I want to hear from you -- what are some exhibitions, programs, pop-ups or projects you've worked on that help bridge social or political divides and bring people together?
I’d say a pop up exhibition that we hosted at The Australian National Maritime Museum as part of Festival of Sydney. It was from the Museum of Empathy in London and was called “A mile in my Shoes”. Visitors borrowed a pair of shoes belonging to a person and listened to their recorded story about being a migrant or refugee to Australia. Many visitors came back and back to hear more stories - all quite moving really. It made you think through someone else’s eyes (or shoes).
Lyndall, I appreciate you sharing this. I love that project! I wrote about that in my book. I never got to experience it, though, so it's great to hear your perspective.
I think that stories and storytelling play a powerful role in bridging people across perceived divides -- there is something deeply human about listening to and sharing stories that taps into the shared lived experiences and emotions that we have. When I think back to the projects I worked on in museums, I think the one that brought people together the most was Object Stories, a series of rotating community storytelling exhibitions that went for 10 years at the Portland Art Museum (and there were a few particular exhibitions within that project that really connected people in human ways). Also helped people build empathy for others.
In terms of actual bridging work, I am not sure how much people are doing. In terms of working in that direction, there are quite a few people working towards it. I've been learning a lot about bridging work from orgs that are doing this full time, so my standards may be higher. One of the things that I have been advocating for is that museums can see doing bridging work as another way to approach civic engagement that (or in addition to) advocacy and direct action. The idea of doing bridging work - and the term of bridging - seems to be new to most museums. Groups like the Bridge Alliance are the kinds of things I'm trying to introduce to museum folks. So. There is lots to discuss, but I'm not sure how far most museums are down this path.
Thanks for sharing these additional thoughts. I agree that this does not seem to be happening much in the museum field, but I think museums have a lot of potential to be bridging spaces (and to get much more involved in civic education/engagement). I worked on some projects back in 2016 when I was at the Portland Art Museum (including "Have Conversations Here") where I also reached out to non-museum civic engagement groups for support and co-thinking.
Recently, I've been introducing myself to the work of Braver Angels (https://braverangels.org/) and the work of Monica Guzman (her book is fantastic!). I'll have to check out the Bridge Alliance.
Yes! Braver Angels is doing excellent work. There are many organizations that are in the bridging space - and a fair amount of funding there, too - I also started down this path when I was at Ford's Theatre thinking about how we could work to prevent political violence like what happened at the theatre in 1865. I ended up getting involved with a group called the Civic Collaboratory that convenes folks working on civic issues from many different angles, and that is where I've gotten to know many of these folks (though actually not the Braver Angels - I just happened upon them when they were still Better Angels, before they got sued by Ken Burns's film company!
I work with you on a variety of projects that cross over between cultural, place based, and ecological (through our artnatureplace.com work) - and two kinds of projects came to mind when I saw this post.
The first is the work we have done over the years with Monument Lab -
In both cases one of the biggest goals we had was to create the kinds of questions and prompts that provided space for folks who entering these issues from all kinds of different perspectives to have ways to reflect in meaningful ways. I especially remember having conversations in connection to the Museum Guide about providing entry points for those who have either never been to a museum or are uncomfortable in one. We've since used these (especially the Monument themed one) with younger students in class workshops to explore public monuments and work towards the co-created murals/monuments for their own schools.
The other projects I think of in terms of bridging is the educational work we've done in partnership with Confluence on the series of public monuments to the land and Indigenous cultures, ecologies, and histories along the Columbia River. These works (mostly by Maya Linn) are themselves bridging works, providing reflection spaces for these significant sites (for local tribes, but also within the context of Lewis and Clark). These educational guides were a lot about creating accessible entry points for reflecting on these spaces, including simply slowing down and observing more closely. Here are some examples:
( There has been some amazing bridging work within our school partnerships too! Incredible teachers who have been working with elementary students to center marginalized stories, better understand their place and community, and continue to grow with curiosity).
I loved the Monument Lab field trip guide and had no idea you were involved! We used it as a model when I was at Ford's Theatre, where one of our summer institutes was all about monuments and memorialization in DC.
That's amazing! We love hearing how they are used. Mike and I were hired by Monument Lab to work with them on both of the projects. Mike established the look for them - and much of what's involved in both of them is Mike's drawings and pedagogical design.
Broadly speaking, it's connected with our many projects with environmental- and place-based nonprofits and city agencies: https://artnatureplace.com/projects
Hi Mike, I'm all for exploring complex and multilayered issues within (art) museum contexts. I think this work is really important. BUT... When there are conflicting perspectives that visitors to community engagement programs want to express and emotions become heightened, how do other museums maintain safe physical, emotional and psychological spaces for artists, staff and visitors? I'm really interested to hear some strategies that museum workers have used to resolve this.
