About Resource
This Journal of Museum Education article explores the complexities inherent to building working relationships between museums and community organizations. Cawley et al. use the analogy of an ecological watershed to describe these collaborations, whereby the consequences of decisions made now and previously by those “upstream” (museums) are felt by those “downstream” (community entities). The success of new collaborations relies on these decision-making legacies as well as the individuals tasked with maintaining these relationships.
The authors emphasize that the trust-building process which enables professional collaboration is inherently interpersonal work, even though “soft skills” like humility, listening, and accountability are often undervalued. They call on museum leaders and funders to reimagine how these personal skills can be better developed and recognized to help establish and sustain museum-community relationships.
How to Use
Consult this journal article to examine some of the challenges present in building relationships between museums and community organizations. Its short length and concise commentary make this article an ideal selection for small group discussion and/or as a trust building exercise for collaborators. In particular, the authors raise critical reflection questions concerning power imbalances within and external to the museum, such as:
- What role does relational power have in the museum-community watershed and how are museum professionals meant to respond?
- How does the white, Western concept of “professionalism” impact a museum’s ability to organically establish trusting relationships with external organizations?
- How are staff efforts using these “soft skills” properly accounted for?
- How can museum leaders and funding bodies help sustain the individuals who cultivate these relationships across institutions?
If consulting this work among collaborators, note especially the call to recognize institutional and individual power imbalances early and often. Not doing so “serves only power and comes at the high cost of mistrust.” Museum workers should task themselves with understanding how their institution can do community-engaged work in a manner that shares power with groups with varying cultural and systemic barriers that have historically excluded them.
Author(s)/Organization: Max Cawley, Peregrine Bratschi, Imani Vincent, Stepheny Hine-Laverack, Joan Ballista, Isabella Lima & Andrea Tejada
Publication Year: 2024
Tags
Attributes:Equity-Focused, Respects Community Strengths
Outcomes:Strong Community Partnerships
Type:Reports & Articles