Posts
Curatorial Practice
Trusting the Process: The Collaborative Journey to Reframing a Problematic Object
“Put it in storage.” “Replace it with something else.” “Put up a new label.” “Do nothing.” These were some of the solutions offered up when the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of …
What Does a Curator of Sustainability Do? A Q&A with Chris Hobbs
In recent years, sustainability has gone from a buzzword for museums to an action step, as our organizations increasingly confront and prepare for the adverse effects of climate change on …
“Wait, What? Toddlers in an Art Museum?”
Caitlin Mock Wilson, a mother of two young children and a Clyfford Still Museum (CSM) member, often went to museums with her parents as a young child. When she had her own children, she …
Remarks from Benin Bronzes Repatriation Ceremony
On October 11, 2022, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art hosted a repatriation ceremony in which officials of the museum transferred ownership of twenty-nine Benin bronzes and …
A New Site of Conscience: Sing Sing Prison Museum
Five years ago, CFM’s TrendsWatch report examined how museums are helping society confront the need for criminal justice reform. Historic sites play an important role in this work, with …
Museums Change Their Approach to Showing White Male Artists
At art museums, the approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion is increasingly twofold. While many are pursuing exhibitions and acquisitions focused on underrepresented artists, they are …
Looking Back to Move Forward: Examining Institutional Racism in Reprising “Afro-American Images 1971”
In February 1971, a newly formed Delaware organization, Aesthetic Dynamics Inc., presented its first major undertaking: an exhibition of over 130 works of art—drawings, prints, photographs, …
After Condo Collapse, a Miami Museum Is Preserving the Memorial Wall
“We’re living in an era when mass trauma, natural and manmade, is occurring at an alarming rate. Museums have to be able to do this type of ‘rapid response’ collecting after an event, to …
The Peabody Essex Museum’s Climate + Environment Initiative Seeks to Create a Different Climate Future
As the director of an interactive art and nature space, I’ve included climate change as a topic in many shows and programs over the years. But until recently, I had convinced myself that …
BMA security guards will curate an exhibit next year
“Our security officers spend more time in our galleries and living among our collection than any other staff within the institution. It is their perspectives, their insights, and their …
How the Delaware Art Museum is Centering Community Voices in Interpretive Planning
In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum (DelArt) began a radically inclusive approach to reinstallation planning, integrating community voices at every stage through focus groups, iterative …
It Is Time to Include AANHPIs In Museum Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Efforts
Over the past year, we have all witnessed the increasing acts of hate and violence against Asian Americans, particularly against women and the elderly. Some have tried to cast these …