I’d like to see museums bring their Art and experiences to the people instead of a sole model of bringing people to your unwelcoming space and specifically bring your Art to the people in disadvantaged and disinvested neighborhoods. Get your Curators and Insurance Companies in a room and figure it out and they can’t leave without a solution. You have storage full of Art hidden away that can provide inspiration, hope, history and perspective. Bring it out in a Semi trailer or pop up space or even a neighbors home. Invite people personally to see more Art at your space.
I'd like to see museums and cultural spaces be more open to having multiple voices and perspectives on the planning and execution teams- be willing to expand from what already exists and build through collaboration- if anything the world is more connected and people are willing to share their expertise and resources so it is time to take time and make change happen by making these basic changes.
the barriers- lack of want to change- bureaucracy- stickler for the old "comfortable" ways of doing things- scared of the "new" because there is no data to support the success. Not enough space for new voices or jobs for the younger folks. Often times, younger folk do not want to join older museums because there are too many hoops to jump through to get something new going- too many hurdles for no good reason and not enough pay to keep the job - not a sustainable or fun environment to work in.
(speaks from struggling to navigate through museum spaces in India)
I'd like to see the organizations I work with embracing the process of change, collaborative leadership, change in hierarchy model and embracing a community-centered approach. The barriers: Possibly a lack of understanding of what that could looks like for some and the fear of loosing power for the ones who are bigger and /or fund the smaller organizations.
For me it would be great if both visitors and museum staff were the focus, if they were shown appreciation and if their voices shaped the museum experiences. However, I see a barrier to this in the rigid hierarchies and the overly cumbersome communication within and outside the institution. Open and appreciative communication in an interdisciplinary team consisting of colleagues and visitors would be wonderful.
I think it is crucial to put the audience truly truly truly at the center of all museum work. The barrier? The fear to lose one‘s face in front of museum colleagues (for instance when explaining something in a simple and not sophisticated way).
One change I would like to see is a dedication towards understanding and acknowledging our institutional history. A barrier preventing us from that change is the fear of being transparent about where we went wrong, that fear of failure. If we cannot reflect on the mistakes that we made, then how can the communities we aim to serve trust that we will learn from them?
Asking staff, at all levels, to contribute ideas and listen to those ideas. Create a culture where staff is welcome to the decision-making table, and it isn't seen as an affront to leadership. In my opinion, what gets in the way is power hoarding.
Time and commitment are values one must manage just like a budget. There is never enough so one has to decide where to spend it. I wish curators, researchers, communication and mediation teams would spend more time in designing and discussing common challenges/projects. Most of them are too involved in their specific daily routines. Is it their decision?
I’d like to see museums bring their Art and experiences to the people instead of a sole model of bringing people to your unwelcoming space and specifically bring your Art to the people in disadvantaged and disinvested neighborhoods. Get your Curators and Insurance Companies in a room and figure it out and they can’t leave without a solution. You have storage full of Art hidden away that can provide inspiration, hope, history and perspective. Bring it out in a Semi trailer or pop up space or even a neighbors home. Invite people personally to see more Art at your space.
I'd like to see museums and cultural spaces be more open to having multiple voices and perspectives on the planning and execution teams- be willing to expand from what already exists and build through collaboration- if anything the world is more connected and people are willing to share their expertise and resources so it is time to take time and make change happen by making these basic changes.
the barriers- lack of want to change- bureaucracy- stickler for the old "comfortable" ways of doing things- scared of the "new" because there is no data to support the success. Not enough space for new voices or jobs for the younger folks. Often times, younger folk do not want to join older museums because there are too many hoops to jump through to get something new going- too many hurdles for no good reason and not enough pay to keep the job - not a sustainable or fun environment to work in.
(speaks from struggling to navigate through museum spaces in India)
I'd like to see the organizations I work with embracing the process of change, collaborative leadership, change in hierarchy model and embracing a community-centered approach. The barriers: Possibly a lack of understanding of what that could looks like for some and the fear of loosing power for the ones who are bigger and /or fund the smaller organizations.
For me it would be great if both visitors and museum staff were the focus, if they were shown appreciation and if their voices shaped the museum experiences. However, I see a barrier to this in the rigid hierarchies and the overly cumbersome communication within and outside the institution. Open and appreciative communication in an interdisciplinary team consisting of colleagues and visitors would be wonderful.
I really love the term "celebrate" in this context, Mike!
I think it is crucial to put the audience truly truly truly at the center of all museum work. The barrier? The fear to lose one‘s face in front of museum colleagues (for instance when explaining something in a simple and not sophisticated way).
One change I would like to see is a dedication towards understanding and acknowledging our institutional history. A barrier preventing us from that change is the fear of being transparent about where we went wrong, that fear of failure. If we cannot reflect on the mistakes that we made, then how can the communities we aim to serve trust that we will learn from them?
Asking staff, at all levels, to contribute ideas and listen to those ideas. Create a culture where staff is welcome to the decision-making table, and it isn't seen as an affront to leadership. In my opinion, what gets in the way is power hoarding.
Trust your staff and develop inclusive planning and management structures and protocols. What gets in the way? Hierarchical defaults.
Time and commitment are values one must manage just like a budget. There is never enough so one has to decide where to spend it. I wish curators, researchers, communication and mediation teams would spend more time in designing and discussing common challenges/projects. Most of them are too involved in their specific daily routines. Is it their decision?
Bravery to make change, promote equity, and embrace difficult ideas. Holding us back? Fear of giving offense to donors, visitors, politicians