Shows
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsSustainabilityIn preserving our pasts for the benefit of future generations, museums have always been forward looking. But what does the future, and the future of museums, look like? In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Professor Rebecca Kilner and Esme Ward, to explore museums’ relationship to the environment, nature and science. What role have the arts historically played in shaping our ideas about the environment? How do museums help to bring scientific knowledge into the public sphere? How can museums promote sustainable values and bec...2022-03-2439 min
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsPhysical/ VirtualDigital technologies are continually changing the way we engage with and relate to physical objects. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Alayo Akinkugbe, Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE and Daniel Pett, to discuss the current digital opportunities around museum collections and engagement. What role can virtual exhibitions play in connecting people to collections? How might digital and physical approaches be combined to generate new layers of meaning? How can social media help us to tell different stories and engage younger audiences? This podcast...2022-02-2435 min
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsRestitution Every object tells a story, and the stories of how objects ended up in museums can be fraught with political and moral complexity, and even violence. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Professor Nicholas Thomas and Dr Donna Yates, to consider questions of institutional and community authority in the context of historical collections. Why do debates – and actions – around restitution matter? What responsibility do collectors/collections have to investigate and respond to the histories of the objects in their care? How does the...2022-01-2734 min
Athena Art FoundationWhat Are Museums For? - RepresentationFor many individuals and communities, the history of art has been a history of neglect, exclusivity and exclusion. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Rebecca Birrell, Jennifer Higgie and Dan Vo, to consider representation in the context of gender, sexuality and sexual politics. Have approaches to the acquisition and display of works by and documenting women and LGBTQ+ lives changed in recent years? How should museums deal with problematic histories and with objectifying or violent imagery from the past? What level of...2021-12-2335 min
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsRepresentationFor many individuals and communities, the history of art has been a history of neglect, exclusivity and exclusion. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Rebecca Birrell, Jennifer Higgie and Dan Vo, to consider representation in the context of gender, sexuality and sexual politics. Have approaches to the acquisition and display of works by and documenting women and LGBTQ+ lives changed in recent years? How should museums deal with problematic histories and with objectifying or violent imagery from the past? What level of...2021-12-2335 min
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsLegaciesThere is increasing recognition that enslavement, racial violence and exploitation are an inextricable part of our collective histories. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Aindrea Emelife and John Orna-Ornstein, to consider museums’ responses to the legacies of enslavement and colonialism. How can we tell stories about them without repeating the violence and perpetuating racist hierarchies? How do we make space for multiple truths, complexity and contradiction? In the face of multiple truths, where does the authority of museums reside? This po...2021-11-2535 min
The Fitzwilliam Museum PodcastsNationMuseums have traditionally played an important role in the forging of national identity. In this episode of What Are Museums For?, Fitzwilliam Museum Director Luke Syson and Athena Art Foundation Director Nicola Jennings are joined by Sussan Babaie and Gabriele Finaldi, to discuss the relationship between museums and nationhood. How do ideas about national identity impact collections and their presentation? How might we develop less Eurocentric and more inclusive approaches? What roles could or should museums play in imagining the future for our country? This podcast is a Fitzwilliam Museum, Colnaghi Foundation and Athena Art Foundation co-production.2021-10-2835 min