MUSEUM DETOX PANEL REVIEW: ADDRESSING CHALLENGES IN THE MUSEUM

Weekend Edition | Madison Carmichael & Jaime Meier

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The Master of Museum Studies program (MMSt) is overwhelmingly white. This is true whether you’re looking at the students or the syllabuses. We talk about diversity and race in the context of museums often, but not so often do we remark upon the privileged position from which many of us speak, nor the privileged position from which many of us will operate once we move into our careers.

Museum Professionals of Colour (MPOC) was originally a support group for students of colour to talk about being in an all-white program. It started out with about six or seven Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) who were excited to finally be open about their feelings of underrepresentation and isolation. Upon learning that the MMSt program previously had a diversity group that had dissolved, MPOC decided to become an official student organization to provide a permanent collective for future generations. They are driven by their desire to support People of Colour (POC) within the MMSt program and help facilitate conversations about race with their peers and the wider museum community. MPOC have used multiple platforms to achieve their goal, including social media (Instagram, Facebook), online publications, and most recently a panel featuring Wendy Ng, Manager of School Programs at the Ontario Science Centre; J’net Ayay Qwa Yak Sheelth, Indigenous Outreach and Learning Coordinator at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM); and Just John Samuels, Art Curator and Community Organizer at Blank Canvas Gallery. 

From left to right: Denise Tenio, Megan Sue-Chue-Lam, Wendy Ng, J'net Ayay Qwa Yak Sheelth, Just John Samuels, Dominica Tang, and Chloé Houde. Photo courtesy of Jaime Meier. 

The panel, “Museum Detox: Cleansing Institutions of Unconscious Bias and Developing Anti-Racist Praxis,” was developed by MPOC in partnership with MUSSA. Guided by questions from members of MPOC, panelists discussed the emergent trend of diversity work in cultural institutions and how museums might break that trend-cycle to do “diversity right,” speaking to institutional examples or projects as well as the unexpected and very real challenges in doing this important work. Race is, according to panelist Wendy Ng, a pivotal factor in oppression, and it is critical to recognize the role that race plays in intersectional museum work as well as the oppression that one may experience within these institutions. 

These discussions led us to the idea of risk. Risk and risk-taking is embodied in the work that the panelists and MPOC themselves engage in everyday to decolonize cultural institutions and support their communities in the face of systematic oppression. While various groups work to assist in these efforts, it is critical that we consider and reflect upon how risk differs depending on who undertakes it. 

From left to right: Wendy Ng, J'net Ayay Qwa Yak Sheelth, & Just John Samuels. Photo courtesy of Jaime Meier. 

As panelist J’net Ayay Qwa Yak Sheelth so aptly put it, museums are rooted in systems of white supremacy and the systems that abet it. They are rife with binaries of us and them – or else us vs. them – which is only compounded by the strict hierarchies of power, position, and knowledge hammered into their foundations. And the “us,” those who occupy the highest positions of power, are – much like our program – overwhelmingly white, and so the systems in place actively advantage white folks and disadvantage others. As such, what constitutes risk and what is at stake in taking a risk looks markedly different within a system like that. 

It is not and cannot be up to POC alone to address all institutional issues themselves. White people and allies have an important role to play in challenging institutions that uphold white supremacy, that stem from colonial roots, and to recognize those histories and structures so as to confront them in real terms and meaningful action. MPOC have played a crucial role in beginning this work in the faculty, inspiring peers and others in the museum field to do the same. The panelists brought attention to the fact that we exist in a culture of whiteness that requires us to decenter ourselves in regards to power, culture, and relationships. A starting point for allies and white people is to ask important questions about our relationship to hierarchies and privilege. This may include:

• What privilege do you have?
• Who’s missing from the conversation? Who are you talking to?
• How can we create equilibrium in our (museum) spaces?
• Who are events for? Is it a performance for non-racialized folks? 
• What risks are you willing to take? How will you leverage your power to enact change and challenge oppressive structures?

Faculty and students alike consider issues of  doing "diversity right," confronting institutional systems of white supremacy, and the important work that allies can engage in to help with these efforts. Photo courtesy of Jaime Meier. 

Once allies and white people occupying museum spaces begin to consider these things, important work can begin to take place. This does not mean turning to POC exclusively for guidance and support; white people and allies must shoulder the responsibility of educating themselves and talking to other white people and allies about issues that POC face, even when they are not in the room. MPOC have also stressed the importance of allies speaking up in difficult situations and to take the initiative to ask questions and challenge statements. It is a moment of fleeting discomfort as opposed to the compounded lifetime of negative experiences felt by POC, which only increases feelings of isolation. In the words of Wendy Ng, white people need to be willing to sacrifice their comfort, and at times more, in order to be an ally. 

