{"id":1838,"date":"2020-05-18T13:09:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T13:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/?p=1838"},"modified":"2020-05-19T01:53:44","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T01:53:44","slug":"museums-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/2020\/05\/18\/museums-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Museums for All"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By Ritika Soun<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Picture credits: Priyanka Sarkar | Location: Victoria Memorial, Kolkata <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMuseum<\/em>\u201d in its definition is an institution dedicated to preservation and interpretation of the\nprimary tangible evidence of humankind and the environment. Some define museum(s) as the\nstorehouse of collections, while some as place of memorialization. The museum(s) are also seen\nas spaces representing and narrating the stories or tales from the past through myriad artifacts\nand\/or objects. Museums attract a large footfall (both national and international). And when\nanybody visits the museum, they always have certain expectations in mind. For some, they are\nspaces of visual learning and the treasure houses of knowledge which (at times) cannot be\ngathered from our general textbooks. While for some, they are just places of entertainment like\nany other places the people visit on a weekend or during vacations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is an attempt to highlight the (new) museums of today, where the \u2018museum\u2019, unlike\nits formative \u2013 definitive role, is presented in a new light with some new associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Picture credits: Kunal Chauhan
Location: Mahatma Gandhi National Museum, Delhi <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Museums in the broader sense are associated with \u2013 directly or indirectly \u2013 the various historical\ntrajectories of its native country. For instance, the National Museum, New Delhi, India,\nrepresents and narrates the vivid and glorious heritage of the country, ranging from ancient to\ncontemporary times with its respective galleries. However, the changing times demand a new\nand more inclusive role for museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the primary role of the museums is to disseminate knowledge about the past, the museums\ncan also act as places for communicating ideas and creating knowledge about the subjects on\ndisplay. In our case in point, it (museums) could also be helpful in the understanding of complex\nnotions like \u2013 gender and LGBTQ identity. One must not forget that human society is diverse\nand contains alternate realities coexisting and contending (at the same time). So, what if, for a\nchange, we see the museums as places of inclusion<\/em>, which is reaching out to undeserved\ncommunities, many minorities and suppressed groups, along with the LGBTQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you read it right! Now, you must be wondering how these two can be linked together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fret not, it is very simple. The LGBTQ community for a long time now has been struggling to\nget their voices heard out loud in the public. So, when it comes to representation and narration,\n\nwhy should they be left out? Why should they be treated as the others? The representation should\nnot be limited, but they should also be represented and celebrated as part of the Indian Culture<\/em> as\na whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, the museums are generally seen as the representatives of the dominant culture or\ngroup or community. Its high time we break this glass ceiling and do something about it. The\nmuseum, to begin with, can hold exhibitions by exhibiting the artwork(s) made by the LGBTQ\npeople. Also, they can organize special events, lectures and workshops for the same. Through\nthis, the museum can display their struggles, rights, issues and perspectives taking into\nconsideration their own point of views. Moreover, the museums can also conduct interactive\nsessions\/activities where the visitors can also participate actively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making an existing object or an artifact queer doesn\u2019t mean its isolation or othering from the\nmainstream group; but on the other hand, it just enhances its beauty and adds more depth and\nunderstanding to it. Some of the examples can be taken from the museums across the globe \u2013 the\nGay Museum<\/em> was a show held at the Western Australian Museum (Perth); Transmission<\/em> was a\nshow held at the Amsterdam Museum. The narrative of this exhibition was composed of multiple\nstories, told by transgender(s) by means of the objects included in the show. Additionally, in\n2005 the Museum of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and the Australian Lesbian and Gay\narchives undertook a lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender material survey, which surveyed\ncollections across Victoria for their LGBT content. And many more to the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking inspiration from around, the Indian Museums can also work towards a similar goal. The\nnew India has recently given a voice to LGBTQ group, which is a right step in the right\ndirection, so why not incorporate it in its entirety? They are one of us and deserve an equal shot\nat representation. And what a better place than a museum, which is a storehouse of collections<\/em>!

\n\n\n\n

Based on contemporary times, the museums too should modify and revise their schemes and\npolicies and should reconsider their engagements more socially than advocating a particular\ninterest. As museums have no borders, they have networks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museums thus can be our new hangout places where we can actually learn and get to know\nabout the LGBTQ more closely. The museums have a way of representation like no other. It can\nreach out to more people at once and can be the new centers of social awareness. Contributing to\na more humane society. However, this won\u2019t be possible until we all work together and create a\nsociety where the \u2018museums are for all\u2019 in its true sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every moment we create history, and museums document history, so why can\u2019t museums showcase present battles and scenarios? Read here, the newest artefacts and stories that museums should showcase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"quote","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1148,155,1144,1145,1147,1149,1146],"class_list":["post-1838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-best-museums-india","tag-lgbtq","tag-musseums","tag-national-art-gallery-delhi","tag-queer-groups","tag-taj-controversy","tag-taj-mahal","post_format-post-format-quote"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1876,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions\/1876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itisaras.org\/projectdhaara\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}