Diversity and accessibility are important museum values to me. I really believe that art can help us reflect on who we are and that museums can help us re-think who we might be in a better, more inclusive future.
The DETOX-network at TENT Gallery, Rotterdam, 26 June 2017
Museums are powerful places where art and (historical) objects can be used as social generators, encouraging new perspectives and social change. I am proud to have worked on learning projects that show hi/stories from different cultural perspectives and co-create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors who often feel left out in traditional museum environments.
At the same time, many museums aren’t inclusive yet. There’s is a lack of cultural diversity in museums when it comes to visitors, employees and the stories that are being told and voices that are being heard. One of the ways forward is to hire and keep hiring a diverse, multicultural museum workforce that is future-proof. Our societies are only becoming more diverse, more globally connected. Change is here to stay.
A network that has helped me and encouraged me to feel ‘in place’ in museums is the fabulous DETOX group in the U.K. They are a rather informal network of more than 130 museum employees from BAME-backgrounds (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) in the U.K.. They mentor, share advice and vacancies, and offer a safe-space for exchanging experiences.
In June I organised an evening event for DETOX at the international MuseumNext conference in Rotterdam. After I spoke at the event, I was asked to write and talk about diversity on several occasions:
Would you like to read up on my thoughts and views? In text you will find some links.
You can also drop me a message and/or add me on LinkedIn. I love discussing diversity and working towards more inclusive museums.
At the same time, many museums aren’t inclusive yet. There’s is a lack of cultural diversity in museums when it comes to visitors, employees and the stories that are being told and voices that are being heard. One of the ways forward is to hire and keep hiring a diverse, multicultural museum workforce that is future-proof. Our societies are only becoming more diverse, more globally connected. Change is here to stay.
A network that has helped me and encouraged me to feel ‘in place’ in museums is the fabulous DETOX group in the U.K. They are a rather informal network of more than 130 museum employees from BAME-backgrounds (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) in the U.K.. They mentor, share advice and vacancies, and offer a safe-space for exchanging experiences.
In June I organised an evening event for DETOX at the international MuseumNext conference in Rotterdam. After I spoke at the event, I was asked to write and talk about diversity on several occasions:
- MuseumNext event and blog post: TENT x Museum Detox Event, MuseumNext 2017 (with Annemarie De Wildt en Imara Lemon from Amsterdam Museum and Patrick Campbell and Miranda Lowe from the Natural History Museum, London, U.K.), June 2017
- LKCA blog post Cultureel Kapitaal, 'Tijd voor een Detox-kuur in Nederlandse musea', September 2017
- NightShift Rotterdam: evening lecture for museum professionals with discussion 'Who do (not) visit our museums?' (with Marleen Hartjes, Van Abbemuseum, and Nicole van Dijk, Rotterdam Museum), September 2017
Would you like to read up on my thoughts and views? In text you will find some links.
You can also drop me a message and/or add me on LinkedIn. I love discussing diversity and working towards more inclusive museums.
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