Dear MUSEUM-L Subscribers:
I am in the process of compiling a list of collaborative or community-based
projects for an AAM session entitled "Cooperation or Competing Visions?
Museums and Community Collaborations" and am in need of some assistance.
For the past two years, I have been gathering information about museums and
galleries that have engaged in projects that rely on input from local
residents or communities. If you are involved in or know about any such
program, please contact me directly at [log in to unmask]
I would need the following information:
(1) full title of the project, exhibition, program, etc.
(2) dates in which it was on display,in process, etc.
(3) description
(4) relevant publications (citation and actual copies if possible)
(5) contact person
This material will be compiled into a "Resource Guide" and distributed at
the AAM session (see below).
I would also like to invite individuals interested in such projects to
consider attending what, we hope, will be an exciting problem-solving
workshop.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me
directly at (404) 876-8050. Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy new
year. See you in Atlanta!
1997 AAM Annual Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
April 26-30, 1997
Theme: Competing in the Arena: Content, Creativity and Cooperation
Session Title: "Cooperation or Competing Visions? Museums and Community
Collaborations"
Session Time: Tuesday, April 29, 2:00-3:15 p.m.
The specific audience for this session is: museum professionals engaged in
or planning to engage in partnerships with local communities. Relevant to
both entry and management level.
Purpose of presentation:
As private and public funding becomes more tenuous and individuals
and communities demand control over the presentation of their history,
museums are having to re-evaluate their interpretive processes. Many have
entered into collaborative programs with local communities with some
notable successes. This workshop focuses on what past projects can teach
museum professionals engaged in or contemplating similar collaborations.
Particular attention will be given to answering three questions:
* What kinds of resources can best prepare museum professionals and
community participants for collaborative projects?
* What are the advantages and disadvantages of collaboration?
* What can museums and/or cultural institutions do to sustain the
collaboration after the exhibition or program is completed?
Building on the success of the 1994 AAM session, "Exhibitions,
Research, and Real Life Voices: A Delicate Balance," this panel is also
intended to help establish a network of individuals involved in
collaborative projects. Careful attention has been given to creating a
panel that reflects multi-cultural and geographical diversity. By selected
professionals working in museums, historical archives, and universities at
all levels we will approach this topic from a range of perspectives.
By attending this session, delegates will learn:
* About the pro's and con's of community collaborations.
* What kind of literature is available.
* How to prepare a list of questions to determine if their museum is
equipped to engage in such aproject.
* What kinds of skills are necessary for successful collaborations.
* How to identify and contact community partners.
* How to attract audiences from different age groups, ethnic groups, and
socio-economic backgrounds.
* How to solve problems that arise.
* How to sustain the collaboration after the exhibition or project has ended.
Outline of session:
This session features individuals who have guided or have written
about the process of translating collaborative experiences into exhibitions
and public programs. The panel is designed as a workshop and audience
members will be grouped in teams and asked to solve specific problems.
In Part One, Catherine Lewis (American Studies Program, University
of Iowa) will briefly survey current research on museum-community
collaborations and provide an overview of past and current projects in the
United States.
In Part Two, the audience will be divided into focus groups and
asked to solve one of five "problems" faced by an imaginary planning team.
[See Attachment] Four facilitators have been assigned to the area for
which they have particular expertise and they have been advised to
facilitate, not lead, the audience in discussion. In the event that
attendance exceeds fifty, additional facilitators will be recruited from
the audience. After the allotted time, each group will be responsible for
presenting their solutions and engaging in a discussion about the
implications of their decisions.
Facilitators
Jacqueline Dace (How Does a Village Raise a Child, Missouri Historical
Society) is Co-chair for a collaborative project focused on how the
African American community in St. Louis deals with issues pertaining to
raising children.
Carol Enseki (Deputy Director, Brooklyn Children's Museum) has been
involved in the "Crown Heights History Project," "Black Family
Forums," "Museum Team" and is currently working on a Strategic Planning
Committee designed to institutionalize the collaborative process at the
Brooklyn Children's Museum.
Catherine Lewis (Doctoral Candidate, American Studies at the University of
Iowa) is completing a dissertation entitled, "Is There a Common
Ground?: Multiculturalism and Interpretive Authority at the Chicago
Historical Society." Her fifth chapter focuses on Neighborhoods: Keepers
of Culture, a series of four collaborative exhibitions at the Chicago
Historical Society.
Mary Weiland (Minnesota Communities, Minnesota Historical Society), the
session chair, is the Curator for Minnesota Communities and has been
involved in collaborative projects at the MHS since 1991.
Audience members will be given a resource guide that includes: a
list of questions that will help museums determine if they are prepared for
a collaborative project, a handout of practical advice, sample materials
from collaborative projects, and a bibliography of relevant sources.
AAM Committee/PIC/Affiliate Group sponsorship: Association of Youth Museums
Catherine M. Lewis
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