What direction should the MIC take?

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with Ruth Ann Rugg, the new director of the Texas Association of Museums (TAM). Ruth Ann set up the meeting so that she could get a better grasp of the MIC's purpose and goals. She also wanted to find out how else TAM could support the MIC. We discussed the origins of the MIC, which go back to the 1990s, when a group of TAM members wrote the Action Plan. Then I told Ruth Ann that ten years later, TAM wanted to review if anything had changed in those ten years. After an unofficial survey and talking to other museum professionals, we came to the conclusion that sadly, museums still lacked diversity in their staff, boards, exhibits, interpretations and audience. Many of the issues remained relevant ten years later. That is why in 2005, the MIC became an official affinity group.

Ruth Ann asked some interesting questions that I want to share with you: What is our role within the museum community? How can we keep on being relevant in the ever changing role of museums? Is the name "multicultural" really what we are about, or do we really mean diversity?

Those of us who have worked in this committee know that we don't want to be viewed as a group of and for ethnic minorities alone. Our role is much, much larger than that. But how do we get that message across? And how do we get all museums involved? Because really, this topic impacts every single museum and staff person.

Please feel free to share your comments. This is a good time to reflect on where the MIC has been and where we need to go.

Two Nations, Two Museums, One Goal...

This is a perfect example of how museums can bring about education, understanding and acceptance of diverse cultures. Way to go El Paso Museum of Art and Museo de Arte Ciudad Juarez!


Art Binational -2008- Binacional de Arte the first binational juried exhibition:

"The purpose of this juried exhibition is to bring together artists and their art from a defined circular region along the US – Mexico Border with El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua in the center, Tucson, Arizona in the west, Santa Fe, New Mexico in the north, Midland/Odessa, Texas in the east, and Chihuahua City in the south. The museums want to examine what ideas, styles, and themes are being shared, and to identify if there is, indeed, a unique style emerging from this area."

Museum Exhibit Explores Race

I encourage everybody to visit the Science Museum of Minnesota's exhibit entitled, "Race: Are We So Different." It is a bold exhibit that tackles the concept of race. As their site explains, the exhibit explores three themes: the everyday experience of race, the contemporary science that is challenging common ideas about race, and the history of this idea in the United States. The website contains information for educators and families. The University of Washington's Museology Program recently announced that this exhibit is the winner of its first Transforming Museums Award. After looking at the exhibit's website, it is easy to see why they deserve this award.