Cultivating Futures Thinking in Museums

Book excerpt: Cultivating Futures Thinking in Museums provides examples of the active and diverse roles that museums are taking to expand futures thinking in communities, including developing capabilities to envision and enact more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable futures. Presenting 21 examples that demonstrate how museums are cultivating futures capabilities in diverse global contexts, the volume acknowledges innovative practice, builds a foundation for growing futures work in the museum sector, and inspires others in the field to adopt futures frameworks in their practices. This realm of thinking, including components of anticipating futures by exploring drivers of change; imagining immersive experiences of futures; creating tools and methods to enable futures capability; and participatory futures informing museum design practice provides important responses to the multitude of complex contemporary problems like climate change, technological development, and social inequity. The book prompts museums to think about their role in shaping alternative and novel narratives for our future. Cultivating Futures Thinking in Museums will primarily appeal to museum professionals, inspiring and informing them to adopt practices to further futures literacies. It will also appeal to academics, researchers, and students with an interest in museums, futures, design, contemporary art, curating, and cultural studies.