Fifteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

This session is premised on the acknowledgement that museums hold the capacity to cause harm (among communities, workforces, and, in a broad sense, through practices). Once we surface that museums do cause harm, all the time, we make space for dialogue on how to better equip practitioners to develop shared language around ethics, values, and impact to address future situations with an expanded perspective. Further, we workshop a set of actions designed to provide support and accountability through the use of “supervision”, a reflective practice methodology introduced by the Department of Health in 1993 as “a formal process of professional support and learning which enables practitioners to develop knowledge and competence, assume responsibility for their own practice and enhance consumer protection and the safety of care in complex situations. It is central to the process of learning and to the expansion of the scope of practice and should be seen as a means of encouraging self-assessment and analytical and reflective skills.” In this session, we apply the supervision process to recent instances of ethical complexity confronting museums (and thereby museum workers) to support practitioners in more robust decision-making capabilities for future challenges.