Engaging with Museums' Past: Visitor Perspectives on Provenance Interpretation

Abstract

Many Western museums are beginning to contend with the provenance, or lack thereof, of their collections, as they embrace decolonization initiatives. However, museums largely grapple with provenance issues internally, hiding problematic collections from the public in the interest of maintaining their reputation. But Western museums cannot make progress if they cannot acknowledge their past. This study builds upon scholarly debates on ethical stewardship and provenance disclosure to engage visitors as stakeholders in the conversation. This study investigates what museum visitors know about provenance and what they think about provenance interpretation. The researcher interviewed 64 adult English-speaking visitors at three Seattle museums to gather data on visitor perspectives. Participants were often unfamiliar with the term provenance, but aware of and passionate about museums' colonial collections and curious about unprovenanced objects. Overwhelmingly, participants supported interpretation in galleries that openly addressed problematic provenance, lack of provenance, and repatriation efforts. Participants highlighted a desire for greater transparency and accountability from museums. This study's findings raise further questions about how museums can respond to visitors' concerns and engage them in discussions on sensitive subjects. Further research is needed to understand more diverse museum visitors' perspectives from around the country, not just Seattle, and to develop best practices for provenance interpretation.