First person voice: Native communities and conservation consultations at the National Museum of the American Indian
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | English Slovak |
| ISBN: | ISBN 1-84407-253-3 |
| Online Access: | http://www.viks.sk/chk/14tmh_55.doc |
| Abstract: | SUMMARIES. Conservation consultations with Native peoples produce more valuable results for conservation treatment work than when conservators work with secondary sources. The conservation staff at the National Museum of the American Indian have been consulting with Native peoples through much of the museum’s 16 year history. The impact for Native communities is reported from the perspective of coauthors Kentta and Bridges. CONCLUSIONS. The consultation process works both ways: it strengthens the museum programming and reverberates back into the Native community. These living partnerships intersect the life of a museum with that of Native communities and the resultant impact assists in new developments for both. For the communities it spreads out into cultural renewal and continuance. For NMAI, these collaborations furthered the mission of the NMAI and were definitely advantageous for all parties. Initially, they were ad hoc and the conservation staff had yet to achieve a regular involvement in the overall collaborative processes of the museum. After the museum’s focus turned completely to the inaugural exhibit preparation, conservation consultations became fully incorporated into the exhibit development process. Conservators continue to learn ways the now regular consultations can be more productive partnerships for the museum and Native communities. |
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| ISBN: | ISBN 1-84407-253-3 |
