Museums + Democracy Project

10/28/2022

Museums + Democracy is back to blogging! We've joined all the cool kids over at Substack. The new post shares ways museums can support participation in voting--there's still time to do so for this election!

Our democracy is on the brink. Election Day 2022 is less than two weeks away. Now is not just the right time to relaunch Museums + Democracy. It’s time for museums to bolster and support our democracy by encouraging participation in voting. As civic institutions, as trusted sources of information,...

11/18/2021

+ New blog post: I spoke with Dr. George Hein about the history of museums, Progressivism, and education, and what all of these things mean to our democracy.

Dr. George Hein’s Progressive Museum Practice: John Dewey and Democracy is an incredibly important book about the history of museums, Progressivism, and education, and what all of those things mean to our democracy.

08/25/2021

+ A "Civic Wellness" workshop at The Art Institute of Chicago
uses empathy to help make lawyers, judges, and doctors aware of implicit bias. Important work because all these people--and the museum--are accountable to the people of Chicago.

I would argue there is no anti-racist practice without empathy, without the capacity to overcome bias and think deeply about the experience of others, and to treat them with care.

07/14/2021

+ The museums we don't have say something about the state of representation, diversity, and inclusion in museums. What museums are missing in our democratic society?

National holidays and museums create a national identity. Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, what museums are we missing that could create a more democratic national identity?

07/13/2021

+ While Texas Democratic state lawmakers flee the state to prevent voter suppression from becoming law, an exhibition about the long struggle of Black citizenship has opened at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. The lawmakers staying behind should go see it.

A show at the Bullock Texas State History Museum examines the state of Black citizenship from Dred Scott decision through the 1920s.

07/09/2021

+ Juneteenth is now a national holiday. Until 2014, there was not anything in Galveston that marked the location where General Order 3 was announced. A beautiful new mural has just been put up. Doesn't this event and holiday deserve its own museum?

National holidays and museums create a national identity. Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, what museums are we missing that could create a more democratic national identity?

07/07/2021

+ What museums are missing from our country? How could these museums shape (and expand or change) our national identity if they existed?

National holidays and museums create a national identity. Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, what museums are we missing that could create a more democratic national identity?

07/01/2021

+ National holidays and museums create a national identity. Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, what museums are we missing that could create a more democratic national identity?

National holidays and museums create a national identity. Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, what museums are we missing that could create a more democratic national identity?

06/30/2021

+ The House has voted--again--to remove artwork depicting white supremacists from the US Capitol. The Capitol is a type of museum. Hopefully this bill also includes paintings and all other images of white supramacy. I mentioned the painting of John Calhoun that is outside the Senate chamber in my last blog post:
https://www.museumdemocracy.com/blog/plantationdemocracy

• Resolution affects men who supported slavery and segregation and specifically names John Calhoun, Charles Aycock and James Clarke

06/11/2021

+ This is from a Philip Kennicott article in yesterday's Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/art-museums-reopening-summer-shows/2021/06/09/

He mentions exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art but fails to mention the unionization efforts at both. That's an unfortunate oversight as not returning to the same labor practices and conditions as before is a critical part of not returning to the old art world.