Specialized in Object and Library & Archive Conservation
Non-Colonial Communication
Report Summary
Introduction:
The topic of communication in museums has fascinated me since I started my pre-program conservation experience. A common trend I noticed was the conservation department feeling rushed to treat objects because the timeline for the project did not allow for adequate treatment time. While a specific concern, it made me wonder about museum communication more generally, especially when I would sit in larger departmental meetings that took place every so often. After the murder of George Floyd and the protests for racial justice that followed, many museums released solidarity statements. When reading these statements, I pondered more about museum communication systems as the message museums wanted to convey to the general public seemed very different to the message many museums conveyed to their Black staff and Black patrons on a daily basis. I thought there had to be some helpful infographic about communication in an institution that showed how to make it equitable, inclusive, transparent, and ensure accountability. This information exists, just not in the nicely packaged infographic I was hoping for. Thus, my research began.
I labeled my research “non-colonial” purposefully. I did not use the term “decolonial” as decolonization as I understand it specifically involves restitution of objects, ancestors, and land back to Indigenous groups as well as spreading Indigenous teachings and practices. While I am including Indigenous voices in this research, I am including other voices as well. The goal for this project was for it not to be based in colonial, Western, white dominant values and teachings. I intentionally focus on non-western perspectives and marginalized perspectives within Western society, hence the term “non-colonial”. However, as someone raised in a Western, white dominant society I acknowledge the unconscious biases I may hold, that could ultimately skew my research and perspective.
Narrowing the Focus:
Communication in museums is a broad topic. There are many forms of communication, including implicit and explicit communication inside the institution, and externally to the public. Through my research I have found various tidbits on different types of communication, but I chose to focus on internal communication between anyone who works in the museum. It makes sense because this issue is what initially piqued my interest in museum communication. In a certain sense I feel that if a museum is not being transparent or equitable to its staff and workers, how can the institution be transparent and equitable to the general public? I do not solely focus on issues of transparency and equitability, but I highlight them here because these issues are overwhelmingly present in museums and white dominated culture.
Learnings:
While most of this section is about big takeaways from the annotated bibliography, these listed lessons come from more than the annotated biobibliography. It includes learnings from conversations I have had, and other articles and media I have consumed for academic purposes and pleasure alike. Consider this list my recommendations for predominately White museums (PWM) trying to change, especially those who are not doing enough. This section of my report assumes a baseline knowledge of certain terms that are now familiar to me but may be unfamiliar to some readers. If you come across a term that you do not understand, please feel free to look it up and learn along with this learnings section.
Communication:
Do not rely solely on one form of communication
Worship of the written word is part of White supremacy culture
Oral Tradition is valid and needs to be just as included
Formal and informal communication alike must be valued
Dismantle communication silos
In my eyes, the silos mostly serve to safeguard senior leadership from being held accountable and create a sense of separation and isolation among staff.
Learn how to manage conflict as it arises
Resolving problems head on makes for a better environment than one where problems are consistently ignored or dismissed.
Yes, it may be uncomfortable. Feeling a right to comfort is White supremacy culture
Accountability is key
Lack of accountability (especially in leadership) causes problems.
Create feedback loops. It helps with maintaining accountability.
Establishing trust is key
Trust is a foundation that requires building. This process takes time, patience, and consistency.
Acknowledge past and present contributions to oppression
PWMs need to be upfront and specific about acknowledging and addressing the past and present harm done to communities of color. Step one of solving a problem is acknowledging there is a problem.
Let go of objectivity. You (the individual) are biased, and that is okay
We all have biases. The problem arises when people ignore their biases and feign objectivity because it contributes to White supremacy culture. Addressing our biases is hard because a lot of them are rooted in racism (especially anti-Blackness), ableism, and general “fear” of things not perceived as the “norm” (read: cis-straight-White-able bodied). Not all our biases are harmful, but it is important to acknowledge and be aware of them none the less because they influence our decision making.
Not "either or" but "both and"
“Either or” thinking is part of White supremacy culture.
Taking the time to consider how seemingly opposed ideas can co-exist is a helpful exercise in becoming more openminded.
Go to "the community", do not make them come to you
When you want to reach out to “the community” be sure to be specific about who you mean. For example, if you want to reach out specifically to the indigenous local community, say that. Especially when working with marginalized groups, they are already marginalized and have to deal with day-to-day society. The least you (the PWM) can do is not put another burden on them to be the ones to make the first move.
Be decisive and specific about stakeholders
Similar to “the community” the term “stakeholders” is also broad. Be specific about who the stakeholders are. I say be decisive because there are stakeholders with more stake than others. Make sure stakeholder input is weighted accordingly.
It is okay to say "I don't know"
This more applies to leadership especially in big staff meeting and town hall settings. I would rather hear someone honestly tell me “I don’t know, let me check on that and get back to you” than a string of words that may sound good but does not actually address the issue at hand.
Power:
Share power, share authority, share leadership
Be honest and transparent about what power lies where
When DEAI positions and groups are formed in institutions it can be unclear how much power that person or group has, increasing the difficulty to make effective change.
Move away from traditional funding sources (e.g. Boards and big corporations as donors)
No more disconnected Boards! It frustrates me to know that individuals who live nowhere near an institution and/or are not regularly communicating directly with institution staff on all levels get to make the most influential decisions about the institution mainly because they have a lot of money. If the Board must be a funding source, make sure all members are regularly interpersonally involved with the institution along with the Board being diverse, inclusive, and accessible.
Partnerships with big corporations are likely not sustainable because the corporation is likely unsustainable for the planet.
Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) Work:
The duality of “sense of urgency"
Sense of urgency defined as moving quickly in order to produce results faster, rushing past chances for through examination and feedback is part of White Supremacy culture. However, I have seen phrases like “change takes time” and “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” used as excuses and justification of not reacting with enough urgency to social justice issues and inequities in the museum field. The phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” is to remind people that change must be sustainable, and that one must pace themselves to avoid burnout. It does not mean “we can take our time as a big institution to figure things out while the problems we are thinking about fixing persist and potentially get worse” which is what the phrase often feels like coming from a PWM.
If is it not intersectional, it is not enough
Always center Black and Indigenous people. For example, If the focus is on disabled and neurodivergent communities, the hyper focus must be on Black and Indigenous disabled and neurodivergent people because the intersection of race and ableism compounds and affects their lives differently than being disabled or neurodivergent affects a cis-straight-white-male.
Annotated Bibliography
The organizational style of this document deviates from the traditional annotated bibliography purposefully. I felt organizing the document in this manner would make a more useful tool to continue my research
Articles:
“Five Steps to Reimagine Your Organization.” 2020. OF/BY/FOR ALL. June 12, 2020. https://www.ofbyforall.org/updates-feed/2020/6/12/five-steps-to-reimagine-your-organization.
This source isn’t explicitly about communication, but I found it useful for some framework thinking. The crux of the source in relation to my research is to prioritize the voices of people who have been doing the work longer. The article mentions this in a diversity case but for me it will be important to remember to prioritize those who have studied communication systems.
Fogarty, Lori. 2020. “Our Museum Is Considered a Leader in Equity and Inclusion. Here’s What We’ve Done—and Why We Have a Long, Long Way to Go.” Artnet News. June 12, 2020. https://news.artnet.com/opinion/lori-fogarty-oakland-op-ed-1885446.
The Oakland museum recently dismantled communication silos, which is a goal for this research. They also re-did job descriptions to not factor in degree or tenure and moved their investing approach away from more traditional funding sources. While neither of those are directly tied to communication systems, I think the shift in funding sources has potential to change who has the power to start certain conversations and implement better communication. The job description consideration could be helpful when hiring someone to be involved in facilitating museum communication.
Jones, Kenneth, and Tema Okun. 2001. “White Supremacy Culture: Characteristics.” Showing Up for Racial Justice - SURJ. 2001. https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture-characteristics.html.
This source serves as a reminder of which aspects of communication come directly out of white supremacy culture, like valuation of the written word above other forms of communication.
Kreps, Christina F. 2014. “Thai Monastery Museums: Contemporary Expressions of Ancient Traditions.” Transforming Knowledge Orders: Museums, Collections, and Exhibitions, Morphomata, 230–56.
While the content was not directly informative for my research, the paper introduced me to the concept of “comparative museology” which is an approach to museum research that could be helpful in the later stages of this project that will involve contacting institutions. I was able to look up more resources in “comparative museology” as well.
Mead, Sidney Moko. 1983. “Indigenous Models of Museums in Oceania.” Museum International 35 (2): 98–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0033.1983.tb00437.x.
The models of museums brought up in this article are very different than the western museum model. Although the article is more directly applicable to communication with a museum’s local community, this article served as a reminder to center the institutional community (museum faculty and staff) when thinking about my research and the systems that will come out of it.
Zheng, Lily. 2020. “Do Your Employees Feel Safe Reporting Abuse and Discrimination?” Harvard Business Review, October 8, 2020. https://hbr.org/2020/10/do-your-employees-feel-safe-reporting-abuse-and-discrimination.
Reporting cases of abuse and discrimination is tied to institutional communication because if you don’t feel safe of comfortable reporting incidents, there is likely a mistrust somewhere which does not create a trusting and openly communicative workplace. A good reminder than keeping reporting process anonymous, “simple”, and “less official” has it’s benefits. Third party organizations also help eliminate biases in the situation. This article also comes back to centering the institutional community as opposed to having reporting processes just to avoid lawsuits and essentially protect the institution’s reputation.
Books:
Lonetree, Amy. 2012. Decolonizing Museums: Representing Native America in National and Tribal Museums. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
I have more of a list of helpful lessons gleaned from this reading than a cohesive paragraph simply because I was doing some simplifying and extrapolating as the book deals directly with indigenous themed exhibition production and not directly with institutional communication.
- A strong mission statement is a guiding light
- Transfer of authority can be helpful for balancing out power dynamics
- Establishing trust is a must
- Be explicit and honest with what power lies where
- Do not shy away from controversy
- Oral communication is just as valuable (if not more valuable) than written word
Podcasts and Webinars:
Alvarez, Julia, Twanna Hodge, Cerise Hunt, and Michelle Jeske. 2020. “Preparing and Planning for Organizational Change.” Presented at the Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium, July 8. https://workplace-racial-equity-symposium.heysummit.com/talks/how-to-prepare-plan-for-equity-work-with-various-contexts/.
When communicating ideas, it is important to communicate with everyone involved and check that you are not simply “preaching to the choir”. Those outside of the “choir” will likely take a more critical look at an idea than those in the “choir”.
Oliphant, Fiona, and Jessica Ayden Li. 2020. “Supporting BIPOC Working on Equity & Inclusion in Nonprofits.” Presented at the Supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Nonprofits, September 15.
Two tips: One, do not rely on one form of communication. Two, shared leadership means shared responsibility and share accountability.
Adams, Melanie, Joel Garcia, and Brandie Macdonald. 2020. “Decolonizing Collections and Prioritizing Community Partnerships.” Presented at the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation webinar, December 7.
Reinforced the idea that policies in the cultural institution and practices have to reflect each other and be intertwined. It’s one thing to collect diverse objects, it’s another thing to create an environment where diverse visitors and staff (especially staff) feel welcome.
- Working with groups cannot be transactional because it does a disservice to both parties.
- Re-indigenizing is a step that can follow decolonization
- Stop colonial pathways. “You can’t eat publications”
- Healing centered approach to decolonization work
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Future Resources:
I have yet to digest these resources
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Articles:
Hodge, Christina J. 2018. “Decolonizing Collections-Based Learning: Experiential Observation as an Interdisciplinary Framework for Object Study.” Museum Anthropology 41 (2): 142–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/muan.12180.
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Indian Arts Research Center. 2019. Guidelines for Collaboration (website). Facilitated by Landis Smith, Cynthia Chavez Lamar, and Brian Vallo. Santa Fe, NM: School for Advanced Research. https://guidelinesforcollaboration.info/.
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Johnson, Maisha Z. 2016. “6 Signs Your Call-Out Isn’t Actually About Accountability.” Everyday Feminism. May 6, 2016. https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/05/call-out-accountability/.
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Konaré, Alpha Oumar. 1983. “Towards a New Type of ‘Ethnographic’ Museum in Africa.” Museum International 35 (3): 146–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0033.1983.tb00450.x.
