5 INTRODUCTION FROM THE DIRECTOR Strategic planning provides a moment to take stock—a time to review an organization’s mission and think deeply about its values, as well as consider its history, recent work, and, importantly, the ways in which it envisions achieving its desired impact in the future During 2021 and 2022, the staff of the Allen Memorial Art Museum, with input from students, faculty, administrators, volunteers, and community members, engaged in this essential work This document sets out where we believe the museum should go, and how we intend to get there, in the coming five years Changes in theMuseumField Simultaneous with our development of this plan, the museum field—like society overall—encountered tremendous challenges in the form of health crises, economic turbulence, and international conflicts At the same time, we experiencedmuch-needed reckonings around racial injustice, a new focus on issues of gender equity and accessibility, concerns relating to ownership of cultural property, attention to proper acknowledgment of Indigenous and other groups, changes to higher education, and continuing environmental vulnerabilities due to climate change All this has pushedmany in the art andmuseum fields to think in newways about how to use our platforms and collections to raise awareness and create positive change Many museums, including the Allen, are putting a renewed focus on equity and access as we engage the public and steward the irreplaceable artworks entrusted to our care so that they can continue to inform and inspire future generations Our Role at Oberlin In tandemwith our thinking about these major issues, the staff at the Allen has focused on supporting the curriculum and larger goals of Oberlin College Over the past several decades, the museum has worked to become ever-more deeply integrated into teaching across almost all disciplines at the College—encompassing the humanities, sciences, and social sciences—and within the Conservatory of Music The Allen certainly contributes to Oberlin College having been recognized, for many decades, as a locus of excellence in the arts and humanities—but what students can learn with and through the collection is much broader than the outcomes of a typical course of study in the visual arts Through our work with an exceptional collection spanningmany of the world’s cultures, multiple media, and 6,000 years, the museum’s talented staffmakes of the Allen a site where students can grapple with matters important both to scholarship and to society, outside the traditional classroom In addition, we engage with students in ways both co- and extra-curricular, by facilitating experiential learning, supporting career-readiness, promoting student-community engagement and alumni connections, and encouraging dialogue on sensitive topics While these aspects of the museum’s work align with the College’s educational goals, they also serve its operational ones, bolstering robust admission, retention, alumni engagement, and philanthropy Moreover, the Allen’s national and international recognition in the arts andmuseum fields engages those who may not otherwise know about the College, broadening the entire institution’s reach and potential Supporting the College’s initiatives and priorities (which indeed align with those of the museum field) is important to us, and you will see in
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