Lecture “Museums as agents of transformation”, by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews | New York University)

Abstract

ICOM’s recent call for a redefinition of museums envisions a more explicitly activist role for them. As Tony Bennett and others have argued, museums have always aimed to be agents of transformation; However, the contexts in which they operate have changed, and older museums are being held to account for their earlier civilizing, missionizing, and colonizing roles. Today, many museums, both old and new, are redefining their role in society. Drawing on my experience as Chief Curator of the Core Exhibition at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in Warsaw, I will explore the creation and impact of this museum and its core exhibition within a changing political and cultural landscape. I will focus on the curatorial, metahistorical, and narrative principles guiding the multimedia narrative exhibition, a journey of a thousand years, that is at its core.