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Abstract:
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Museums, as high profile institutions, are vehicles for change. They are distinctly
situated to exhibit important subject matter to an extensive audience. With cross-cultural
misunderstanding constantly reemerging, museum exhibits offer a platform to create
clearer understandings between cultural groups. The research question I examine is: What
strategies are museums using to design and implement exhibits on contemporary
cultures? While examining self-identified communities representation strategies central
concerns of the study are the objects and the narratives used in the exhibit, how they are
displayed, and how they utilize the physical and theoretical space of the museum. As
museums and native groups recognize the benefits of collaboration, the two groups can
become more conscious of various means of representation, collection care, power
dynamics and a multitude of other concerns surrounding their partnerships. This study
focuses on exhibits specifically in cultural museums, community centers and native
museums, with five California exhibits to exemplify my findings. |
