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Empathy&best practice
This document discusses the concept of an "Empathetic Museum" and how its qualities can guide "next practice" for museums. An Empathetic Museum is closely connected to its community, able to understand different perspectives, and responsive to community needs. Its key qualities include having a civic vision, being interested in all community issues, timely responses to crises, strong connections to diverse groups, and inclusive communication. While museums have discussed their civic role for decades, many still focus only on their missions and collections rather than daily community concerns. An Empathetic Museum sees its fundamental role as an "anchor institution" in its city's civic infrastructure.
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Empathy&best practice
- 1. Empathy: the Basisfor “Next Practice” Gretchen Jennings Gretchenjennings@rcn.com @gretchjenn Museum Commons Blog www.museumcommons.com INTERCOM Museum Leadership Conference, Washington, DC, October 2015
- 2. The Empathetic MuseumProject •Colleagues Janeen Bryant, Jim Cullen, Elissa Frankle, Matt Kirchman, Stacey Mann, Rainey Tisdale •Website under construction www.empatheticmuseum.com •Tumblr site: http://empatheticmuseum.tumblr.com/ •Twitter hashtag #EmpatheticMuseum •More information: Museum Commons blog www.museumcommons.com
- 3. Focus of thispresentation • Application of the Empathetic Museum construct to the concept of “Next Practice.” • A distinction and clarification The Empathy Museum is a European-based project headed by Roman Krznaric whose aim is to teach and encourage empathy in visitors through art installations and a traveling museum. The Empathetic Museum is about institutional empathy, wherein a museum, through its structure, mission, policies, collections, exhibitions, programs, staffing, --- in all its manifestations—is closely connected to its community, is able to “stand in its shoes.” • Thesis: The qualities of an Empathetic Museum are guidelines for “next practice.”
- 4. Qualities of anEmpathetic Museum 1. Civic Vision: Takes imagination and leadership to make museum an “anchor institution.” Museum cultivates links with a broad range of civic entities, from city or town officials, police force, school and library leaders, to churches and community organizations. 2. A Habit of Mind: such that whatever is happening in the community (whether or not it is related to museum type or collection) is of interest (and is considered to be legitimately of interest) to the institution and is taken into consideration in its planning and activities. 3. Timeliness: Because the museum has planned ahead, & has consistent connections with its diverse audiences, it is able to respond in a timely fashion when a crisis (almost by definition something that is not anticipated) occurs. 4. Resonance & Responsiveness: The museum has strong and trusted connections with all the diverse (and often neglected) aspects of the community, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status. 5. Accessible Institutional Body Language: The unspoken messages the museum communicates through its structure, staffing, advertising, exhibitions and programs say all are welcome; you are part of us, and we of you.
- 5. Almost half-century ofthought on the museum as a civic institution Duncan Cameron: the museum as forum, not as opposed to but rather along side of the museum as temple. (Curator,1971) Museums for a New Century (1984) & Excellence and Equity (1992) called for increased role of the public dimensions of museums. Museums and Communities conference, held at SI and documented by Karp, Kreamer, and Lavine (1992) examined the museum as an institution of civil society. Stephen Weil: At the level of institutional leadership, the most important new skill of all will be the ability to envision how the community’s ongoing and/or emerging needs in all their dimensions— physical, psychological, economic and social—might potentially be served by the museum’s very particular competencies. 1999. Harold Skramstad: “unless museums can and do play some role relative to the real problems of real peoples’ lives – then what is the point?” 1996 Elaine Heumann Gurian. Civilizing the Museum (2006). A collection of writings spanning over 25 years on the public dimension and civic role of museums. Robert Janes (2009).Museums in a Troubled World: a call for stewardship and civic engagement. Lonnie Bunch, (2011) Call the Lost Dream Back: Essays on Race, History, and Museums. Gail Dexter Lord and Ngaire Blankenberg (2015). Cities, Museums, and Soft Power. Examines the role of museums as “anchor institutions” along with universities, hospitals, churches, libraries.
- 6. “It’s not ourissue.” Response of administrator of major U.S. human rights museum when asked how the institution might respond to national conversations about race and racism. This was in the aftermath of the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. This statement represents, on the whole, the view of our museums, at least in the U.S., regarding many important national and international issues that deeply affect the American people, and thus the audiences of these museums.
