Museums have long considered themselves above the fray of the political. But the past 18 months have brought unexpected challenges, and leaders across the country are being confronted with an urgent question: How do museums reconceive their missions at a time of great societal reckoning around race and gender, and as more diverse audiences demand a voice and a sense of accountability?
Author: Dana
Museums as Safe Spaces or Comfort Zones
“And as museums open up for participation around collections, documentation, program activities and exhibitions, a key ingredient is trust. With trust contribution, collaboration and co-creation is possible. If museums are perceived as safe spaces for contribution and collaboration, if the audience trusts the museum, it is possible to achieve real social impact in society.”
https://medium.com/@kajsahartig/museums-as-safe-spaces-or-comfort-zones-some-thoughts-37aaaad0b535
Decolonizing the Art Museum: The Next Wave
“Art can illuminate the fissures in society and in return offer opportunities for healing. But should artists be the only ones to bear the brunt of this responsibility? If museums want to continue to have a place, they must stop seeing activists as antagonists. They must position themselves as learning communities, not impenetrable centers of self-validating authority.”
By Olga Viso—Ms. Viso is an independent curator and museum consultant, and a former museum director.
A New Illustrated Database for Women Artists Spans the 15th to 19th Centuries
A Space of Their Own aims to compile the most comprehensive resource to date for information on female artists active in the United States and Europe during this time.
A New Illustrated Database for Women Artists Spans the 15th to 19th Centuries
Museum Women: Why Are We Tolerating This?
Museum Women: Why Are We Tolerating This?
Image: Most Frequent Forms of Gender Discrimination (in the museum workplace), from THE SURVEY: Gender Equity in the Museum Workplace, conducted by Anne W. Ackerson and Joan Baldwin, 2018.
The Role of Artists in Gentrification: Linking the Art World to Resistance Movements
How Do Museums Protect Their Collections From Fire Risk?
Drone view of the remnants of Rio de Janeiro’s treasured National Museum
Mauro Pimentel/Getty Images
https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/09/museum-fire-risk-how-do-they-protect-collections-from-fire-and-water-damage.html
CMA Creates New Group of LGBTQ Patrons
This New Museum Doesn’t want Instagram or Crowds
This new museum doesn’t want Instagram or crowds. Does that make it elitist?
August 30, 2018 at 3:58 PM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/entertainment/museums/this-new-museum-doesnt-want-instagram-or-crowds-does-that-make-it-elitist/2018/08/30/eaf0028a-aa2b-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html
Preserving Plastic
These Cultural Treasures Are Made of Plastic. Now They’re Falling Apart.
Museum conservators are racing to figure out how to preserve modern artworks and historical objects that are disintegrating.