A Noble Balancing Act: Museums, Political Activism and Protest Art. Issue 3 (18th April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williams, Mary Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Museum international. Volume 69:Issue 3/4(2017)
• Page Start: 66
• Page End: 75
• Publication Date: 2018-04-18
• Subjects: Museums -- Periodicals; 069.05
• DOI: 10.1111/muse.12173
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-0775

Abstract

Abstract: Exhibitions of protest art have a unique ability to attract constituents and tourists who might not normally visit a museum. In the age of dwindling budgets and in an attempt to remain relevant, the advantages of collecting and exhibiting protest art are numerous. Do museums benefit from such activities? In the present article, the current environment of museums will first be described, and the moral, ethical and legal obligations of museums to collect protest art will be evaluated. The legal tools, including cultural heritage laws already in place that would encourage museums to preserve protest art are analysed; together with the restrictions of government funding and how curatorial decisions can risk the loss of such funding. Lastly, a series of case studies that demonstrate the challenges and complexities museums face in collecting and displaying protest art is presented. These case studies include: (1) the Victoria and Albert Museum's Disobedient Objects exhibition; (2) the work of preservation groups during Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement; (3) the collecting of protest art by the Missouri History Museum following protests in Ferguson, Missouri; and finally, (4) the Museum of the Moving Image's display of HEWILLNOTDIVIDE . US .