The first 3 essays assigned address the adaptation of traditional western museum models to distinct cultural contexts. In different ways, these three essays highlight the limitations of the western museum model.
Gabriela Germana and Amy Bowman-McElhone, “Asserting the Vernacular: Contested Musealities and Contemporary art in Lima, Peru,” 2020
Bogumil Jewsiewicki, “Museums for the People? Two Joint Projects for Haiti and the Congo,” 2007. (note: for Jewsiewicki’s essay, you don’t need to read the section about Haiti, instead, we’ll focus on pages 94-103 and the Conclusion, pages 106-107)
Winnie Wong, “Arresting Development: Winnie Wong on China’s museum boom,” 2015
The last essay, by Yesomi Umolu, highlights the limitations that traditional museum models have in serving the communities they claim to exist for. Umolu’s essay looks at the ways that museums have failed in the US, but her critique can apply to museums everywhere.
4. Yesomi Umolu, “On the Limits of Care and Knowledge,” 2020
1. For each of the first three essays, describe the key limitations of the western museum model addressed by the authors.
-Germana and Bowman-McElhone / Lima, Peru
-Jewsiewicki / Lubumbashi, Congo
-Wong / China
2. After reading Umolu’s essay, “On the Limits of Care and Knowledge,” reflect on your own experience at museums. In your experience, do museums feel like they are for you? How could they be better?
