I am a huge believer in the power of participation to transform museums for the better. But, over and over, I’ve seen well-intentioned museum staff make lots of small decisions that they feel will protect their institutions, but add up to undermine their community engagement processes.
I reached out to a bunch of talented museum professionals and asked them to tell me about their favorite virtual experiences of the year. Here's what they said...
In the past few years, I have observed an increasing number of museums reinvent themselves as activist museums. Activist museums espouse an explicit agenda and offer visitors concrete ways to create social change. While I am heartened by the trend of activist museums, museums still have a long way to go to gain the trust... Continue Reading →
The Museum of Trans Hirstory & Art (MOTHA) is a series of radical art installation projects by artist Chris E. Vargas. The series is currently in it’s fifth iteration, Consciousness Razing—The Stonewall Re-Memorialization Project, housed at the New Museum. I was fortunate to hear Vargas speak about his work at the University of Chicago. A recording... Continue Reading →
Given the content and design of Hope to Nope, I could not have imagined the controversy that would erupt over the exhibit just a few weeks later.
On Thursday night, I headed to the Art Institute of Chicago’s pop up bar at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, “Dear Carmencita.” The bar is inspired by Sargent’s portrait of Carmen Dauset and is a creative way to get new audiences engaged in the exhibit, “John Singer Sargent & Chicago’s Gilded Age.” The bar will... Continue Reading →
American Perceptionalism 