“Museum Detox” was, in the words of MPOC, a single step towards developing anti-racist practice within cultural institutions but not a small or unimportant one. As Just John Samuels so wonderfully put it, we’re in such a beautiful position to begin this work in earnest. Whether as museum professionals or as students of museum studies, we have the power to enact change and pose challenges. And so we must agree with Just John: that position is indeed a beautiful place in which to work. 

And, of course, if you're interested in listening to the panel yourself, please check out the livestream here!

REUNITING WITH RISK: A DAY AT THE MMST50 UNCONFERENCE

Letter from the Editor | Jordan Fee 

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In 1969, a small group of students gathered in the Royal Ontario Museum as part of a new program offered by the University of Toronto. The program itself was named Museum Studies, and it sought to prepare a new generation of museologists through direct, hands-on training in a cultural institution. Little did they know that 50 years later, this small, specialized program would grow into a thriving community of alumni that stretches across the globe.

The Official Logo of the MMSt50 Conference

Last week, the Museum Studies program celebrated its 50th anniversary in the Claude T. Bissel building, which has housed the program since the year 2006. Students and professionals of all ages were invited to engage with one another in a series of workshops and discussions in the Inforum. 

Although everyone was happy to be in such an enthusiastic group, the conference was not fluffy or wistful. Rather than simply using this occasion as a platform for blind optimism, the MMSt50 committee – led by alumni Melissa Smith – chose to center this special day around the topic of risk. More specifically, the event attempted to shed light on how museums can become more open to risk, and how we as museum professionals can create environments where risk is encouraged.

Faculty Dean Wendy Duff addresses the crowd at the beginning of the Unconference.
Photograph courtesy of Jordan Fee.

To begin the day, participants engaged in a series of discussions about the definition of risk, which was followed by a rapid-fire series of discussions, each of which were led by a specific museum professional. These facilitators came from a wide variety of backgrounds, from historic houses, to municipal government, to the world of business and marketing. Cheryl Blackman, Director of Museum and Heritage Services for the City of Toronto, brought some incredible energy to these discussions, encouraging all of the participants to surround themselves with people who they can trust. It seems like taking risks becomes much easier when you can rely on your team for advice, support and hard work.

There were also commentators who chose to speak about risks not only facing museums, but also the human population at large. The MMSt50 celebration took place on the same day as the Global Climate strike, which saw an unbelievable turnout in Toronto. Doug Worts, who bills himself as a Culture and Sustainability Expert, took to the floor to ask pressing questions, such as “What cultural impacts are museums trying to achieve?” and “How might we change our actions to make a greater impact outside of our institutions?” 

A group of students, alumni and faculty members discuss risk at the roundtable.
Photograph courtesy of Jordan Fee.

As the day went on, more and more people got in touch with one another, and became more comfortable with bringing new ideas to the table. A group exercise led by Cara Krmpotich,  Director of the Museum Studies program, asked the group to make commitments about the kinds of risks that they would take after returning to their respective places of work. More importantly, this exercise asked other people in the room to commit their own time and resources to helping others in the room to take risks. This led to an extensive conversation about precarious work in museums, support groups and professional development events. There was an exciting energy pulsating in this room, and it was quite apparent that new bonds were being formed as we spoke. 

To cap off this exciting day, Katherine Ott, curator at the National Museum of American History, gave an incredible talk about risk, inclusion, power and memory in museums. Some of the most impactful statements made by Ott were related to museums as places of healing, therapy and wellbeing for those who have experienced past traumas. 

Katherine Ott at the Royal Ontario.
Photograph courtesy of Jordan Fee.

In keeping with the theme of risk, Ott was careful not to spare words about the brutal nature of the world today. The lecture was inspiring in a way that few others can be. In the end, this talk reminded us that we are all much more powerful when we support one another, and that we can make a difference if we pool our resources. In the words of Katherine Ott: “Just be your beautiful selves! We’re all in this together.”

TRANS PORNOGRAPHIES AND UNCHECKED FETISHIZATION

Not Your Average Cistory | Amelia Smith

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If you have been around the Faculty of Information lately, you may have noticed a small, recent exhibition on the fifth floor of the Inforum. This exhibition covers some aspects of transgender pornography in the later half of the 20th century. As a transgender museum professional that has been desperately trying to find a way to make those identities coexist, I was excited to see something that was relevant to my identity. At least, I was initially.

