Over the 20-plus years that I have run the licensing program, I have learned many things: how to work with the cultural material of living cultures, how to maintain equilibrium in the ecosystem that is a museum, how to choose good manufacturing partners/licensees, how hard it is to build one brand that represents
four distinct entities and a multiplicity of cultures, and the difference between appropriation and appreciation. It is the last topic about which I would like to focus the remainder of this piece.
When I first started and was readying for my first trip to High Point, North Carolina, home to the largest home décor market in the US, I realized I needed to breakdown the stereotypical view of the American Southwest. I had to tell a pithy story about how New Mexico’s place at the crossroads of culture and international trade resulted in a museum system rich in inspiration material beyond expectations and stereotypes. In short, I had to explain the context in which the cultural identity of the state, its artisans, and its residents came to be expressed. The trip was a success. I signed our first two licenses–one for furniture and one for textiles.
The Product Development Process
Briefly the product development process works like this: the manufacturer visits the Museum collections (which are not on view, but stored in the basement) with me and the appropriate curator. We photograph and measure pieces within collections of interest to the designers, and from these photos they draw inspiration for their new product designs. Initial renderings are then shown to curators and the Museum Director for comment and approval. In some instances, designs are nixed because they are either too close to the original object or the inspiration material is deemed culturally sensitive. The approved designs are then manufactured, and samples are reviewed and finalized. Once the product is produced, we provide information about the inspiration material–the country of origin of the piece
and the maker, the cultural or historical
relevance of the piece, and information about the Museum. As with the product review, the curators and museum directors review and approve the sales and marketing materials. The goal is to ensure that the cultural context of the inspiration piece is explained; the maker, if known, is credited; and the Museum is acknowledged as the steward of the piece. In exchange for providing access to the Museum material and the right to use the Museum’s name in marketing, our licensees pay us a royalty or percentage of the net wholesale. This revenue in turn is used to fund Museum exhibitions, research and acquisitions.
The First Lesson Learned
It was with production of my very first furniture collection that I learned my first lesson about appropriation. We had been very careful to follow our operational guidelines: we had been very clear with our licensee not to reproduce any of the museum pieces, but instead adapt and change the design of the inspirational object; and the museum director and staff had approved all the product and marketing materials. Yet, upon release of product, which received a glowing review from a local magazine entitled “Real New Mexico Style,” the local Hispanic wood workers felt we had compromised their livelihood by bringing to market manufactured pieces.
Wanting to hear their concerns, we met with a group of local wood workers. Not only did they feel we had "stolen" their patrimony by
Unlike big European museums, where more often than not the collections represent the colonial ambitions of the given country, New Mexico’s museum collections reflect the state’s history and its residents’ genuine appreciation for the cultural traditions of the region and the world’s artisans.
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