Believe it or not, the future of our nation may rest on how museums in the United States perform in 2026. 

We must deliver content about the 250th anniversary of our nation and its democracy that is thoughtful and comprehensive. We must make access to museums within reach of all Americans. And finally, museums must issue a challenge to the communities we serve: It’s time to know your nation’s history, if for no other reason than that it is our only path to building a more perfect union.

It’s tempting to be dispirited as a museum professional these days. Headlines about a highly partisan political environment, a cynical public, and a tidal wave of industrial and cultural change driven by AI might lead one to think that museums have been relegated to the sidelines of our nation’s future.   

Yet museums are among the most trusted institutions in our nation, scoring well above the government, the media, and non-governmental organizations on perceived credibility, trustworthiness, and not having a political agenda.

At The New York Historical, as part of our programming to mark the 250th, we commissioned a poll to better understand how museums can leverage the trust they inspire to address the national frustration. There was much to cover — and we focused on asking Americans how they are feeling about the upcoming birthday of their nation and its democracy, as opposed to what they think of museums or what would most attract attention. Administered by Lincoln Park Strategies, it surveyed more than 2,000 US residents (with 43% identifying as moderate, 26% “liberal” or “very liberal,” and 28% “conservative” or “very conservative”).

The poll results are compelling yet not surprising. Forty-two percent of Americans think the nation is hopelessly divided and will likely never be united again, and 45% say it's just a rough patch and that things will get better eventually. When it comes to living up to our democratic ideals, more respondents would give us an F (12%) than an A (11%). Merely 9% think the Founders would be very happy with how the legislative and judicial branches have evolved. Finally, most think we need to do much more to teach civics and history to schoolchildren.

Discontent with today’s governance crosses generations. Asked which decade of their life was the best in terms of how the country was doing, no group chose the last 10 years, and the most overall favored decade was the 1990s (the ’80s was the narrow favorite of the Gen Xers and Boomers). 

We also asked how the Constitution and our government has and will serve Americans based on gender, age, and class, and there is broad agreement that White men have been favored by the current system over the last 50 years (84% says they are treated “reasonably” or “very” well), compared to people of color (48%) and lower-income Americans (38%). Respondents do not think these groups will be treated much differently by the Constitution and government over the next 50 years. 

It would be easy to view these figures through a negative lens, yet there is also reason to be inspired. These figures reflect an idealistic population that is frustrated, wants more unity, and understands the principles of our democracy. 

Facade banner of The New York Historical on Manhattan's Central Park West promoting the museum's year of 250th anniversary exhibitions (photo courtesy The New York Historical)

This American idealism isn’t new. On July 9, 1776, George Washington ordered that the new Declaration of Independence be read to the Continental Army in Lower Manhattan; later that day, inspired by hearing the words spoken aloud, soldiers and sailors tore down a statue of King George III in Bowling Green. Idealism runs through our history. We currently have on display at our museum a 1774 petition written by enslaved Massachusetts residents asking for one day a week of freedom to earn their own wages. The invocation of our ideals helped fuel the turn-of-the-century women’s suffrage movement, Americans rallying to fight fascism, and even the flags and patriotism of my own progressive neighborhood in Brooklyn following September 11. 

America’s cultural landscape is perfectly designed for museums to harness this idealism and deepen citizens’ engagement with and knowledge of our nation’s history. With over 35,000 museums, our field is large and extremely diverse — reflecting the same of our nation — and there will be no one central place or way to celebrate. Nor should there be. 

In terms of content, our museums are meeting the moment. There are hundreds of major displays related to the 250th across the nation, with each institution flexing its own muscles. At The New York Historical, we are starting the year by leaning on archival items that illustrate the rhetoric and ideals that fueled the Declaration of Independence and by presenting a display of 150 years of immigration photography. The Moab Museum in Utah will soon have a 250th exhibition on the stories of the Colorado Plateau region. The Idaho State Museum will present America We Celebrate, a show on the traditions that have brought Americans, and Idahoans, together. In Massachusetts, the Concord Museum is returning to the material evidence of the Revolution itself, reexamining iconic 1775 objects. Every state has multiple contributions. And the large museums in our large cities each have compelling exhibitions, with accompanying concerts, programs, and more. 

Museum leaders know that just because we build it doesn’t mean that visitors will come. This is why messaging matters — as does operations – in the year ahead.

We must innovate to generate visitors, including making it easier and more engaging to visit museums. We can start by staying open later. While most museums in Europe accommodate visitors' schedules and are open late on multiple evenings, many American museums follow bankers’ hours. Music, food, and booze help, too. When I was leading marketing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, two small additions — jazz music and drink specials — almost tripled Friday and Saturday evening attendance and delivered a younger, more diverse audience.

When we invite visitors into our museums, we must resist the pull to simply commemorate and instead communicate the relevance of our history. We must not smooth over conflicts. The public is better served by and attracted to accurate descriptions of the challenges of building our nation.  

I faced this question recently when, in a recent meeting, we needed copy for our façade banners announcing our 250th exhibitions. Bantering catchy titles on the Declaration or the 250th, we settled on a wordplay of sorts: “Democracy Lives Here.”

America’s museums inspire trust in a nation where citizens are lamenting the gap between the ideals of our democracy and the actions of our government. Museums can and must provide a critical means to sustain the idealism of Americans, so that we can continue to build a more perfect union.

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