New Horizons
Towards a Shared Native American/ Western Heritage: A Case Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Megan True
The Eiteljorg Museum is unique in that it displays Western American and Native American art within the same space. Some scholars may argue that this combination only reinforces the colonial mindset; that the voices of Native Americans will be drowned out by the more dominant voices of the white settlers of the West. But, the Eiteljorg works to ensure that none of the diverse perspectives of the American West are silenced. The Eiteljorg Museum was created when Harrison Eiteljorg merged his private collection with the collection of the failing Museum of Indian Heritage. Soon after the Museum opened in 1989, they realized that they had a responsibility to teach the public about the local Native American communities. They created national and regional Native American advisory groups to work with them on exhibitions and established a lasting relationship with the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. They worked with them to create the exhibition “Mihtohseenionki: the People’s Place,” a gallery that tells the history of several Native tribes in Indiana in their own words. My paper focuses on this gallery, articulating the role of the Miami Nation in the development and continued evolution of the gallery. The museum ensures that the issues, including stereotypical representations of Native Americans, manifest destiny and the romanticizing of the Frontier are brought to attention instead of normalized and ignored. My paper highlights how the museum addresses these issues through comparative analysis of individual artworks and the gallery spaces themselves.
Bringing Inclusion to American Museums: A Blueprint for Change
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Laura-Edythe Coleman
Do American museums need to be inclusive? How do we define inclusion? Do we define inclusion in the same way that our international counterparts do? This presentation is intended to demystify the much-debated idea of inclusion, in specific within American museums, for museum professionals, theorists, professors, and researchers. Through case studies and theoretical models, the audience will learn tools for understanding, implementing, and evaluating inclusion in their museums. Together, with the presenter as the guide, the audience will examine the application of inclusion theory for American museums. We will debate: An introductory definition of inclusion for museums; Guidelines for creating inclusion in the museums through partnerships with people and community organizations; Strategies for driving social change through inclusive museum practice; Tools for implementing inclusion in the museum; Mechanisms for evaluating the inclusiveness of a museum. The presenter will provide an extensive resource list to aid conference attendees in continuing the dialogue post-conference within their museums. Based on the presenter's recently published book, Understanding and Implementing Inclusion in Museums, the international audience will be tasked with offering suggestions for change within the American museum. Inclusive Museum Conference delegates are invited to join the conversation concerning inclusion, equipped with greater understanding, and the tools to implement change through their museums.
Bringing Humanity to Science and Technology: Making Space for Arts, Accessibility, and Diversity in a Science and Technology Museum
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Britt Braaten, Gabrielle Trepanier
Given the chance to rebuild your museum from the ground up, what would you change? When unsafe environmental conditions forced the Canada Science and Technology Museum to close its doors in 2014, the team saw an opportunity. They identified priorities to ensure that when the museum reopened, it would better meet our visitors' needs by redefining what a science museum could be. The exhibition teams embraced a STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Mathematics) approach to content development, integrating the arts in meaningful - and surprising - ways. The exhibition teams challenged old definitions of what counts as scientific and technological heritage to include diverse perspectives, notably working in partnership with Indigenous communities. The exhibition teams made accessibility a priority, not only in design, but also in identifying new artifacts for the collection. Through the example of the Canada Science and Technology renewal, this study explores how broadening the scope of what you say and how you say it can increase inclusion in a museum in important ways.
