Open Forum

Register here: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/social-justice-and...

Decolonizing Collections and Prioritizing Community Partnerships

Calls to decolonize collections and partner with communities have gained momentum in recent years. Decolonizing would mean transforming the way we view and interact with collections and people, de-centering white colonizer perspectives, and addressing the traumatic histories that have led to our existing systems. The current racial justice movement has made the need to be inclusive and to partner with communities even more clear. What would it look like if we rejected conservation’s traditional top-down approach and instead shared authority with Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color? This session will examine the need to dismantle our problematic foundations and discuss how we can enrich our work through partnerships with others.

Speakers:

Dr. Melanie Adams - Director, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

Joel Garcia (Huichol) - Artist, Arts Administrator, & Cultural Organizer

Brandie Macdonald (Chickasaw/Choctaw) - Director of Decolonizing Initiatives, Museum of Us

Moderators:

Héctor J. Berdecía-Hernández - Architectural Conservator,

Escuela Taller de Conservación y Restauración del Patrimonio Histórico Institute of Puerto Rican Culture

Amy Tjiong - Associate Conservator, American Museum of

Natural History

This event is organized by the AIC Equity & Inclusion Committee (EIC) and the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN), with support by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC).