Elisabeth Stone, Museum Studies

Name:

Elisabeth Stone

Title:

Professor of Practice

Department:

Museum Studies

Describe your research in about 200 words. 

My work focuses on museum strategies that are community-led, visitor-centered, and participatory; in particular, I am interested in how these approaches are implemented and altered in rural and Tribal museums. As a museum practitioner, my approach is collaborative and participatory, centered on bringing different voices into galleries and providing multiple points of entry into exhibit content. Creating space and support for communities to actively and powerfully engage not only the outcomes but the process of developing museum exhibitions, collections, and interpretation is a key focus of my work. I am interested in how rural and Tribal museums and cultural institutions work within and around the practices developed for and by “traditional” museum models, to create spaces that meet their needs. Through this, I aim to lift up locally-rooted practices and build capacity within communities across New Mexico and elsewhere, to support people in bringing forth their own wisdom and reimagining museums as the places of care and joy that we all need.

What’s the most interesting thing you have learned from a student?

The most interesting thing I’ve learned from a student is that they are already living in the real world. I grew up in a time when education was about “getting people ready for the real world” but may of them already are due to unfortunate circumstances and the current state of sociopolitical affairs which is why empathy, restorative practices, and compassion are more important than ever.