Rita Segato (Argentina), anthropologist, will offer a theoretical framework in which to explore and examine the conference themes of colonialism, gender, violence, migration and roots.

In an age of increasing public disenchantment in preserving the past, museums are envisioning new strategies for greater social relevance. Learn how museums of all types and sizes are broadening their role to address urgent societal needs, redress social inequality, and help visitors better understand one another.

Do museums that adapt to the needs and demands of tourism put the collections and traditions of the cultures they exhibit at risk? In this mock trial, a judge hears opposing arguments from a prosecutor, defense attorney, and witnesses and weighs the evidence before you, the audience, decide the final verdict. “Order in the court!”

In a fun future-looking event, judges evaluate presentations of visionary projects selected through an open call to the museum field.

Jury: Hilary Carty, Gabriela Massuh and Claudia Zaldívar.

 

To Migrate: An Act of Value

Adriana Correa Velásquez (Corporación Maloka de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Colombia)

Every minute four Venezuelans cross the border. More than a million have made Colombia their home. And with each new refugee the urgency to raise greater awareness in society increases. 

Maloka proposes an exhibition to reflect, recognize, and elevate the importance of science and museums in this conversation.

 

Museums and Pets, Friends Forever

Luis Marcelo Mendes (Independent consultant, Brazil)

If we believe museums are “democratizing, inclusive and polyphonic spaces,” should we not make them pet-friendly as well? We invite museum professionals to open their minds and hearts to the subculture of pet guardians, promoting museums as fun and stress-free zones, where everyone is welcome. It’s time to include our friends in the International Committee of Museums (ICOM)’s proposed new definition of museums.

 

Ancient Peru Today

Isabel Collazos (Museo Larco, Peru)

The history of Peru has always been distant and depersonalized. A potential contributing factor is a formal education system that teaches about culture, places and significant historical dates but never about people or personal achievements. This project proposes that visitors reconnect with the past through their own stories to better understand the relevancy of Peru’s history in their lives today.

 

Tales from Los Courts

Sarah Zenaida Gould (Museo del Westside, United States)

Hear about a proposed storytelling project that gives resonance to the lived experiences of residents of the Alazan Apache Courts — the oldest public housing complex in San Antonio, Texas and the Museo del Westside’s neighbor — who are confronting their imminent displacement through gentrification.

With map in hand, we invite you to explore some of the museums and cultural spaces of Oaxaca that open their doors to Reimagining the Museum. Search the map for those venues who have extended hours to welcome you and those who will host a special event.

Fred Wilson (USA), artist, will highlight his transformative museum projects, juxtaposing and re-contextualizing heritage, art and cultural objects which challenge museums’ hegemonic discourses, proposing new interpretations and staging dissent without being declamatory.

Join Néstor García Canclini and José Luis Paredes Pacho as they discuss timely social and philosophical issues and their implications for museum practice including interculturality, depoliticization, mediation, and collective memory.

On Stage features short rapid-fire presentations on innovative museum projects that are transforming museum practice. Attend presentations of most interest to you scheduled in three concurrent time slots.

 

Gran salón 1

A Disruptive Model for Collections 

Miriam Barrón García (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico)

What happens when a museum shares it collection with the local community and it becomes wildly popular? Learn about this innovative collection sharing initiative that installs artwork in private homes and inspires renewed interest in the observation of and interaction with contemporary art.

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How to Escape from Prison through a Museum

Alejandro Rubbo Sarralde (Museo del Carnaval, Uruguay)

Listen to an experience developed in a women’s prison where, through professional workshops related to Carnaval, the museum instills a positive work ethic and fosters successful reentry into society.

 

Gran salón 2,3

A Proposed New Vision for Museology

Mario Amatiello (Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales “Dr. Ángel Gallardo”, Argentina)

Participate in a provocative conversation on museology, based on collaboration and informed by theory and practice, which proposes new thinking, direction, and inspiration.

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Like a Jazz Song: Improvisation as a Design Technique for Troubled Times

Suzanne Seriff (University of Texas at Austin, US)

Improvisation in jazz begins with a melodic phrase, invites a response, and builds on a theme. Listen to the highs and lows of such an improvisatory and fundamentally responsive approach to exhibition development at the world’s largest folk art museum which has been hailed “a model of museum practice for the 21st century.”

 

Gran salón 4,5

Dialogues that Engage the Senses

Carolina Marcela Giraldo Herrera (Museo de Antioquia, Colombia)

Gain insight into an educational art project for children from 6 to 12 years of age who reside near the museum that empowers them to understand their potential and nurtures their self-expression and identity. 