As I spent more time thinking about the exhibition, I started to feel more and more uncomfortable with the subject matter. The reason was simple: it did nothing to address the fetishization of trans bodies and instead unintentionally played into it.

To be clear, I am not claiming that trans porn is inherently a bad thing. For many trans individuals, sex work and pornography were the only way to make money and survive. Even the most revered trans activists like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson were forced into sex work simply because of their identities. So, to act as though there is absolutely no place for this would be to ignore history.

The display case showing crossdressing fantasies on one side and real life trans experiences on the other.
Photo courtesy of Amelia Smith.

Where the problem arises, however, is in how the material is presented. With very few didactics, the exhibit demands the viewer to interpret the objects on display. No where is there a discussion on the outdated language and slurs that run rampant throughout the displays. Words such as "transexual" and "transvestite" have very nuanced histories that are completely lost on most audiences. A cisgender audience, of which the Faculty of Information predominantly is, would not be as familiar with these materials to question the underlying issues that arise from each of the displays.

The exhibit is split up into three sections, the wall, the display case and the vitrine. All of these cover different aspects and each have their own problems. The wall shows photocopies of the Gendertrash zine. The major problem with this section is that, quite simply, these are not pornographic, nor do they discuss trans bodies. They more closely discuss trans identities and the issues of being trans in a world that does not understand them. Simply put, the section is out of place in an exhibition on trans pornography. The only reason I can see it being included is because it was started by a sex worker, but again, there is no text panels to explain why it is there.

The wall covered with photocopies of the Gendertrash zine. The design makes this section fairly inaccessible.
 Photo courtesy of Amelia Smith.

The display case’s presentation is even more baffling. On one side is pulp erotic fiction detailing the forced feminization of men, and on the other is the real-life interviews with trans people. This is especially insulting considering one of the trans people on display was legendary film composer Wendy Carlos. The juxtaposition of crossdressing fetishism with real life trans icons waters down any kind of positive messages that could come from either.

The vitrine is probably the most noticeable of the three displays, containing within it the very explicit images of trans porn VHS tapes. These portray the fantasies of a largely cisgender audience, especially the transfemme ones. Fantasies such as these serve only to portray trans people as some kind of in between, a chance to experience gay sex without having to question one’s sexuality. But this underlying homophobia is never questioned, never addressed, because of the lack of panels discussing the exhibit.

The vitrine containing video trans porn. The use of slurs is most prevalent here.
Photo courtesy of Amelia Smith.

But the biggest problem in my mind with the exhibit is how it seems to portray the fetishism of trans bodies as being something of the past. Nothing seems to be from this millennium, which gives off a feeling of antiquity to these depictions. This fetishism is anything but antique. If anything, it has been bolstered with the internet. And it is a fact of life that every trans person that is even slightly public knows.

The realities of being openly trans online, an aspect of trans pornographies that this exhibit does not address. Photo courtesy of Amelia Smith.

The exhibit clearly wanted to educate people on the realities of trans porn, but it could have used a trans person to help give a trans voice.

MOVING FORWARD WITH BOLDNESS: RISK, REDEFINITION AND RESERVATION IN THE MUSEUM

Jordan Fee | Weekend Edition

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Risk in a professional setting is often perceived as something unwanted – something to avoid at all costs. We want to be calculated in our decisions, and to be sure of their successes. Rather than seeking risk out, many of us choose to cast doubt upon it.

Such is the mythology of risk.

However, on February 7th, the Museum Studies Students Association (MUSSA) took yet another step towards dispelling such myths. As part of the 50th Anniversary of the Museum Studies Program (MMSt50), MUSSA invited four incredible panelists – Jim Shedden (Manager of Publishing at the Art Gallery of Ontario), Shaniqua Liston (Operations Manager at Kingston Penitentiary Tours), Kathleen Brown (Chief Operating Officer of Lord Cultural Resources), and Karen Carter (Founding Executive Director of Myseum of Toronto) - to speak on their respective approaches to risk in professional settings.

From left to right: Melissa Smith (Moderator), Shaniqua Liston, Jim Shedden, Kathleen Brown and Karen Carter.
Photograph courtesy of Kesang Nanglu. 

Guided by moderator Melissa Smith, the panelists riffed and responded to questions such as: How do you define risk in your own setting? What is the biggest risk that you have taken in your career? and do types of museums tend to take more risks than others?

"At Kingston Penitentiary, we try to do something new everyday." -Shaniqua Liston
Photograph courtesy of Kesang Nanglu.

