Over the past year, the themes of courage and empathy have repeatedly come into my professional life, from watching Ukrainian museums and the Revolution to working with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center on ways to convey emotional, not physical, courage to museum visitors. Increasingly, I find that I am looking inside myself and at the field to see how we can be bolder, how we can invest in communities before a time of crisis when our communities need us. Over the last week, Gretchen Jennings has virtually brought a diverse group of museum bloggers and colleagues together to think about our individual, organizational and field-wide responsibilities in terms of the events in Ferguson, Cleveland and Staten Island. Here's our statement. I hope you'll join all of us (see the full list at the bottom of this post) in this effort.
Joint Statement
from Museum Bloggers and Colleagues on Ferguson and related events
The
recent series of events, from Ferguson to Cleveland and New York, have created
a watershed moment. Things must change. New laws and policies will help, but any movement toward
greater cultural and racial understanding and communication must be supported
by our country’s cultural and educational infrastructure. Museums are a part of
this educational and cultural network. What should be our role(s)?
Schools and
other arts organizations are rising to the challenge. University law schools are hosting seminars on Ferguson.
Colleges are addressing greater cultural and racial understanding in various
courses. National education organizations and individual teachers are
developing relevant curriculum resources, including the #FergusonSyllabus project initiated by Dr. Marcia
Chatelain. Artists and arts
organizations are
contributing their spaces and their creative energies. And pop culture icons,
from basketball players to rock stars, are making highly visible commentary
with their clothes and voices.
Where do
museums fit in? Some might say that only museums with specific African American
collections have a role, or perhaps only museums
situated in the communities where these events have occurred. As mediators of culture, all museums should commit to identifying how they can connect to
relevant contemporary issues irrespective of collection, focus, or mission.
We are a
community of museum bloggers who write from a variety of perspectives and
museum disciplines. Yet our posts
contain similar phrases such as
“21st century museums,” “changing museum paradigms,”
“inclusiveness,” “co-curation,” “participatory” and “the museum as forum.” We believe that strong connections
should exist between museums and their communities. Forging those connections
means listening and responding to those we serve and those we wish to
serve.
There is hardly
a community in the U.S. that is untouched by the reverberations emanating from
Ferguson and its aftermath. Therefore we believe that museums everywhere should
get involved. What should be our role--as institutions
that claim to conduct their activities for the public benefit--in
the face of ongoing struggles for greater social justice both at the local and
national level?
We urge museums
to consider these questions by first looking within. Is there equity and
diversity in your policy and practice regarding staff, volunteers, and Board
members? Are staff members talking about Ferguson and the deeper issues it
raises? How do these issues relate to the mission and audience of your
museum? Do you have volunteers?
What are they thinking and saying? How can the museum help volunteers and
partners address their own questions about race, violence, and community?
We urge museums
to look to their communities. Are there civic organizations in your area that
are hosting conversations? Could you offer your auditorium as a meeting place?
Could your director or other senior staff join local initiatives on this topic?
If your museum has not until now been involved in community discussions, you
may be met at first with suspicion as to your intentions. But now is a great
time to start being involved.
Join with your
community in addressing these issues. Museums may offer a unique range of
resources and support to civic groups that are hoping to organize workshops or
public conversations. Museums may want to use this moment not only to “respond”
but also to “invest” in conversations and partnerships that call out inequity
and racism and commit to positive change.
We invite you
to join us in amplifying this statement. As of now, only the Association of
African American Museums has issued a formal statement about the larger issues
related to Ferguson, Cleveland and Staten Island. We believe that the silence
of other museum organizations sends a message that these issues are the concern
only of African Americans and African American Museums. We know that this is
not the case. We are seeing in a variety of media – blogs, public statements,
and conversations on Twitter and Facebook---that colleagues of all racial and
ethnic backgrounds are concerned and are seeking guidance and dialogue in
understanding the role of museums regarding these troubling events. We hope
that organizations such as the American Alliance of
Museums; the Association of Science-Technology Centers; the Association of Children’s Museums; the American Association for State and Local History and others, will join us in acknowledging
the connections between our institutions and the social justice issues
highlighted by Ferguson and related events.
You can join us
by...
● Posting and sharing this statement on
your organization’s website or social media
● Contributing to and following the
Twitter tag #museumsrespondtoFerguson which is growing daily
● Checking out Art Museum Teaching
which has a regularly updated resource, Teaching #Ferguson: Connecting with Resources
● Sharing additional resources in the
comments
● Asking your professional organization
to respond
● Checking out the programs at The Missouri History Museum.It has held programs related to
Ferguson since August and is planning more for 2015.
● Looking at the website for International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. They are developing information on
how to conduct community conversations on race.
Participating Bloggers and Colleagues
Gretchen Jennings, Museum Commons
Aletheia Wittman and Rose Paquet Kinsley, The Incluseum
Aleia Brown, AleiaBrown.org
Steven Lubar, On Public Humanities
Porchia Moore, Cultural Heritage Informatics Librarian at the University of
South Carolina and Regular Contributor for Inclusuem
Mike Murawski, Art Museum Teaching
South Carolina and Regular Contributor for Inclusuem
Mike Murawski, Art Museum Teaching
Linda Norris, The Uncataloged Museum
Paul Orselli ExhibiTricks: A Museum/Exhibit/Design Blog
Ed Rodley, Thinking About Museums
Adrianne Russell, Cabinet of Curiosities
Nina Simon, Museum 2.0
Rainey Tisdale, CityStories
Jeanne Vergeront Museum Notes
Image: Author and activist Kevin Powell moderated a town hall meeting on issues concerning events in Ferguson, Missouri, at the Missouri History Museum on August 25.
