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Co-Creation as a Twenty-First Century Archaeology Museum Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Robert Connolly
Robert Connolly*
Affiliation:
Departments of Anthropology and Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, 316 Manning Hall, Memphis, TN 38152 (rcnnolly@memphis.edu)
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Abstract

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This paper evaluates attempts over the past seven years to address two archaeological challenges at the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa. The first challenge was the proper curation of 50 years of accumulated collections from a wide array of sources by a staff one-third the size of when the collections were acquired. Second, the Museum faced the challenge of becoming a viable and socially relevant public institution in the twenty-first century. Ultimately, the C.H. Nash Museum embraced a co-creative approach to face the challenges. Co-creative processes resulted in a renewed and expanded base for public engagement, allowing the Museum to maximize the potential for preservation, research accessibility, and the exhibition of cultural materials curated at the institution.

Este documento evalúa los intentos en los últimos siete años para hacer frente a dos retos arqueológicos en el museo C.H. Nash de Chucalissa. El primer reto era el inventario adecuado de las colecciones procedentes de una amplia gama de fuentes que se acumularon durante más de 50 años por un tercio del personal que había cuando se adquirieron estas colecciones. Segundo, el museo se enfrentó al reto de convertirse en una institución pública viable y sostenible para el siglo 21. Finalmente, el museo C.H. Nash adoptó un modelo de creación en colaboración para enfrentar los retos. Sobre la base de esa experiencia, los procesos de creación en colaboración sentaron las base para la participación pública extensa y renovada con las partes interesadas, llevando al museo por el camino del futuro sostenible.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 3 , Issue 3: Special Issue: Co-Creation , August 2015 , pp. 188 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2015

References

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