Museum Experience Lab

Underpinning Museum Experience Lab is the belief that (1) museums are inherently marred by being disconnected with the cities in which they are located, as well as the colonial histories on which they are based; (2) that repair necessitates deep listening to Indigenous and Communities of Color to understand what is desired and envisioned for the museums that claim to ‘serve’ them; and (3) that cohorts comprised of unrecognized knowledge bearers and producers (spiritual practitioners, artists, community organizers) and recognized knowledge producers (academics, curators, K-12 educators, media) need to come together to rethink educational programming, gallery interpretation, communication, and museum leadership– so that future museum directors will not be promoted to leadership roles by previous position or title “but by the content of their character” (Martin Luther King). 

Museum Experience Lab centers BIPOC students’ experience of being underrepresented in museums and largely excluded from conversations about the future of these cultural institutions. Like ARC, Museum Experience Lab offers university courses, inflected by curricula that highlight thought-leaders of color, public-facing conversations in museum galleries, stipendiary museum internships, and experiential learning through travel. All activities will continue to engage ethical questions related to museum representation of religious identity, race, gender, social class and physical “ability.” 

Museum Experience Lab will produce: (1) courses that disrupt the traditional boundary of the classroom with guest participants and museum field trips focused on finding innovative solutions to inequitable museum practices; (2) paid internship and mentorship opportunities for undergraduate/graduate students to work in museum and cultural institutions; (3) a student and community led exhibition to practice deep listening and shared governance models, providing spaces for deep listening aimed at improving the quality of life for everyone in our cities. Museum Experience Lab centers ethical principles deriving from religious, spiritual and philosophical beliefs to re-imagine the museum as life-giving infrastructure to city residents.