MUSEUMS
Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights . NPS
Incorporating marginalised perspectives requires museums to recognise and address their role in marginalisation .
Colonial Contexts Rather than focusing solely on collecting and displaying objects , museums are recognising the importance of preserving stories and memories . An excellent example is an upcoming travelling exhibit project at the Down County Museum in Northern Ireland in partnership with the British Museum . The project will explore collecting in colonial contexts . Plans include incorporating ‘ unheard or marginalised perspectives ’ through work with nontraditional museum partners to provide complimentary voices and responses to the exhibition .
Museums have historically been perceived as spaces where a dominant narrative is presented , with marginalised perspectives often overlooked or excluded . However , studies commissioned by the American Alliance of Museums and the UK Museums Association have found that the public considers museums significantly more trustworthy than news outlets , governments and social media and ‘ free from bias ’. Perhaps this willingness to reexamine their history and adapt makes museums stand the test of time .
Ann E . Curtis Managing Director , Heritage Solution Ltd , Publishers of MuseumINSIDER www . museuminsider . co . uk
Freedom riders bus attacked in Alabama 1961 . NPS experienceuk . org 17