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Why us?! Then who?
Maria Vlachou
ECSITE pre-conference
Porto, 14 June 2017
“Are we at a turning point for discussions about
race in the U.S.? And by extension, a turning point
in our museums that desire to function as a forum
and be relevant to local communities?”
Joint statement from Museum bloggers and colleagues on Ferguson and related events
“As mediators of culture, all museums should
commit to identifying how they can connect to
relevant contemporary issues, irrespective of
collection, focus, or mission.”
Joint statement from Museum bloggers and colleagues on Ferguson and related events
“(…) any movement toward greater cultural and racial
understanding and communication must be
supported by our country’s cultural and educational
infrastructure. Museums are a part of this educational
and cultural network.”
Joint statement from Museum bloggers and colleagues on Ferguson and related events
Gateways for Understanding: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and
Inclusion in Museums
Greece, Idomeni (photo: Yannis Behrakis)
“I´m Alive - Mobile Technology,
Life and Death”, Tekniska
Museet, Stockholm
“On the same beach where you
are updating your Instagram
followers on your holiday
adventures, other people in
vulnerable situations are
sending selfies to tell their
families that they are still alive.
Some people may use their
phone’s GPS when driving in
the dense city traffic or when
measuring how far and fast
they have just jogged. But this
same function is also used by
refugees in order to find the
safest way across the death-
filled sea.”
Halil Altındere, “3 Cosmonaut Family Costumes” (2016).
Exhibition Space Refugee, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein
Muhammed Ahmed Faris, Syrian cosmonaut
Halil Altındere, Exhibition Space Refugee
Neuer Berliner Kunstverein
NOESIS – Thessaloniki Science Centre and Technology Museum
MoMA, NYC
Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Massachusetts
Harvard Books bookshop
#DayofFacts, 7 February 2017
“By not taking an overt
political stand but simply
sharing mission-related,
objective, and relevant
facts, we aimed to show
the world that
our institutions are still
trusted sources for truth
and knowledge.”
#DayofFacts, 7 February 2017
“Many of our constituents
and visitors are part of
groups that are feeling
more marginalized than
ever. Museums and
cultural organizations are
uniquely situated to serve
as safe and welcoming
places (physical or virtual)
committed to their
communities without
exception.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdMfPn6bpi0
Water Museum, Lisbon
