The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) holds an annual conference and meeting where industry leaders discuss emerging topics in museums. Spokes Art reports back from the 2024 conference in Baltimore, MD with three keywords in Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, including examples of best practices and free toolkits.

Placemaking for Belonging, Connection, and Reflection

At this session, “placemaking” referred to the critical awareness of institutions towards the impact of spatial organization on audiences’ sense of belonging - or unfortunately alienation. This can range from exhibition design within the museum to tapping into vernacular architecture and the history of the city it is located in.

Speaking on exhibition design, Adrienne Lalli Hills, Director of Learning and Community Engagement at the First Americans Museum, urged reconsideration of exhibition design that reinforce the colonial imagination. This can take the innocuous form of children’s programs such as dressing up in “explorers’ outfits,” models of display with colonial roots such as the wonder cabinet (Wunderkammern), or problems in framing such as incorporating Pacific Islander objects in the installation work of an Australian artist. Regardless of the organizer’s intention to question or recontextualize originally colonialist or racist ideas, the mere inclusion of problematic figures can prevent audiences from feeling connection to the museum space.

Fatima Al-Rasool, Public Programming Coordinator at Arab American National Museum, discussed the importance of vernacular architecture in reaching out to local diaspora communities and incorporating their stories into narratives at the museum. Vernacular architecture refers to structures that were built by non-government related entities in the community, and was utilized by Al-Rasool as key locations to connect with community storytellers of Arab American history in the area - a mosque built by Syrian and Armenian immigrants, for example. Local businesses like honey shops were also identified as key locations. Together, these spaces functioned to empower the storytellers and to share resources, enabling community partnership in a mutually respectful manner.

Confronting Colonialism: Indigenous Perspectives

It is easy to only think about relationships between human societies when considering colonialism, but human-animal relationships are integral to many indigenous ways of life. When animals become objects of study and display, it is crucial to consider both the scientific and cultural knowledge surrounding them.

Made famous by coverage by National Geographic, P-22 was a male mountain lion living in Tongva land which includes modern day Griffith Park, Los Angeles. From a scientific perspective, P-22 was invaluable in enhancing wildlife conservation in the area, with the tracking of its movement leading to the construction of a cougar crossing in Griffith Park and his media popularity helping spread awareness of endangered animals.

Panelist Gabrielle Crowe, Vice Chair of the Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal Council of Southern California, highlighted the importance of pumas and other animals as ancestors - which is why, after discussions with tribe leaders, P-22’s remains were preserved instead of necropsied and incinerated as is the standard for animal specimens among science professionals. At the same time, Crowe mentioned that the coexistence of Tongva with other indigenous tribes spanning California often makes it hard for each community’s voice to be heard, urging institutions to create avenues of strategic communication.

Similarly, the Natural History Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Migoto Eria, Head of Matauranga Maori Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, discussed a rare giant sea turtle washing up shore as manifestation of the past, present, and future.

Tactile Offerings: Inviting Participation from Blind and Visually Impaired Audiences

What comes to mind when you think accessibility for visually impaired audiences? Many people may be most familiar with audio description or braille. However, according to recent surveys, these supports are largely lacking at museums, and visitors expressed a preference for touch experiences.

This is where touch objects come in…

The session led by members of the NYU Ability Lab introduced a wide range of touch objects, from original artifact or artist-commissioned replica to the less-preferred but economic 3D-printed replica and printed tactile graphics (image below). The panelists emphasized the importance of creative tactile offerings - considering the details to parse out what experiences can best convey the original object to visually impaired people, between informational and aesthetic touch, or between highlighting the central image or the stitched borders of a badge.

Tactile replicas of the Intrepid Museum’s naval badges using stitching.

What’s more, to assist institutions in making these decisions on what kind of tactile offering best fits their content, the NYU Ability Project developed a platform called Touch Tree. It’s completely free, and also offers resources, tutorials, and a dictionary on the different kinds of touch objects!