Christiane Bosman

Artist in residency programs as a decolonizing strategy in the historical and ethnographical museum

As acknowledged by the participating museums of SWICH, and by increasingly more museums, the contemporary view and interventions from artists can be a strategy to create intercultural dialogue and innovation in addressing the museums postcolonial challenge. But how do these residencies really function? Inviting artists in the historical and ethnographical museum is nothing new in itself, but quite
often, the art seems to be isolated from the narratives in the museum.

During or after the residency, will there be more of a merge of narratives and perspectives? How are the problems in the museum defined, and what are the processes that the artist becomes involved in? What are both the artists’ and the museums expectations and motivations to work together? How can we measure their success? Is there any sustainable impact or change after the artist has left or is it back to business as before? What do museum professionals expect from contemporary art? Which factors and conditions influence the process and outcome of the residency and how? What are critical success factors and who defines them? And finally: what are the pitfalls? All these questions lead back to the one main question that I aim to research: How can artist in residency programs be a decolonizing strategy in the historical and ethnographical museum?