Preserving the Physical Object in Changing Cultural Contexts

• Main Author: Clavir, Miriam
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2015
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118829059.wbihms417; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118829059.wbihms417; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/9781118829059.wbihms417

Has the professional conservation of museum collections, centered on safeguarding tangible materials, changed any of its practices in keeping with the transformation of museums themselves in the postcolonial context? This chapter discusses conservation in the many contemporary museums which now focus more on the needs of people and less on the needs of collections. Core conservation values are illustrated, and developments in theory and practice are discussed in relation particularly to the Canadian context and to First Nations perspectives and challenges. Direct quotations from Indigenous people illustrate these viewpoints. Discussion in this chapter also focuses on developments and trends in the conservation profession in response to changes in both internal museum and external global contexts.