ONE CORE, MANY DOORS There is a natural evolution of relevance for organizations in relation to their mission or core content. Most start with one core and one door. This is both limiting and focused. A group of people start a children’s museum because they want a place for their kids to learn and build

GETTING PAST THE PRETTY FISH One of the greatest “tests” of your mission’s relevance comes when you have important but controversial content to share. For entities like the Foster Youth Museum or The Dream Unfinished, this test is easy to pass. These institutions were formed explicitly with an advocacy function. Even as they present exhibitions

CO-CREATING RELEVANCE Ten Thousand Things takes an approach that is both traditional and radical. Radical, in that they are breaking down forms and conventions of how theater is produced, and for whom. Traditional, in that they present existing, canonical Western plays for audiences. Ten Thousand Things makes the plays. The audience watches. But what about

OLD PLAYS, NEW FORMS, NEW AUDIENCES When Michelle Hensley started her theater company, she knew she wanted to do something different. Not with the content—she loved ancient Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, and modern classics—but with the audience. She didn’t want to perform solely for wealthy white people. She wanted to make theater for everyone—especially people who

CONTENT VERSUS FORM Some institutions get caught up in chasing trends, arguing: “if people on the street are talking about X, we should be talking about X too.” No. If people on the street are talking about X, the organization should ask: is X something that matters to us, too? Does X belong in our

PROACTIVE RELEVANCE I worked at the Spy Museum in the mid-2000s, in an era of hot news stories about espionage. Bob Hanssen was convicted for selling secrets to the USSR. Valerie Plame’s cover was blown. There were weekly revelations about national and international security. Every time one of these stories hit, a reporter would call

THE UGLIEST PAINTING ON THE BLOCK There’s a painting in my museum that many visitors hate. It’s a black, shiny rectangular slab by John McCracken. McCracken was a minimalist artist famous for monolithic planks covered in monochromatic auto paint. The slabs are usually exhibited leaning up against the wall. If you were making a movie

YOU CAN MAKE BORING THINGS RELEVANT When I was in my 20s, I got a professional haircut (a rarity for me). While clipping my locks, the stylist remarked, “you’re so lucky. Curly hair is really ‘in’ right now.” Her words struck me as odd. My hair has been curly from day one. It won’t ever

RELEVANCE IS A MOVING TARGET FOR INSTITUTIONS Relevance is a moving target. Your content can be relevant to different people at different times for different reasons—or not. Even at institutions that have undergone radical reinvention, the change doesn’t stop. As Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if

A HUNT FOR RELEVANCE In 2011, the historic jet engines in the Derby Silk Mill went silent. The industrial museum, on the site of one of the first factories in the world, closed its doors. The museum had started its life as Lombe’s Mill, the first fully-mechanized factory in Northern England. Millworkers twisted silk into