While we tend to think of risk as something that is intensely consequential, each of the speakers took time to underline - and celebrate - the smaller risks that are taken by a number of institutions on a daily basis. Speaking of the tours provided at the Kingston Penitentary, Shaniqua Liston noted that risk in her institution generally requires a constant negotiation with her visitors, each of whom bring their own unique perspectives to the institution’s history. Kathleen Brown also shed some light on this endeavour, noting how she, as an entrepreneur, takes risks everyday when consulting with her clients. Adding some humour to this discussion, Jim Shedden noted how in the museum business, many risks are in fact taken for us, rather than by us.

A member of the audience asks the panelists a question. Photograph courtesy of Kesang Nanglu.

So, it is clear that there is such as thing as risk-in-practice. However, as we know, taking risks isn’t only about acting, it’s also a question of approach. Many of the panelists spoke about a psychological approach to risk-taking, noting how important it is to prepare both ourselves and others for risk. Karen Carter offered some particularly insightful comments on her mental approach to risk-taking, where convincing others to take risks usually requires “translating a road-map” that she has already planned out in her head.

Ultimately, much of the discussion revolved around negotiating with risk. Some institutions can take bigger risks than others, and some are much more risk averse when it comes to exhibitions and collections. Also, some professionals in the field might have a much different understanding of risk, associating it with failure and loss, rather than excitement and learning.

Following the panel, attendees enjoyed food, drink and conversation. Photograph courtesy of Kesang Nanglu.

While museums may seem like calculated reservoirs of information and knowledge, we should all try to break the mold of purely logical thinking. Yes, we all want to be successful professionals, and rightly so. But being a successful museum professional isn’t just about following past practices; it's also about establishing new practices that help to extend the power of the museum and reach new audiences. Risk is about thinking outside of the box, being bold, and overall, getting outside of your comfort zone. Speaking of her own practice, Karen Carter noted how she is most comfortable when she is uncomfortable. (“I abhor comfort.”) I believe that we should all take a page out of her book, and approach situations that unnerve us and challenge our beliefs.

HIGH FASHION HIJAB - AND MUSLIM WOMAN'S PLACE IN THE FASHION WORLD

SEW WHAT

BY: JESSICA SVENNINGSON

High fashion has increasingly been finding its way into cultural institutions – like the ROM’s new exhibition exploring Dior in the 20th century, MoMA’s current exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern?, and a yet-to-be-announced exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum showcasing a designer’s collection of footwear, set to open in 2018. The strong political voice museums hold has great power to legitimize art and cultural activities, and their corresponding objects. This voice has recently spoken up in the fashion and political debates surrounding Muslim women’s fashion, more specifically hijabs.

High Fashion Hijab Queen. Source

Hijabs have been thrown under both critical and supportive media spotlights in the context of recent political turmoil in North America and abroad. Ibtihaj Muhammad competed in the 2016 summer Olympics in her hijab, Dolce and Gabbana and launched high fashion hijabs, and Halima Aden, a Somali-American, competed in Miss Minnesota USA wearing a hijab and burkini. Considering the recent backlash from American museums in the face of an Islamophobic Twitter-troll, the time is ripe to host exhibitions exploring Islamic fashion and the politics contained within it. San Francisco's de Young Museum will be hosting The Fashion of Islam, opening fall 2018, to demonstrate the complexity and variety of Islamic fashions from around the world. To quote the director, Max Hollein, 

Dolce & Gabanna, 2016. Source

"There are probably people who don't even think there is fashion in Islam. But if you look at Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Beirut, the fashion is really vibrant, and it can speak to larger political and social developments, cultural understanding, and misunderstandings."

Hollein is hot on the heels of Australia’s Museum of Applied Arts & Science’s exhibition Faith, Fashion, Fusion: Muslim Women’s Style in Australia, currently on display at the Islamic Art Museum of Malaysia, showing the diversity in Australian Islamic fashion through photographs, garments, and interviews.

Uniqlo + Hana Tajima, 2017. Source

The presentation of these exhibitions is in direct opposition to arguments made by French women's rights and families minister Laurence Rossignol, and Yves Saint Laurent's co-founder Pierre Bergé, who both view the hijab as a form of "slavery". Berge's attitude is in reflection of a new trend in fashion for 'modest wear', clothing lines designed for Islamic women who wish to dress conservatively, and fashionably. This attitude for exclusion from an international fashion company seems short-sighted considered the massive buying power the Islamic world holds, with spending projections for the fashion industry in the Arab world expecting to reach $484 billion by 2019. Ignoring that kind of potential for growth sends a strong message of how unimportant Euro-American fashion industries view the Islamic world as a viable market.

