Perspectivist’s Post

🌍 Exploring the Power of Critical Museology 🏛️ As museum professionals, we often find ourselves asking: Whose stories are we telling? Whose voices are we amplifying—or leaving out? These are the questions at the heart of Critical Museology, a field that challenges us to rethink traditional museum practices and embrace inclusivity, equity, and community engagement. Critical Museology goes beyond the display of artifacts. It’s about examining the social, political, and cultural systems that shape our institutions. It calls for museums to not only preserve history but also to address uncomfortable truths, decolonize narratives, and foster dialogues that resonate with all communities. In today’s rapidly changing world, museums have an unprecedented opportunity to be catalysts for social change. By embracing critical museology, we can create spaces that are not only educational but also transformational. Let’s keep this important conversation going! 💬 #Museology #CriticalMuseology #MuseumInnovation #InclusiveMuseums #CulturalHeritage #eminspost #eminmuseum

In a recent comedy bit, Taylor Tomlinson suggested starting museum visits in the gift shop, saying: "I don't want to look like an idiot standing in front of an unimportant piece of art for too long... What made the magnets? What made the postcards? What can I take home with me?" Despite the humorous take, it highlights a critical issue in the museum world. Are we too focused on the masterpieces, missing out on the emotional and educational value of the entire collection? 🎨🏛️ Museums should be spaces of exploration and connection, where every piece can evoke personal responses and inspire us. The obsession with only the famous works can overshadow this. As someone passionate about cultural heritage, I believe we need to shift this perspective. It's important to celebrate all the pieces, famous or not, and encourage visitors to discover the stories and emotions behind them. 🌟 By fostering a more inclusive appreciation, museums can improve our cultural experiences. Let’s make every visit about discovery and connection, not just ticking off the masterpieces. 🌍✨ #MuseumExperience #CulturalHeritage #ArtAppreciation #MuseumVisit

🦉 Dead animals, but make it educational. This summer, I explored the big questions around taxidermy in museums in a series of posts—and now, they’re all in one place, just in case you missed it! In my blog, I unpack: 🧠 The ethical debates behind these displays. 📖 How taxidermy shapes the stories we tell in museums. ⚖️ The balance between preservation and exploitation. Curious? See the comments for the link! Taxidermy may seem like a relic of the past, but since I don’t know a single museum in the UK that doesn’t have SOME form of taxidermy on display, the questions it raises are more relevant than ever to modern museum practices. #Museums #Taxidermy #Heritage #MuseumEthics

⭐ New Report available on our website! “Challenging Narratives, Fostering Empowerment and Collaborative Practice.” How do we acknowledge the wrongs of the past and its legacies, and collectively identify ways to correct those wrongs, especially in profoundly polarized societies? How do we dismantle the entrenched systemic inequities and biases that have historically shaped museums, heritage sites, and cultural institutions worldwide? These are some of the questions discussed during the European Symposium hosted last June by The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience-Europe (ICSC-Europe), National Museums Liverpool (NML) and the Transatlantic Slavery and Legacies in Museums Forum (TSLMF). Our recently published report summarizes  the conversations held during the Symposium, and provides key insights for museums and heritage sites to challenge exclusionary narratives, foster inclusivity, and serve as spaces for dialogue and understanding. 🔎 Access the report in our Resource Center and learn more about the Symposium on our website! #SitesofConscience #Decolonization #Museums #Narratives

🔁Turning dialogue into action! Our member, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, has released a new report: "Challenging Narratives, Fostering Empowerment and Collaborative Practice" It is based on the conversations and collaborative spirit of their European Symposium. Discover how organizations can challenge narratives, foster empowerment and promote inclusivity ⬇️

Methods Talk - Episode 4: Decolonising Manchester Museum with Dr Njabu Chipangura 🎙️ Following on from our recent collaborative object-handling session at Manchester Museum with local African diaspora community groups, we spoke to Dr. Njabu Chipangura about this collaborative approach to re-imagining meanings and explored why such an approach to decolonisation is important. Njabulo is the Museum’s Curator of Living Cultures. He is responsible for the care of more than 25,000 objects from different parts of the world and his work includes building active collaborative provenance research with diaspora and descendant communities.

How do you see museums fulfilling their role as educational, cultural, and preservation institutions in your community? How does fulfilling this role foster trust from your community? Public trust is fundamental to the mission of museums. Museums preserve natural and cultural resources for public benefit, ensuring that collections are accessible for study, enjoyment, and learning. According to the American Alliance of Museums Code of Ethics, museums in the United States are grounded in the tradition of public service, holding their collections and information as a benefit for those they serve. Museums must uphold the highest levels of accountability and transparency to maintain this trust. Key standards include responsible stewardship of resources, identifying and serving community needs, inclusivity, educational commitment, and compliance with legal standards. This is a high bar to clear and an important pillar in our local, state, national, and international communities. When we approach exhibits, we keep this tenant in mind and design in a way that benefits and best serves the interests of every visitor, whose collective trust is critical to the mission and future of museums. 📷 "This is Richmond, Virginia" at The Valentine #exhibitdesign #exhibitiondesign #exhibitdesigners #exhibitiondesigners #trustinmuseums #Americanmuseums #museums #communityresource 

📢 Request for Proposals: Treaty #3 Museum Pre-Feasibility Study 📆 Due: November 20, 2024 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gKvyA9Fh Grand Council Treaty #3 seeks a proposal for a pre-feasibility study to explore the development of a Treaty #3 museum as a hub for cultural preservation, education, and community engagement. The study will engage with communities, elders, and cultural leaders to guide planning, using qualitative methods like interviews and focus groups. It will explore physical and virtual museum models, assess feasibility based on sustainability and cultural alignment, and recommend next steps for development. The proposal will also investigate creating a digital library, ensuring accessibility, and explore repatriation of sacred items held in global museums.

Digital twins technology, widely used in construction, manufacturing, and the energy sector is now gaining traction in the cultural heritage space. With the help of this technology, museums can create virtual replicas of their artifacts and physical environments, and thereby help to preserve their cultural treasures, enhance engagement with visitors, and make museum collections more accessible than ever. In my new article, I explore various aspects of this technology as well as some of the prominent use cases for digital twins in the cultural heritage preservation domain. https://lnkd.in/eRMSEzj2 #DataArtMedia #digitaltwins #3Dscanning #museums 

https://lnkd.in/ey9iJ7tK **Event**European symposium: Challenging narratives, fostering empowerment and collaborative practice Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1DG Date and Time: Thursday 20 June 2024, 10am - 17.30pm RSVP by clicking on the link We are delighted to invite you to join us for a European symposium on 20 June 2024 in Liverpool, a port city that holds vital memory of emigration and transatlantic enslavement. The symposium is hosted by the Transatlantic Slavery and Legacies in Museums Forum in collaboration with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience-Europe and National Museums Liverpool. The symposium offers Forum members the opportunity to engage in a geographically broader dialogue about challenging inherently discriminatory narratives and building empowering and equitable community partnerships. It continues the crucial work of heritage sites as agents of social transformation and active human rights advocates. In Europe, museums, heritage sites and cultural institutions are embracing this role by challenging a range of exclusive narratives related to the legacies of colonialism, patriarchy, enslavement and historical discriminations of all types and serving as spaces for dialogue and civic engagement.