Guidelines for Museums

The following Guidelines were developed over a three-year period of collaboration between Native and non-Native museum professionals, cultural leaders, and artists. The Guidelines are intended as a resource for museums who are working in collaboration with communities. This document does not present a set of rules; instead, it offers principles and considerations for building successful collaborations.

There are two separate and complimentary sets of guidelines; one for communities and the other for museums. We encourage readers to refer to both. Although the focus for both documents is on collections-based collaborations, the Guidelines apply to all types of collaborative work in museums, including education, exhibits and public programs.

Background

Contributions of Native peoples continue to be among the least understood and recognized aspects of the human experience. When we look at museums and their representation (or lack of representation) of Native peoples, this becomes evident. Museums as institutions of learning and understanding, and as repositories of material culture and information, are adopting different strategies to improve representations of cultures and their knowledges, access to archives and collections, and collections stewardship. One such strategy is collaboration. The SAR Guidelines for Collaboration respond to this evolution in the field with information to help museums build relationships and collaborations with communities.

Collaboration

True collaboration does not happen immediately—it is process driven and takes time and commitment. The specific manner in which you collaborate will be unique to your museum, the community, and the project. Do not confuse collaboration with a single invitation to view or comment on collections, or to rubber-stamp exhibition content. Collaboration is about sharing both authority and decision-making and includes cooperative planning, definition of outcomes and roles, task accountability, transparent budget discussions, and a clear structure for communication.

Why work with communities?

Museums can serve as valuable resources for communities. At the same time, museum professionals’ increased recognition of the value in working with communities has generated more informed work and better practices. Myriad case studies exemplify successful processes that have led to meaningful collaborations (see “Case Studies”). Collaboration enables the museum to better document the context, meaning, and contemporary relevance of collections. In addition to providing enhanced understanding, a collaborative process improves the accuracy of museum records, thereby allowing for more-informed curation, conservation, and collections management as well as the development of appropriate programming and projects. Collaboration can have a profound impact on museum staff; the experience can change the way you work with and view the collections you steward. Museum staff often recognize the value of their work when they witness the impact it has on communities.

The museum visit

The intent of these Guidelines is to help build a good foundation for collaborative work with communities. Prepare for an inviting and successful visit by coordinating with other museum staff and community representatives to develop a mutually respectful and trusting relationship. Involve the community in determining project scope and timeframe and allow additional time for them to make decisions regarding their participation. Even given the best of intentions for the visit, missteps may occur, but these situations can provide learning opportunities and inform your process moving forward.

A visit to the community

A community may extend an invitation to your museum staff, board, or other affiliates so that the visitors can learn about and experience aspects of community history, culture, and arts.

Documentation

The documentation generated through the collaboration is recognized as a resource not only for museums and communities but for all users of your museum’s collections. A common challenge in many museums is the capacity to manage and update documentation. If a museum wishes to collaborate, infrastructure and/or staff capacity should be established to meet these goals. For example, you may need to identify or create a field in your database to include information shared by communities.