Whitney Museum Director Emeritus Adam D. Weinberg

I Entered as Adam, I’m Leaving as Adam

Adam D. Weinberg is the director emeritus of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Before taking part in the Zócalo, Thomas Mann House, and L.A. Review of Books program “How Should Arts Institutions Navigate the Culture Wars?”—part of the two-day conference “Arts in Times of Crises”—Weinberg joined us in the green room to talk about museum gift shops, the old New York, and the joy in accident.

Is the Indiana Jones Era Really Over?

Harrison Ford Might Be Hanging Up His Fedora, But the Imperial Theft His Movies Glorify Lingers

In 2009, soon after the fourth Indiana Jones film came out, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) awarded Harrison Ford with the Bandelier Award for Public Service in Archaeology.

In his …

Where I Go: The Candy Wrapper Museum

Your Trash Is My Treasure—And a Sweet Reminder of the Past

In 2019, an unassuming package arrived at my front door.

Inside was a sooty 2-by-4-foot scrapbook filled with candy wrappers over 70 years old. On the surface, a piece of trash—one …

When War Comes for the Museum

I Led the Rescue of Syria’s Cultural Heritage—Here’s What We Need to Do to Protect World Treasures from Politics and Strife

Protecting cultural heritage during crises and wars is a big challenge, especially if conflict erupts suddenly and consumes a country with violence.

As head of the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums …

Cameron Shaw

California African American Museum Executive Director Cameron Shaw

Running a Museum During a Global Pandemic Is Creativity Every Single Day

Cameron Shaw is the executive director of the California African American Museum (CAAM). A native Angeleno, she previously served as CAAM’s deputy director and chief curator; before that, she was …

How Museums Help Diverse Nations Reimagine Themselves | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

How Museums Help Diverse Nations Reimagine Themselves

By Embracing the Ambiguity of Old Myths, the Best Exhibits Broaden a People’s Sense of Belonging

Museums are often dismissed as irrelevant diversions, as places apart, as tombs for pasts that don’t have much to do with the present.

But I study the world’s heritage museums—the …