Christine, I appreciate you sharing this question and concern. It is a very real thing, and I hope we can talk about this more and pull in thinking from others who have experienced this and found ways to navigate it.
Thanks for sharing this project, Deirdre. I really like some of the question that are used to create connection rather than highlight division or difference. I'd be curious to know if projects like this actually help change people's thinking at all.
Hi Mike - I am not working with specific organizations that are doing this work at the moment, but I am deeply hooked into "bridging organizations" in the civic space, and I just facilitated a session about bridging, activism, and determining your authentic civic lane as an organization, for the AAM Future of Museums summit with colleagues from NMAH, Chicago History Museum, Made By Us, and the Aspen Institute Citizenship and Identity Program. Happy to find a time to talk more. I'd love to know more about what you are learning. (Made By Us is also leaning into these conversations.)
Sarah, I had also meant to ask if you would highlight any specific institutions or projects that you've come across that would be good to call out here. Are there specific projects that NMAH or Chicago History is doing that would be good to share? Thanks in advance.
that sounds fantastic (I've actually heard others rave about that session). Is there any recording of that session? Sounds really useful for so many folks working in museums right now.
It would be great to talk more. You're doing really important work for the field -- thank you!
In terms of recording, I think the sessions that were recorded are available to those who registered. Not sure about more. We could always do a repeat for a different audience! The people involved are very committed. One of the things that interested me about response is the number of exhibition developers who have expressed interest - I tend to imagine it will be primarily educators and other programs folks.
Flips, quite a bit. Here's just a couple of projects I'm involved in at the moment, and a couple more I am watching with interest happening in Northern Ireland alone.
Gemma, thanks for sharing these projects! You are doing some truly incredible work there through your Quarto Collective and communities in Northern Ireland. I encourage people to check out your work through these links, and the projects at National Museums NI and Linen Hall. Powerful projects working through complex histories of conflict and division as well as cooperation, healing, and peace.
I’d say a pop up exhibition that we hosted at The Australian National Maritime Museum as part of Festival of Sydney. It was from the Museum of Empathy in London and was called “A mile in my Shoes”. Visitors borrowed a pair of shoes belonging to a person and listened to their recorded story about being a migrant or refugee to Australia. Many visitors came back and back to hear more stories - all quite moving really. It made you think through someone else’s eyes (or shoes).
Lyndall, I appreciate you sharing this. I love that project! I wrote about that in my book. I never got to experience it, though, so it's great to hear your perspective.
I think that stories and storytelling play a powerful role in bridging people across perceived divides -- there is something deeply human about listening to and sharing stories that taps into the shared lived experiences and emotions that we have. When I think back to the projects I worked on in museums, I think the one that brought people together the most was Object Stories, a series of rotating community storytelling exhibitions that went for 10 years at the Portland Art Museum (and there were a few particular exhibitions within that project that really connected people in human ways). Also helped people build empathy for others.
In terms of actual bridging work, I am not sure how much people are doing. In terms of working in that direction, there are quite a few people working towards it. I've been learning a lot about bridging work from orgs that are doing this full time, so my standards may be higher. One of the things that I have been advocating for is that museums can see doing bridging work as another way to approach civic engagement that (or in addition to) advocacy and direct action. The idea of doing bridging work - and the term of bridging - seems to be new to most museums. Groups like the Bridge Alliance are the kinds of things I'm trying to introduce to museum folks. So. There is lots to discuss, but I'm not sure how far most museums are down this path.
Thanks for sharing these additional thoughts. I agree that this does not seem to be happening much in the museum field, but I think museums have a lot of potential to be bridging spaces (and to get much more involved in civic education/engagement). I worked on some projects back in 2016 when I was at the Portland Art Museum (including "Have Conversations Here") where I also reached out to non-museum civic engagement groups for support and co-thinking.
Recently, I've been introducing myself to the work of Braver Angels (https://braverangels.org/) and the work of Monica Guzman (her book is fantastic!). I'll have to check out the Bridge Alliance.
Yes! Braver Angels is doing excellent work. There are many organizations that are in the bridging space - and a fair amount of funding there, too - I also started down this path when I was at Ford's Theatre thinking about how we could work to prevent political violence like what happened at the theatre in 1865. I ended up getting involved with a group called the Civic Collaboratory that convenes folks working on civic issues from many different angles, and that is where I've gotten to know many of these folks (though actually not the Braver Angels - I just happened upon them when they were still Better Angels, before they got sued by Ken Burns's film company!
I work with you on a variety of projects that cross over between cultural, place based, and ecological (through our artnatureplace.com work) - and two kinds of projects came to mind when I saw this post.