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Kreps, Christina F. 2008. “Appropriate Museology in Theory and Practice.” Museum Management and Curatorship 23 (1): 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647770701865345.
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Orange, Jennifer A., and Jennifer J. Carter. 2012. “‘It’s Time to Pause and Reflect’: Museums and Human Rights.” Curator: The Museum Journal 55 (3): 259–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.2012.00150.x.
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Wintle, Claire. 2016. “Decolonizing the Smithsonian: Museums as Microcosms of Political Encounter.” The American Historical Review 121 (5): 1492–1520. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/121.5.1492.
Books:
Bhatti, Shalia. 2012. Translating Museums: A Counterhistory of South Asian Museology. New York, NY: Routledge.
Busby, Karen, Adam Muller, and Andrew Woolford, eds. 2015. The Idea of a Human Rights Museum. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press.
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Hartnett, Tim. 2011. Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making: The CODM Model for Facilitating Groups to Widespread Agreement. New Society Publishers.
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Institute of American Indian Arts, and Nancy Marie Mithlio. 2020. Making History: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Albequerque: Unversity of New Mexico Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/77999/.
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Knell, Simon J, Suzanne Macleod, and Sheila E. R Watson, eds. 2010. Museum Revolutions: How Museums Change and Are Changed. London; New York: Routledge.
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Kreps, Christina F. 2006. Liberating Culture: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Museums, Curation, and Heritage Preservation. London: Routledge.
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Marstine, Janet, ed. 2011. Routledge Companion to Museum Ethics: Redefining Ethics for the Twenty-First Century Museum. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=84880.
MASS Action. 2017. “MASS Action Toolkit.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58fa685dff7c50f78be5f2b2/t/59dcdd27e5dd5b5a1b51d9d8/1507646780650/TOOLKIT_10_2017.pdf.
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Nadeau, E. G. 2012. The Cooperative Solution: How the United States Can Tam Recessions, Reduce Inequality, and Protect the Environment. 1st ed. Madison WI.
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Roth, Chris, ed. 2018. Communication in Community: Resources and Stories about the Human Dimension of Cooperative Culture. Vol. 3. 4 vols. Wisdom of Communities. Foundation for Intentional Community.
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Sanchez Laws, Ana Luisa. 2019. Museum Websites and Social Media: Issues of Participation, Sustainability, Trust, and Diversity. 2019: Berghahn Books. http://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/product/openreader?id=none&isbn=9781782388692.
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Simpson, Moira G. 2001. Making Representations: Museums in the Post-Colonial Era. Andover: Routledge.
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Stanley, Nick, ed. 2008. The Future of Indigenous Museums. 1st ed. Museums and Collections. New York: Berghahn Books. https://www-jstor-org.udel.idm.oclc.org/stable/j.ctt9qcqzg.
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Wolf, Aaron T. 2017. The Spirit of Dialogue: Lessons from Faith Traditions in Transforming Conflict. Washington DC: Island Press.
Podcasts and Webinars:
Hartman, Emma, and Natalya Swanson. n.d. “Collaborating with Indigenous Communities with Francis Lukezic by Conservators Combating Climate Change.” Conservators Combating Climate Change. Accessed November 13, 2020. https://anchor.fm/conservatorscombatingcc/episodes/Collaborating-with-Indigenous-Communities-with-Francis-Lukezic-efga0a/a-a26ladg.
Websites:
Fortune, and Great Place to Work. 2020. “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Fortune. 2020. https://fortune.com/best-companies/2020/.
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Foundation for Intentional Community. 2019. “Intentional Communities - Find, Join, & Learn about Intentional Community.” Foundation for Intentional Community. 2019. https://www.ic.org/.
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“Kerista.Commune - The Historical Record.” 2018. Kerista Commune. 2018. https://www.kerista.com/index.php.
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Meadows, Donella. 2020. “Systems Thinking Resources.” The Academy for Systems Change (blog). 2020. http://donellameadows.org/systems-thinking-resources/.
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“Twin Oaks Intentional Community - Home.” n.d. Accessed November 5, 2020. https://www.twinoaks.org/about-twinoaks-community/welcome.
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