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.
Can a ragtag group of exhibit people inspire Chicago museums to become more diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive?
On September 9, 2019, The International Council of Museums (ICOM) will vote on whether to adopt a new definition of “museum.” With 40,000 professionals in over 141 countries, ICOM is well positioned to foster a new international consensus on the definition of a museum.
An interview with leaders of Chicagoland Alliance of Museums with Pride (CAMP) When I first moved to Chicago and started pursuing a career in museums, I questioned whether I would be embraced for my whole identity in my workplace. The more I engaged with the Chicagoland Alliance of Museums with Pride (CAMP), the more I... Continue Reading →
The back entrance to Art of Native America On my last visit to NYC to see my parents, my mom and I headed to the Met to check out the Art of Native America. I was particularly excited to see this exhibit because it is the first time that the Met has displayed Native American... Continue Reading →
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 →
Have you ever overheard a museum professional make a statement like, “while I know it's important to make sure wheelchair users can get around, the wide aisles really interrupt the flow of the space.” However well-intentioned, statements like these miss the power and importance of making museums welcoming, inclusive, and accessible. At the most recent... Continue Reading →
According to Professor Deborah Gray White, “African American women are confronted with an impossible task. If she is rescued from the myth of the negro, the myth of the woman traps her. If she escapes the myth of the women, the myth of the negro still ensnares her.” Given the dynamics between blackness and womanhood... 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.
London, Sugar, and Slavery exhibit at the Museum of London Docklands I read about the London, Sugar, and Slavery exhibit at the Museum of London Docklands in this blog post a couple of weeks ago and, as a scholar of Atlantic slavery and museology, I was itching to see it. I got the opportunity to visit... Continue Reading →
American Perceptionalism 