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The blooloop 50 museum influencer list 2021

2021 has seen the world’s museums and cultural attractions facing up to the ongoing challenge of COVID-19, as the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the sector.

A recent survey by The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) found that up to 15% of its member institutions were at risk of closure.

However, there are glimmers of hope, and a gradual recovery is underway as museums and cultural attractions reopen and look to “recover better”. The AAM’s same survey in 2020 reported that 30% of its members were at risk of closure, so in a sense, the situation is, if still challenging, a little less bleak.

Our second blooloop 50 Museum Influencer List is launched in association with our friends at Imagine Exhibitions, a world leader in designing and producing international exhibitions for museums, science centres and other attractions. The list will highlight 50 key individuals whose innovation and creativity have been instrumental in guiding museums through another challenging year.

Who do you think has made real change or been a powerful influence this year?

young girl at museum with exhibits

Imagine Exhibitions logo

The dedication, passion, and resilience I saw museum leaders demonstrate this year has transformed our industry.

Tom Zaller

“Imagine Exhibitions are proud to support The Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer list. Museums play a crucial role in our communities and culture and they have just faced a year of incredible challenges. The dedication, passion, and resilience that I saw museum leaders demonstrate in this year has no doubt transformed our industry in myriad ways.

“As we are beginning to emerge from a time of crisis, museums must continue to provide safe spaces for dialogue and reflection and collective healing. The influencers on this list represent the strength, creativity, and innovation that is a hallmark of our field, now and as we move into the future.”

President & CEO, Tom Zaller, Imagine Exhibitions

2021 has seen the world’s museums and cultural attractions facing up to the ongoing challenge of COVID-19, as the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the sector.

A recent survey by The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) found that up to 15% of its member institutions were at risk of closure.

However, there are glimmers of hope, and a gradual recovery is underway as museums and cultural attractions reopen and look to “recover better”. The AAM’s same survey in 2020 reported that 30% of its members were at risk of closure, so in a sense, the situation is, if still challenging, a little less bleak.

Our second blooloop 50 Museum Influencer List is launched in association with our friends at Imagine Exhibitions, a world leader in designing and producing international exhibitions for museums, science centres and other attractions. The list will highlight 50 key individuals whose innovation and creativity have been instrumental in guiding museums through another challenging year.

Who do you think has made real change or been a powerful influence this year?

young girl at museum with exhibits

Imagine Exhibitions logo

The dedication, passion, and resilience I saw museum leaders demonstrate this year has transformed our industry.

Tom Zaller

“Imagine Exhibitions are proud to support The Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer list. Museums play a crucial role in our communities and culture and they have just faced a year of incredible challenges. The dedication, passion, and resilience that I saw museum leaders demonstrate in this year has no doubt transformed our industry in myriad ways.

“As we are beginning to emerge from a time of crisis, museums must continue to provide safe spaces for dialogue and reflection and collective healing. The influencers on this list represent the strength, creativity, and innovation that is a hallmark of our field, now and as we move into the future.”

President & CEO, Tom Zaller, Imagine Exhibitions

​The dedication, passion, and resilience I saw museum leaders demonstrate this year has transformed our industry.

-Tom Zaller

Mallika Ahluwalia Partition Museum

Mallika Ahluwalia

CEO, Curator

Partition Museum

sharon ament Museum of London

Sharon Ament

Director

Museum of London

sofie andersen the met

Sofie Andersen

Head of Digital Content and Editorial

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

stephanie bailes cade museum.

Stephanie Bailes

President and Executive Director

Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

laurence-des-cars-musee-louvre-paris

Laurence des Cars

President

The Louvre

seb chan museum influencer

Sebastian Chan

Chief Experience Officer

ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Doryun Chong M+ Museum Hong Kong

