Navigating the Future and Returning the Past

Authors: Garrett Abell, Melissa Forstrom

SUNY Campus: Purchase College

Presentation Type: Oral

Location: UUW 325

Presentation #: 9

Timeslot: Session C 1:45-2:45 PM

Abstract: Navigating the Future and Returning the Past examines museums and their historical and contemporary relationships with their collections and the native communities they claim to “represent”. Museums have long been sites of colonialism and have even acted as repositories for countless objects that may not belong to the institution. Through discussing current legislative changes to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and contested museum sites, the paper suggests that museums should take up new practices for the modern museum landscape. New Museological practices are central to the conversation, with even the greater public pushing for museums to champion new practices, which include greater transparency and increased community relationships. Using the Field Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of the American Indian as examples, the paper examines how museums respond to these ongoing changes.