In this series of conversations recorded for the People: A Global Dialogue in Museums and Their Publics symposium organized by The Met, hear from an international array of scholars, artists, writers, performers, and activists as they share their ideas about how museums engage with people locally and globally.
Rather than preset descriptions, we asked a set of open questions to frame each program session. In Interpretation, we consider if it’s possible to democratize interpretations of objects by inviting broader perspectives. Are there ways to acknowledge the inherent bias and evidence of authorship in interpretation? What are the effects of technological and interpretive innovations in media, formats, and modes of learning that convey meaning to the public? And finally, what are new and different modes of engagement that tell object stories and histories?
Introduction
Heidi Holder, Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chair of Education, The Met
Speakers
Jack (John Kuo Wei) Tchen, Clement A. Price Chair of Public History and Humanities, Rutgers University
Haidy Geismar, Professor of Anthropology, University College London
Kamini Sawhney, Director, Museum of Art and Photography
Brian Vallo, Governor, Pueblo of Acoma Tribe
Moderated by Vishakha Desai, Senior Advisor for Global Affairs, Department Chair of the Committee on Global Thought, and Senior Research Scholar in Global Studies, Columbia University
Recorded on May 18, 2021
© 2021 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