- 7. It’s not ourissue Hurricane Sandy 2012: New York public libraries opened to provide warmth, water, charging of electronic devices. Saw little evidence of this for museums in affected area. The Ebola pandemic 2014: Few US science centers or associations addressed this in programming, on social media. The ongoing national conversation about race, receiving greater publicity and urgency after the killing of unarmed black teenagers such as Trayvon Martin (2012) and Michael Brown(Ferguson, 2014)), video recordings of shootings of unarmed black men by white police, the massacre of nine black parishioners in church in Charleston, SC (2015). #MuseumsRespondtoFerguson Exception: Boston Marathon Bombings (2013). Dear Boston, exhibition on healing the community, opened in Boston Public Library one year later in April, 2014.
- 8. Why, despite almost50 years of discussion about museums as vital and relevant to their communities, is there so little involvement by museums in the deeply felt daily concerns of the towns and cities in which they reside? A cluster of attitudes and practices that are assumed to be best practice but that all along have been called into question by museum associations and thought leaders Stick to your mission, which is defined almost entirely around dissemination of the collection or the disciplinary focus of organization. Stick to those topics on which you can speak “authoritatively.” Take the long view.
- 9. Stick to yourmission, which is defined almost entirely around dissemination of the discipline or the collection. 1. Civic Vision: Takes imagination and leadership to make museum an “anchor institution.” Museum cultivates links with a broad range of civic entities, from city or town officials, police force, school and library leaders, to churches and community organizations. 2. A Habit of Mind: such that whatever is happening in the community (whether or not it is related to museum type or collection) is of interest (and is considered to be legitimately of interest) to the institution and is taken into consideration in its planning and activities. 3. Timeliness: Because the museum has planned ahead, & has consistent connections with its diverse audiences, it is able to respond in a timely fashion when a crisis (almost by definition something that is not anticipated) occurs. 4. Resonance & Responsiveness: The museum has strong and trusted connections with all the diverse (and often neglected) aspects of the community, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status. 5. Accessible Institutional Body Language: The unspoken messages the museum communicates through its structure, staffing, advertising, exhibitions and programs say all are welcome; you are part of us, and we of you.
- 10. Stick to thosetopics on which you can speak “authoritatively.” 1. Civic Vision: Takes imagination and leadership to make museum an “anchor institution.” Museum cultivates links with a broad range of civic entities, from city or town officials, police force, school and library leaders, to churches and community organizations. 2. A Habit of Mind: such that whatever is happening in the community (whether or not it is related to museum type or collection) is of interest (and is considered to be legitimately of interest) to the institution and is taken into consideration in its planning and activities. 3. Timeliness: Because the museum has planned ahead, & has consistent connections with its diverse audiences, it is able to respond in a timely fashion when a crisis (almost by definition something that is not anticipated) occurs. 4. Resonance & Responsiveness: The museum has strong and trusted connections with all the diverse (and often neglected) aspects of the community, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status. 5. Accessible Institutional Body Language: The unspoken messages the museum communicates through its structure, staffing, advertising, exhibitions and programs say all are welcome; you are part of us, and we of you.
- 11. Take the longview 1. Civic Vision: Takes imagination and leadership to make museum an “anchor institution.” Museum cultivates links with a broad range of civic entities, from city or town officials, police force, school and library leaders, to churches and community organizations. 2. A Habit of Mind: such that whatever is happening in the community (whether or not it is related to museum type or collection) is of interest (and is considered to be legitimately of interest) to the institution and is taken into consideration in its planning and activities. 3. Timeliness Because the museum has planned ahead, & has consistent connections with its diverse audiences, it is able to respond in a timely fashion when a crisis (almost by definition something that is not anticipated) occurs. 4. Resonance & Responsiveness: The museum has strong and trusted connections with all the diverse (and often neglected) aspects of the community, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic status. 5. Accessible Institutional Body Language: The unspoken messages the museum communicates through its structure, staffing, advertising, exhibitions and programs say all are welcome; you are part of us, and we of you.
- 12. Collections/museum focus areimportant, but more fundamental to a museum’s role is its place as an “anchor institution,” part of the civic infrastructure of its city/town. Nina Simon, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. 2015
- 13. “ ” …the just cityis seen as an urban center that is inclusive, affordable, and equitable for all its residents -- neither a gentrified playground for the rich nor a prison for the poor, but a place where both can live, sharing space, employment, schools, shops, and entertainment. Building the 'Just City': A Report from the Frontier of the New Urbanism - NJ Spotlight 10/22/15 Our museums must be anchor institutions in the just city.