Science Museum of Minnesota

The Science Museum of Minnesota will support transformative change toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and access among Upper Midwest museums by creating a durable community of practice.  Using a field-tested model of professional development, the museum will collaborate with 20 small, underserved museums, across Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, to bring together 48 staff and researchers, virtually and in-person, over a period of two years to learn about theories, methods, and tools related to equity and find ways to adapt these ideas to their museums and professional networks.  Through ongoing communication and consultation, the project will generate a leadership cohort of individuals with a solid grounding in complex equity issues.  The project will not only develop resources, skills, tools, and mindsets to create more inclusive staff and institutions, but also more inclusive local and regional communities of professionals.