Dear friends, how exciting to see that close to 200 people from around the world have signed up to participate in the #MassActionReadingGroup initiative!

This week, we launch the project by releasing chapter 1 and worksheet 1 of the MASS Action Toolkit. Below is a chapter summary to orient you to this week’s content.

We will meet on Twitter Monday April 29 for our first Tweetchat that will focus on chapter 1!

…In the meantime, feel free to contribute any thoughts/responses/questions to chapter 1 in the comment section below.

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Getting Started: What We Need to Change and Why

Written by Adam Patterson, Aletheia Wittman, Chieko Phillips, Gamynne Guillotte, Therese Quinn, Adrianne Russell

This introductory chapter establishes the underlying philosophy behind MASS Action and investigates the question: What does it mean for museums to be “sites of social action?” It calls for the urgency and necessity of museum practitioners throughout the field to sharpen their critical literacy, and their capability to unearth systemic issues such as structural racism and other forms of oppression that are inherently embedded in the institution. There is a movement spreading across cultural organizations nationally asserting that museums are not neutral spaces. Complex problems related to colonialism, ableism, sexism, racism, and capitalism are all embedded in the institution and manifest themselves in the everyday operations of museums from hiring practices, staffing, organizational culture, management, fundraising, collection policies, to pedagogy, interpretation, and paradigms for engagement. If museums and their staff claim to be relevant sites for engagement for their communities, this takes on huge responsibilities to not only acknowledge and navigate difficult issues, but to work towards sincere and critical action. The work of MASS Action centers justice, it does not leave it in the margins. There is a real moral imperative to this work as museums move forward collectively to set higher standards of conduct in the field.

Questions to consider as you read:

• • • What would cultural transformation look like at your institution?
    • Why should your institution engage in this work?

This week’s downloads and link:

Chapter 1

Worksheet 1

Facilitation Outline 1

Again, Chapter 1 Tweetchat will be held Monday 04/29