In a world where positions are becoming more polarised,
museums can expect to be on the receiving end of controversy at some time or
other. I recently gave a paper at the ICOM Marketing and Public Relations
conference held this year in Yerevan, Armenia from the 24th-28th
October on the subject of Museums and
Controversy and I would like to share the thoughts from that paper with you
in a series of blog posts. This first one explores the potential sources of controversy
in museums:
Collections: We
find controversy in issues associated with our collections. One major source of
contention is perceptions about the rightful ownership of objects with an
increasing focus on repatriation. There are other areas. In these challenging
economic times, some museums have considered ‘de-accessioning’ objects to
manage escalating operating costs or to purchase new works- a move often
accompanied by outcry and dismay from the public and other professionals. And the
provenance of objects acquired by museums and galleries, often in good faith,
has been the subject of more intense public scrutiny in recent years.
Inclusions
and exclusions are a contested area. Who is included? Whose voice is
heard? There has been controversy over the exclusions of women, migrant groups,
indigenous cultures and different expressions of sexuality. Inclusion has not,
in itself, eliminated controversy because conflict can then arise over
representation of difference.
Standards,
ethics and mores: Controversy is also played out through
questions of what is admissible according to standards, ethics and mores. The
exhibition of human remains is a contested area, sexuality in its myriad forms can
provoke dispute- and art, with its capacity to bring with it ‘the shock of the
new’, still contains the power to deeply divide public opinion.
Important
collective narratives can be a source of discord. There are
divergent views on how we represent war from lionising heroism and nationalism
to deploring the inhumanity of war, the huge social cost to generations and the
targeting of specific groups through holocausts and genocides. The contention
around national narratives has witnessed overt intervention from at least one
government that did not subscribe to the notion of plurality and diversity in
interpreting the national story. The origins
of the world and its species are currently a highly polarised debate between
creationists and scientists.
Emerging
or unresolved social issues which come accompanied by divergent views
and value positions are often sources of controversy. Whether these are
perceived as being linked in some way to larger geo-political conflicts,
reflect deep divisions within a society or explore issues around which there
are contested positions, museums can find themselves in the centre of a
maelstrom.
Funding: As
public investment decreases, museums are required to become more entrepreneurial
and to seek greater input from sponsors, donors and foundations. What are the ethical
issues involved in partnering with outside funders? Museum ethics policies are
beginning to reflect the situation. The Canadian Museum Association’s ethics
guidelines state clearly that any sponsorship or partnership with an external
partner must not compromise the institutional mandate or the museum’s public
trust responsibilities. In the same
spirit, the UK Museums Association’s draft code of ethics maintains that financial support from commercial
organisations and other outside sources is acceptable provided that it does not
compromise the integrity of the museum.
These six areas begin to ‘map’ the situations where
controversy may occur. In the next blog, I discuss the subject of establishing
guidelines to manage controversy.