AAMC reflections & new series alert!
Last week I was able to attend the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) conference, as a recipient of the Conference Fellowship for UK Curators. And I’m still thinking about the conversations and provocations posed by speakers and attendees…
Key takeaways
- Abolition within museums
- Dr Porchia Moore keynote covered a lot of ground. But I was most intrigued by was the critical question posed: ‘who knew we needed abolitionists in our museums? Now, I have heard about abolition in the context of defunding the police in America, particularly over the past year. But this was new for me in a museum context. Moore went onto exploring the differences between working in a museum and being an ally, an accomplice and an abolitionist. With the latter speaking to dismantling systems and to paraphrase Moore ‘providing models of community safety, mutual aid, harm reduction, transformative economic and social change’. Again to paraphrase Moore, they view their practice as an abolitionist and a dreamer’. I wonder what other museum professionals think of this? And if there are museum professionals who also view their practice in this way?
2. Further insight into the discourses on repatriation
- Benin Dialogue Group
Before Edith Ekunke and Enotie Ogebor presented the benefits of the Benin Dialogue Group, this was not a perspective I was familiar with. Depending on who you ask in the UK, there are equally many viewpoints on the role and benefits of the Benin Dialogue Group. Particularly as conversations around the so-called Culture Wars in the UK continues online and publications penned by national museum directors to advocates for repatriation.
Back to the AACM session…I found this panel discussion a stark reminder that there are multiple viewpoints to be considered and valued when discussing areas of curation which have a global overlap in understanding. And because of this session, I am even more keen to connect with curators from the Caribbean, the African Continent and Southeast Asia. Especially as discussions on repatriation is bound to be viewed in multiple ways that may not be apparent within the UK.
- Restitution of knowledge networks
Monica Hanna’s perspective was succinct in exploring how restitution does not end with the physical return of objects. To paraphrase Hanna, this process involves the restitution of knowledge networks, such as related archives. For instance, Hanna argued the decontexualisation of objects in host countries has an impact on the ‘sensoriality of objects’ particularly in the ways that people interact with the objects. On this theme of context, Hanna called on the need for diplomatic exchange between host countries and source countries to shift towards a new relationship between museums.
3. Biggest concerns facing the contemporary art field
- A community gathering of attendees where we considered how to platform artists and rates for paying artists. In terms of platforming artists, someone suggested the effectiveness of group shows, bridging exhibition programmes with nearby institutions or establishing an emerging artist platform series.
- Regarding rates of pay, this was dependant on the type of organisation and how public money can be used, especially as many colleagues were based in America. I signposted colleagues to some benchmarking based in the UK — such as Artists’ Union England and Creative Scotland as a reference point, because artist pay is also a hot topic here.
Now to the announcement — Art Map Plot series!
As part of this conference fellowship, I was also a recipient of a 1-year national art pass card! This coincides very well with my intention to explore the UK further as I continue to pause with international travel. In the run-up to museums opening from 17 May, I’ll begin plotting venues to visit using the National Art Pass Art Map (2021). The goal is to visit as many venues as possible until 30 April 2022, when my pass expires. This content will feature in my new blog series Art Map Plot, including post-visit reflections, spotlighting inspiring experiences and considering critiques. So if you want to keep up with my travels or even join, stay tuned for blogs and make sure you check out #AMPseries on Instagram.
