Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Celebrations are a time of intense feelings, frequently marking a transition and sharing it with others. In its exhibition called Celebration! the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) focuses on ten local and/or global traditions: fantasy coffins from Ghana, Antwerp’s Parade of Giants, Antwerp Pride, Dia de los Muertos, the Rite of Passage for Ticuna Indian Girls, weddings, the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, the line-crossing ceremony, Last 100 Days @ High School, and the dance-organ phenomenon. The MAS worked in partnership with all kinds of people, communities and organisations to develop and design the content on each celebration. We present a number of cases. But this one should certainly be included: The MAS had discussions with Het Roze Huis (The Pink House) vzw and Antwerp Pride vzw (two local partners in Antwerp) in order to present the LGBTQ community in an appropriate manner. They had a say in the content/story lines, texts and choice of objects. New content was created around Armand, who runs one of Antwerp’s oldest homo cafés; the life of two drag queens during preparations for their big show and a sneak peek at the Puppy Play scene. Via Antwerp Pride vzw the museum gathered a whole range of objects which are currently on display and will later be added to the collection. A continuous process from now on. There was also a programme of events: new narrative tour by the artist Jaouad, drag show during Museum Night, drag queen story hour for kids, etc.