Doryun Chong

Deputy Director and Chief Curator

M+

charlotte Coates blooloop

Charlotte Coates

Editor, Blooloop

Piotr_Cywinski auschwitz memorial museum

Piotr Cywinski

Director

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

juliana delaney ceo continuum

Juliana Delaney

CEO

Continuum Attractions

Whitney Donhauser Museum of the City of New York

Whitney Donhauser

Director & President

The Museum of the City of New York

larry dubinski franklin institute blooloop

Larry Dubinski

President & CEO

The Franklin Institute

max dunbar manchester jewish museum

Max Dunbar

CEO

Manchester Jewish Museum

catherine franche ecsite blooloop 50 museum influencer

Catherine Franche

Executive Director

ECSITE

Dominic Hare CEO Blenheim Palace

Dominic Hare

CEO

Blenheim Palace

honor harger

Honor Harger

Executive Director

ArtScience Museum

robert harris greensboro

Robert Harris

Curator of Exhibits

Greensboro History Museum

marie hobson victoria and Albert museum

Marie Hobson

Senior Manager - Audience Research and Insight

Victoria and Albert Museum

Marci-Howdyshell cosi

Marci Howdyshell

Senior Director of Scientific Research and Content

COSI

brad irwin natural history museum

Brad Irwin

Head of Global Engagement

Natural History Museum

sandra jackson dumont lucas museum

Sandra Jackson-Dumont

Director & CEO

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Koyo Kouoh Zeitz MOCAA

Koyo Kouoh

Executive Director and Chief Curator

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

ike kwon california academy of sciences

Ike Kwon

Chief Operating Officer and Head of Government Affairs

California Academy of Sciences

christian lachel brc imagination arts blooloop

Christian Lachel

Chief Creative Officer

BRC Imagination Arts

Eric Langham Darren Barker

Darren Barker and Eric Langham

Founders

Barker Langham

gail lord museum influencer blooloop

Gail Lord

President & Co-Founder

Lord Cultural Services

Laura Lott AAM

Laura Lott

CEO

American Alliance of Museums

chris mather

Chris Mather

CEO & Founder

Mather & Co

Amanda Mayne British Museum

Amanda Mayne

International Engagement Manager

British Museum

michelle mcgrath museum as much blooloop

Michelle McGrath

Founder

Museum as Muck

elizabeth-merritt-Future-proofing-museums-x

Elizabeth Merritt

VP Strategic Foresight, & Founding Director

American Association of Museums

boris micka museum influencer blooloop

Boris Micka

Founder and Director

Boris Micka Associates

cristofer nelson astc museum influencer

Christofer Nelson

President and Chief Executive Officer

Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)

kellen nixon museum influencer blooloop

Kellen Nixon

Principal

Nixon & Co.

peter quinlan museum influencer

Peter Quinlan

Design Director

KidZibits

suhanya raffel M+

Suhanya Raffel

Museum Director

M+

Tim Reeve headshot

Tim Reeve

Deputy Director and COO

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

Chuck-Roberts-thinkwell

Chuck Roberts

Senior Art Director

Thinkwell Group

ed rodley museum influencer blooloop

Ed Rodley

Co-founder and Principal

The Experience Alchemists

axel ruger royal academy of arts

Axel Rüger

Secretary and CEO

Royal Academy of Arts

Linda Spurdle Birmingham Museums

Linda Spurdle

Digital Development Manager

Birmingham Museums Trust

Taylor Gentry Stoermer

Taylor Gentry Stoermer

Lecturer in Museum Studies

Johns Hopkins University

eugene_tan national_gallery_singapore

Eugene Tan

Director

National Gallery Singapore

phillip tefft Ralph appelbaum associates blooloop

Phillip Tefft

Director, London Studio

Ralph Appelbaum Associates

philip tinari

Philip Tinari

Director

UCCA Center for Contemporary Art

Jennifer-Grant-Warner Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Jennifer Grant Warner

President & CEO

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Stephen Watson National WWII Museum

Stephen Watson

CEO

National WWII Museum

Joseph Wisne

Joseph Wisne

President

Roto

Zahira Zaandam museum influencer blooloop

Zahira Zaandam

Project Leader, diversity and inclusion

Dordrechts Museum

Tom Zaller Headshot

Tom Zaller

President and CEO , Imagine

charlotte Coates blooloop

Charlotte Coates

Editor, Blooloop

corinne estrada museum influencer list

Corinne Estrada

CEO/Founder, Communicating the Arts

Eric Longo headshot

Eric Longo

Programme Director, Communicating the Arts

charlie blooloop

Charles Read

Managing Director, Blooloop

joyoti roy museum influencer judge

Joyoti Roy

Head of Marketing and Strategy, CSMVS

annette welkamp blooloop museum influencer judge

Annette Welkamp

Director, Culture Counsel

Tom Zaller Headshot

Tom Zaller

President and CEO , Imagine