Abbe Museum

Log Number: MA-20-18-0219-18

The staff of the Abbe Museum will continue to decolonize its museum practice, informed by native Wabanaki people, and develop the Museum Decolonization Institute to share its process and understanding with others. The museum will establish a methodology and practice group to inform and guide the project which will consist of museum professionals and expert advisors, cultural anthropologists, decolonization practitioners, community of practice experts, and evaluators. A community of practice will provide a forum for sharing, changing, and collaborating on decolonizing museum practices to better the museum's relationships with Wabanaki people and to do the same for peer museums working with tribal communities. The institute will create and test an assessment tool and develop curriculum; develop and deliver an onsite workshop format; and produce webinars and ongoing curriculum resources to workshop participants. The project will support the museum's position as a teaching and inquiry-focused institution for decolonizing public approaches to documenting and interpreting Native American history and experience.