ABSTRACT
What are the practical, everyday ethics of a museum in its relations with others? Can the museum transcend its own history of prejudice and exclusion to consciously enter a world of fellowship and solidarity, of ongoing, side-by-side struggle, as fellow changemakers in a world in trouble? Can we co-create social change? And is it possible that those existing in society’s margins might have lessons to teach our cultural institutions; lessons in how we might transcend disempowering ‘helpfulness’, and become mutually ‘useful’ collaborators in a way that is transformative for all concerned? This is what is explored here. This is what is taking place, as will be seen here, in change-making museum practice in various places in the world right now. The result is surprising, and takes us back to a human value in action, one that has been all-but-forgotten. It proves that it’s not too late for museums to be relevant to our times. This is the time of the ‘useful museum’.
