Who Engages the Community?

A reader recently asked whether I draw from my actual practice in real time. Yes, it’s all from my practice. But usually with a delay. Years, or at least months.

That said, some things are more “now” than others. Here’s one.

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"We need to engage the community."
— Every Exhibition Project Ever

Usually, the next question is, “Who do we mean by community?”

But let’s consider a different question: “Who do we mean by we?”

Outside planners, developers, and designers can help a lot. They can organize agendas, facilitate conversations, hear concerns, and translate all that input into exhibition ideas.

Valuable skills. But they are not the same thing as owning the relationship.

Those consultants eventually leave.

The museum stays.

Three years after opening, if a community member has a concern or a new idea, they will not call the outside exhibition team. They should call the museum.

Long-term stewardship belongs to the institution that remains.

Consultants can help a museum turn community engagement into exhibitions. But they can’t inherit the relationship.

Here's the thing:

Consultants can facilitate engagement with the community.

Only the museum can own the relationship with the community.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
Community engagement. The ongoing process of building a relationship between a museum and the people it serves. This requires listening, dialogue, and shared decision-making. Ideally, this is a long-term effort, not a short-term or project-based one.