5. The Museum as a 'Safe Space'

Abstract

Participatory projects are often intended as a way of creating a 'safe space' within the museum, or as a means of transforming the museum itself into a 'safe space'. As such, one of the goals of participatory projects is reflective of the museum's self-awareness of its nature as a site of exclusion, despite its role as a public institution. Elaine Heumann Gurian was the first to introduce the possibility of museums becoming "safe, neutral congregant spaces in our communities" (1995, 15). In this piece, Heumann Gurian proposes that the museum requires radical change for it to serve as such a space, highlighting the importance of the accessibility of the spaces, as well as the relationships between staff members (1995, 15). In recent years, this notion has gained prominence as museums have shifted their roles to become sites of activism and social justice (Chynoweth et al. 2021; Janes and Sandell 2019; Sternfeld 2018). Grounded in 'new museology' (see the introduction to this book), museums apply participatory practices to become democratic forums (Cameron 1971), social spaces (Benson and Cremin 2020) or 'contact zones' (Bayer et al. 2017; Boast 2011; Clifford 1997). In light of this, the role of the museum in society is crucial for its potential to serve as a 'safe space'. According to Morse, 'safe spaces' are "spaces where people can be themselves, spaces that are free from judgement and prejudice and where people can talk freely" (2021, 136). Creating 'safe spaces' for participatory museum work is necessary for developing a care-full practice (Zwart et al. 2021).During our conversations about the projects, several practitioners mentioned the need for a 'safe space'. However, the participants were also asked to describe moments in which they had not felt safe. This was particularly prevalent when discussing their relationships with the museum practitioners, and their uncomfortable encounters with visitors and the press. As described by Lynch, the 'shared space' of museums is deeply political, especially when working with migrants on the topic of migration, and this