A Room for Reaching in at the Heart of the Museum: Rethinking Dialogical Curating

Abstract

Museums often prioritize connecting with their audiences, but they may neglect the importance of providing internal spaces for staff to communicate openly. This article thinks through the first Prep Room project at the GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde in Leipzig, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, whose invited residents were brought together in a process of dialogical curating museums staff. The goal was to transcend classic notions of curating by focusing on the processual aspects of co-creating multilayered transdisciplinary methodologies to foster an informal space for reflection and exchange. During these in-depth discussions, the participants explored the practical implications of having diverse ontologies in their collections and had an opportunity to reflect on their everyday practices.