wrote in 2011: ‘The biggest challenge in preparing for the future is imagining what it will be like. One of the most important roles of futures studies is to help people write stories of the future that, like all good fiction, tell the truth about something that hasn’t actually happened yet.’ This is one reason why Intel Futurist Brian David Johnson uses science fiction as a design tool for the development of technology and new products. In the introduction to The Tomorrow Project, Johnson writes that, ‘Each story is a kind of conversation about the future, a way to develop a deeper understanding, explore the opportunities and examine the hazards of a future that is not quite set but does get closer and closer each day.’ In this episode, the Punks go forecasting with Elizabeth Merritt and imagine what the impact of current cultural, economic and technological trends could be for museums. Also, the unexpected return of badgers!