ABSTRACT
This study explores how museums have engaged with the contested history of the Marcos dictatorship, examining curatorial strategies and exhibition practices in the context of historical revisionism, political transitions, and evolving museological discourses. Focusing on four key exhibitions mounted or maintained in 2022 at three Quezon City-based institutions: the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, the Ateneo Art Gallery, and the UP Vargas Museum, the research investigates how these spaces navigate contested narratives of the Martial Law period. Grounded in George Hein's constructivist museum framework, the study analyzes exhibition content, design, and digital initiatives to assess their roles in memory work, cultural discourse, and education. The findings demonstrate how museums enact forms of remembrance through reparative erasure, object reconstruction, participatory programming, and community-centered storytelling, contributing to broader processes of identity formation and transitional justice. This study highlights the museum's evolving function as both an informal educational institution and a socio-political actor in preserving contested histories amidst persistent efforts to distort history.
