Eighteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The study delves into innovative curatorial collaboration, illustrating how involving teens in curatorial decisions brings fresh, reciprocal energy to museums and to the interpretation of a collection. The RISD Art Circle (RAC) is a group of teenage artists and art enthusiasts who explore and activate the Museum collection through events, interpretative projects, and community engagement. Recently, the Museum deepened RAC’s participation in museum decision making by ceding curatorial authority and creating space for the teens to curate an exhibit. They explored the Museum’s 30,000 works on paper with the single prompt of, “What resonates with you?” Their insights were valued as core knowledge, equal to the artworks and artists themselves. Decisions on which art to include in the exhibit were made collaboratively—not through votes or assigned spaces, but through consensus on which artworks reflected the ideas they collectively cared about. Through 80+ hours of dialogue with education and curatorial staff, the teens shaped every element of the exhibit, such as themes, wall texts, and design elements, and incorporated their own reflections, poems, and memories, often signed with pseudonyms to honor the personal nature of their contributions. This process fostered a space of mutual trust, empathy, and active listening, creating a foundation for collaborative growth. Being vulnerable and yielding control strengthened the museum’s bond with the community, showing that creativity and equity thrive when relationships and trust are placed at the heart of the curatorial process.