The fashion-political opinions against Western fashion industries catering to the social needs of Muslim women is grounded in a “colonial feminist” attitude that we need to teach others how to live. This attitude, “reduce[‘s] the diverse situations and attitudes of millions of Muslim women to a single item of clothing,” without considering the opportunity for self-expression possible within the hijab itself. To no surprise, the debate over the hijab is really another debate over women’s bodies, and their agency over it. Using fashion as a tool to exercise that control, Dolce and Gabanna, Uniqlo, and Nike have launched products and clothing lines that not only give Muslim women the ability to exercise that agency over their own body, but to engage in all activities as other women do.

However, this shift in the western fashion markets catering to fashion desires of Muslim women fans the flames of a fundamental paradigm struggle currently happening in the Muslim countries all around the world. Shelina Janmohamed, author of Love In A Headscarf, describes this tension:

“Today's fashion industry is about consumerism and objectification - buy, buy, buy and be judged by what you wear. Muslim fashion is teetering between asserting a Muslim woman's right to be beautiful and well-turned out, and buying more stuff than you need, and being judged by your clothes - both of which are the opposite of Islamic values. Modesty isn't just how you look, it's what you purchase and what you waste....it might be liberating for the Muslim women purchasing these fashions on the high street, but how liberating is it for the Muslim women who made them in the sweatshops in Bangladesh and elsewhere?"

Nike Muslim women's sportswear, 2018. Source

Turning to third-year Social Anthropology student at SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies in London) Sabah Haneen Choudhry, she asks,

“Why is the hijab ‘acceptable’ only when it's appropriated and managed by major [Western] corporations? ... Why can't Muslim women decide the parameters of their Islamic identity and sexual morality, without facing harsh scrutiny from within and outside the 'imagined' Muslim community?"

"Legitimizing" hijabs in the Western world by western high fashion companies not only looks badly on the companies who expand their markets with the intention of monetary gain, but it also reflects badly on western museums who only now are exploring Muslim fashion. It should not have taken a high fashion Italian clothing designer and several other internationally known clothing companies to motivate western museums into exploring fashion from the Islamic world. It begs the question: what other contemporary cultures are being under-represented in museums globally, and what can be done to present these cultures without exorcising them? As gatekeepers, caregivers, and presenters of arts and culture, museums have a responsibility to provide equal opportunity to represent all angles of cultural identity. 

Mariah Idrissi talks about the changing face of Muslim women at TedX, 2016. Source.

Further Reading:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/is-fashion-modern-moma-exhibition-little-black-dress-lbd-hijab-jeans-leather-new-york-curator-name-a7972371.html#gallery

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathonkeats/2017/10/03/moma-fashion-items/#780917c64e36

VIEWS FROM THE CLIQUE

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY: ANNISSA MALVOISIN

Time really flies.

As my time as Contributing Editor to this lovely column, I have tried to bring contemporary histories to light - emphasizing the efforts of African Canadians today as relevant and important. I hope that my personal efforts have succeeded, and that you readers enjoyed what I believe was a needed cultural update. Finally, I hope that the events and movements that I've written about have been engaged with. 

As my final post for musings I would like to shamelessly promote my upcoming group exhibition titled Common Ground: ART x BISSELL 2016. Further, I would like to highlight the lit local talent that we will be featuring, many of which are of African descent and address issues in Black communities through their work.

I am not going to give away too much information (because I want you to come to the opening of course...) but I am going to give you a brief preview of what to expect.

Protest

One of the photographic works document a specific protest against the killing of an African-American teenager. Through the artists' lens and by way of your own interpretation, you may experiences scenes of resistance during a climate of racial inequality.

Artists
http://vsco.co/willmars/grid/1

Migration and Immigration

A dominant subject of works across the entirety of the exhibition, artists attempt to deal with their diverse cultural identities. From the Ivory Coast to Tanzania, artists take you on an expressive journey through their struggle, acceptance, and understanding of movement.

Artists

@hawaanoor 

@black.lenses

Culture

To understand one's Blackness independent of any type of stereotype or classification is a feat that one artist has explored in her snapshots. A diverse array of people of African descent are featured, in all of their individual glory. 

Artists

http://www.sierranallo.com

(Image Source: Camille-Mary Sharp)

If you haven't caught onto my clever little hints, the theme of the exhibition deals with experiences and views of displacement by the clique of artists featured in the show (and I've only named a few!). They've poured themselves onto a tabla rasa opening on April 7, 2016.

Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/1749914988558238

It's been a pleasure.