Course Overview
Museums have long been the keepers of cultural heritage, but for BIPOC communities, these institutions have often acted as sites of colonial possession, storing sacred objects, artworks, and artifacts far from their origins and communities. This studio course confronts the legacies of colonization in museum practices, asking: What responsibilities do museums have toward the people and cultures whose items they hold? How can we, as artists and designers, reimagine the role of the museum to center justice, care, and repair? Students will research case studies of BIPOC artifacts in museum collections, examining histories of acquisition, display, and erasure. We will work with community-based and decolonial methodologies to propose interventions, ranging from curatorial strategies to speculative design, that challenge extractive practices and offer pathways toward restitution and reconnection. The semester will culminate in a public exhibition that translates research into creative action, positioning students as active agents in the movement to radically redesign the museum.
Museums have long been the keepers of cultural heritage, but for BIPOC communities, these institutions have often acted as sites of colonial possession, storing sacred objects, artworks, and artifacts far from their origins and communities. This studio course confronts the legacies of colonization in museum practices, asking: What responsibilities do museums have toward the people and cultures whose items they hold? How can we, as artists and designers, reimagine the role of the museum to center justice, care, and repair? Students will research case studies of BIPOC artifacts in museum collections, examining histories of acquisition, display, and erasure. We will work with community-based and decolonial methodologies to propose interventions, ranging from curatorial strategies to speculative design, that challenge extractive practices and offer pathways toward restitution and reconnection. The semester will culminate in a public exhibition that translates research into creative action, positioning students as active agents in the movement to radically redesign the museum.
- Instructor: Ernest Jolly