1 of 3 2 of 3 After 18 months of structural renovations, the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) is reopening with a fresh perspective. The seismic upgrades have been both literal—structural changes to better protect the building in case of an earthquake—and figurative. Because while the museum is known for its extensive works from First Nations in the Pacific Northwest, its closure gave staff members a chance to critically reassess how its practices participate in the continuation of colonialism.
“Making the seismic upgrades has forced this reimagining, and it’s been quite challenging,” says MOA’s curator of Indigenous programming Damara Jacobs-Petersen (Cha7awtenaat iy Siyamiya), a member of the Skwxú7mesh Nation, over video call. “Looking at the ugly history, the true history, it’s something that they [the senior leadership] are really focused on.” When the museum reopens its doors on June 13, expect to see some changes.
Not physically, per se: the Great Hall’s architecture was rebuilt to mirror famed local architect Arthur Erickson’s original designs. But the museum’s flagship display has changed. “Our approach to addressing colonial histories, and unlearning what we’ve been taught and told, is something we’re doing all across the museum,” Jacobs-Petersen adds.
“We’re doing it through the Great Hall, through these intentional disruptions in the space. So where a pole once was, it may not be there..
.but there are a lot of things where we are .