Confronting the Rupture of Culture from Nature
Emlyn Koster, PhD
Most Western societies have been slow to recognize the harmony with nature of Indigenous Peoples and are disconnected from the Earth's air/water/ice/land subsystems and nonhuman life. The pandemic and climate change are global reminders of the inseparability of environmental health and human health.
In the new world of the Anthropocene, the realities of the Earth-Human Ecosystem are inescapable. However, many museums aiming to inspire reflections about intensifying environmental and societal changes are hovering in a state of cognitive dissonance between their traditional activities and new callings.
The vitality of the museum sector hinges on its priorities shifting from objects to issues. This requires visionary leadership propelled by external realities. A top-rated TED Talk by Simon Sinek explained that organizational success depends on why?, how? and what? clarity for a value-driven purpose, impactful approaches, and achievable outcomes.
Emlyn Koster, PhD, trained as a geologist, conducted research in three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and led advances of four nature and science museums. He is a Director Emeritus of Canada's Royal Tyrrell Museum and an Honorary Professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand.
When Liberty Science Center reopened in 2007, The New York Times opined: "to its credit, the institution does not shy away from the things we wish were less real world". When the AAM reaccredited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in 2016, it concluded: "the institution has forthrightly evolved its interpretive philosophy and strategy to address bigger stories about humans as an inseparable element in the ecosystem of all life". With honors including Humanitarian of the Year from the American Conference on Diversity and the Ambassadors Circle for the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, the Earth-Human Ecosystem is his publication and presentation focus with advocacy to the United Nations.
Avi Decter is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: MUSEUMS AND CHANGE
Time: May 9, 2024 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82549649250
Meeting ID: 825 4964 9250