Exhibit Development & Design

Is That Hung White? Getting Real about Diversity in Exhibitions

Permalink: https://www.eventscribe.com/2019/AAMers/fsPopup.asp?mode=presInfo&PresentationID=490080

Recent diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) initiatives have examined how museums can celebrate the breadth of lived experiences of our audiences and staff. Amid these discussions of staff support, community engagement, and decolonization, one integral aspect of museum work has seemingly slipped below the radar: exhibitions. This panel will tackle issues of unconscious bias in design, the emotional labor of underrepresented staff, shared authority in storytelling, and concrete actions museums can take to answer the question: Is that hung white?

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize conscious and unconscious biases at play in exhibition design and storytelling.
• Apply strategies to be more equitable and representational in the creation of exhibition environments and experiences.
• Analyze the issues involved with creating exhibitions that do not overlook audiences’ diverse needs and stories.

Moderator(s)

• 

  Stacey Mann

  Experience Designer & Interpretive Strategist
  Independent Consultant

Panelist(s)

• 

  Nafisa Isa

  Program Manager
  Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
• 

  Joanne Jones-Rizzi

  Vice President of STEM Equity and Education
  Science Museum of Minnesota
• EK

  Erika Katayama

  Senior Director, Audience Engagement
  San Diego Museum of Man
• 

  Jaron Keener

  Exhibit Designer and Production Manager
  Carnegie Museum of Natural History