The first is the work we have done over the years with Monument Lab -
The Museum Field Trip Guide: https://artnatureplace.com/projects/monument-lab-museum-guide
And the Monument Field Trip Guide: https://artnatureplace.com/projects/monument-lab-field-trip-guide
In both cases one of the biggest goals we had was to create the kinds of questions and prompts that provided space for folks who entering these issues from all kinds of different perspectives to have ways to reflect in meaningful ways. I especially remember having conversations in connection to the Museum Guide about providing entry points for those who have either never been to a museum or are uncomfortable in one. We've since used these (especially the Monument themed one) with younger students in class workshops to explore public monuments and work towards the co-created murals/monuments for their own schools.
The other projects I think of in terms of bridging is the educational work we've done in partnership with Confluence on the series of public monuments to the land and Indigenous cultures, ecologies, and histories along the Columbia River. These works (mostly by Maya Linn) are themselves bridging works, providing reflection spaces for these significant sites (for local tribes, but also within the context of Lewis and Clark). These educational guides were a lot about creating accessible entry points for reflecting on these spaces, including simply slowing down and observing more closely. Here are some examples:
- https://artnatureplace.com/projects/confluence-vancouver-land-bridge
- https://artnatureplace.com/projects/confluence-story-circles
- https://artnatureplace.com/projects/confluence-sandy-river-field-guide
( There has been some amazing bridging work within our school partnerships too! Incredible teachers who have been working with elementary students to center marginalized stories, better understand their place and community, and continue to grow with curiosity).
I loved the Monument Lab field trip guide and had no idea you were involved! We used it as a model when I was at Ford's Theatre, where one of our summer institutes was all about monuments and memorialization in DC.
That's amazing! We love hearing how they are used. Mike and I were hired by Monument Lab to work with them on both of the projects. Mike established the look for them - and much of what's involved in both of them is Mike's drawings and pedagogical design.
Broadly speaking, it's connected with our many projects with environmental- and place-based nonprofits and city agencies: https://artnatureplace.com/projects
Hi Mike, I'm all for exploring complex and multilayered issues within (art) museum contexts. I think this work is really important. BUT... When there are conflicting perspectives that visitors to community engagement programs want to express and emotions become heightened, how do other museums maintain safe physical, emotional and psychological spaces for artists, staff and visitors? I'm really interested to hear some strategies that museum workers have used to resolve this.
Christine, I appreciate you sharing this question and concern. It is a very real thing, and I hope we can talk about this more and pull in thinking from others who have experienced this and found ways to navigate it.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/middleground
The partnership with Urban Alchemy brings it all together.
Thanks for sharing this project, Deirdre. I really like some of the question that are used to create connection rather than highlight division or difference. I'd be curious to know if projects like this actually help change people's thinking at all.
Thanks for sharing this - really interesting!
Hi Mike - I am not working with specific organizations that are doing this work at the moment, but I am deeply hooked into "bridging organizations" in the civic space, and I just facilitated a session about bridging, activism, and determining your authentic civic lane as an organization, for the AAM Future of Museums summit with colleagues from NMAH, Chicago History Museum, Made By Us, and the Aspen Institute Citizenship and Identity Program. Happy to find a time to talk more. I'd love to know more about what you are learning. (Made By Us is also leaning into these conversations.)
Sarah, I had also meant to ask if you would highlight any specific institutions or projects that you've come across that would be good to call out here. Are there specific projects that NMAH or Chicago History is doing that would be good to share? Thanks in advance.
that sounds fantastic (I've actually heard others rave about that session). Is there any recording of that session? Sounds really useful for so many folks working in museums right now.
It would be great to talk more. You're doing really important work for the field -- thank you!
In terms of recording, I think the sessions that were recorded are available to those who registered. Not sure about more. We could always do a repeat for a different audience! The people involved are very committed. One of the things that interested me about response is the number of exhibition developers who have expressed interest - I tend to imagine it will be primarily educators and other programs folks.
Flips, quite a bit. Here's just a couple of projects I'm involved in at the moment, and a couple more I am watching with interest happening in Northern Ireland alone.
https://www.quartocollective.com/projects/agreement
https://www.quartocollective.com/projects/our-places-our-pasts-our-perspectives
https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/inclusive-global-histories
https://www.linenhall.com/borders-and-boundaries-project/
I love these examples! Thanks for sharing!
Gemma, thanks for sharing these projects! You are doing some truly incredible work there through your Quarto Collective and communities in Northern Ireland. I encourage people to check out your work through these links, and the projects at National Museums NI and Linen Hall. Powerful projects working through complex histories of conflict and division as well as cooperation, healing, and peace.