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When an Artistic Installation Becomes a Museum

Maurício Panella (Casadágua- Instituto e Estúdio de Criação, Brazil)

Find out how an installation based on a giant aerial photograph of the city which invites the audience to walk on its roofs and streets and “georeference” memories ultimately became the Museum of Affective Memory of the city of Natal.

 

Salón 1

Canoo: A Mobile App that Celebrates Arts, Inclusion and Citizenship  

Julia Matamoros (Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Canada)

Learn how an innovative mobile app developed by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship connects new Canadian citizens with arts and cultural institutions to foster greater social inclusion and a deeper appreciation of citizenship. 

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Finally A Museum Listens to Me!

Santiago Rodríguez (Papalote Museo del Niño, Mexico) 

In this interactive presentation, attendees will participate in an experience that demonstrates active listening by a museum (finally!). Provide input in real-time on Papalote visitor studies research and how it might best inform its program on early childhood. The data will not have control; you will have control!

 

Salón 3

History Is the Earth

Susana Quintero Borowiak (Museo Casa Natal del General Santander, Colombia)

A museum can be as organic as a plant. An orchard is as telling as a museum. A community can reconnect through its stories, even if they are not clearly remembered. On the busiest border in South America, examine how planting provides an opportunity to gather and share stories.

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Adopting Plants Makes the Visitor an Advocate for Conservation

Teodolinda Balcázar (Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología de la UNAM, Mexico)

Currently the botanical garden program “Adoption Center of Mexican Plants in Danger of Extinction” includes more than 24,000 adoptive “parents” who are now stewards of a small portion of the plant diversity of Mexico. Learn more about this visionary collaboration between the museum and public that benefits the nation.

 

Salón 5

Museum + Community + Cultural Heritage = Approximation, Transformation and Change

Thais Creolezio (Museu Histórico de Jaboticabal Aloísio de Almeida, Brazil) 

Learn how a group of rural women eco-agricultural producers teach and learn about fostering greater community cohesion and gain a deeper appreciation for the preservation of local stories and memories in the process.

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For Stamps’ Sake!

María de la Luz Santiago Pérez (Museo de la Filatelia de Oaxaca, Mexico)

The world of stamps can be characterized as a masculine world where weird, eccentric, passionate, adventurous and also curious and enthusiastic characters wander, but where are the women? This is a tribute to all women who have been excluded – or included – in the world of philately.

 

Auditorio panorámico

Neighborhood Look: Notes on the Fly

M. Ignacia Biskupovic (Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende, Chile)

How do museum professionals currently understand their work with the community in a museum of modern and contemporary art, founded “for the people of Chile” in 1972? Explore how the staff at Museo de la Solidaridad engaged with its local neighborhood to find answers and returned with more questions and, most importantly, a greater appreciation for deepening community engagement. 

 

When a Dream Becomes a Public Space: The Edward James Sculptural Garden

Ximena Escalera Zamudio (Jardín Escultórico de Edward James, Mexico)

Looking for a wild orchid, Edward James arrived in Xilitla in 1945 to realize his dream of building a tropical garden that no Englishman could ever imagine. Seventy five years later, tour buses and hundreds of young people descend on the garden in pursuit of the perfect Instagram photo which makes this space one of the strangest and most visited tourist destinations in Mexico.

When and why do people trust museums? How does trust relate to authority and transparency? What makes people trust – or distrust – science and scientists? Should a museum aspire to be a trusted broker and connector, a trusted voice, or a trusted listener? Michael John Gorman will explore the question of trust in museums, especially in the context of his current project, BIOTOPIA, a new museum in Munich, Germany, exploring life sciences and environmental issues.

The pleasure of your company is requested at the ceremony where the betrothed will express their vows before a civil judge while parents will speculate and ultimately select which of the six unions is the likeliest to succeed. And as we toast to their future, let’s keep the faith in our own… with humor!

Daniel Castro, Nina Simon, Andrés Roldán and Kathleen McLean will officiate the ceremony.

Museums look to have everything planned. In this closing session, we will recall ideas and questions from the past three days to collectively create a game for chance. A set of cards based on shared experiences at the conference that will trigger new thoughts. 

Facilitated by Fundación TyPA and Alejandra Estrada

As Reimagining the Museum comes to a close we give ourselves one last moment to reflect on the sessions, glean insight on the underlying and overarching conference themes and present a synthesis.