This year has been a defining one for the arts – not least because of the pandemic and the economic fallout caused by shuttered spaces and cancelled events, but also from the cultural reckoning, particularly in the US, that followed George Floyd's death in May.
Can today’s museums navigate these changes, or will they lose their relevance while struggling to adjust?
This question was addressed on the opening day of Reframing Museums, an online symposium held by Louvre Abu Dhabi and New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, on Monday, November 16.
Part of the symposium’s aim is to explore the impact of the pandemic, the evolving role of museums and how institutions can bring to light narratives around repressed histories.
In his opening keynote speech, Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi said: "This year has reanimated the profound role that culture plays in connecting societies, building on the commonalities between countries, rather than what separates us. It is only through collaboration and standing together in solidarity that we will identify the successful models for the future."
In 2020, museums particularly have had to tackle long-standing issues of colonialism, racism and sexism within their institutions and collections, all the while undergoing job cuts as Covid-19 continued to take its toll on their finances.
The symposium's first round table "From acquisition to storytelling: what does the future hold for museum collections?" delved into one of the biggest concerns for museums today: how it acquires and displays its collections in light of the coronavirus pandemic and seismic cultural shifts.
Michael Govan, chief executive and Wallis Annenberg, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma), pointed out the effects of social justice movements on institutions. "The calls to rethink museums have come very strongly, very broadly, and particularly, generationally," Govan said.
“The Black Lives Matter movement has touched museums very deeply because art museums like ours that are history museums, we really are at the intersection of colonialist thinking. We do embed… structural racism as discussed in the United States,” he said, noting the criticism that museum collections have often had an Eurocentric point of view.
One way to turn this around for Lacma, he says, is to bring in younger curators on the team as a way to “tear down” and “rebuild” the way that the museum operates.
For Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the The State Hermitage Museum in Russia, a collection of works remains the foundation for museums. "There are no museums without collections," he said. The focus should be "how we can make these collections speak better".
Piotrovsky referred to the role of museums as a “bridge” during these tumultuous times. “[Museums] make the bridges,” he said, “Bridges – between museums, between countries, between nations that are now falling apart.” This means creating dialogues between East and West, as shown in a recent exhibition featuring the work of a Chinese artist.
He also called the museum a “medicine” that can “help overcome the hysteria of the pandemic”. The State Hermitage Museum has since reopened and implemented social distancing guides in its space, as well as exhibited works that reflect on the current state of the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation’s (SAF) president and director Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi highlighted the need for accessibility when it comes to artworks and resources. “Collections end up being in storage most of the time because there isn’t enough exhibition space, so the idea was for [SAF] to have a building dedicated to the collection near the University City in Sharjah so it’s more accessible to the students and everybody living in that neighbourhood,” she said.
In Louvre Abu Dhabi, our artworks take their meaning with – and by the dialogue – with the other artworks. This is where we're opening a new chapter in the history of the museums
Al Qasimi also pointed out the importance of discussing repatriations of looted artefacts and the listening of marginalised voices. “It’s important to look at histories of collections and museums from the point of view of the objects exhibited ... A lot of these works are objects of ritual and mean a lot of the community and they are looted items,” she said. The foundation does not face the same issues as historical museums in this regard, as its collection is comprised of mostly contemporary art."
The speakers also discussed how museums’ digital strategies have been reshaped by Covid-19. “Priorities have been redrawn ... and accelerated,” said Souraya Noujaim, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s scientific, curatorial and collections management director. “Notably, the digital aspects, the collection online, and how to create special narratives to the public in their homes.”
Noujaim added that the pandemic has reformatted Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “narrative for the future”, making them more multifaceted. She later added that an object can tell “many stories, depending on the angle you approach it. In Louvre Abu Dhabi, our artworks take their meaning with – and by the dialogue – with the other artworks. This is where we’re opening a new chapter in the history of the museums.”
On its first day, Reframing Museums received more than 1,000 registrations. As it continues until Wednesday, November 18, it will bring together more than 60 speakers from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sursock Museum in Beirut, Samdani Art Foundation in Dhaka, the UK's Tate and Musee de Orsay, Paris.
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
ELECTION%20RESULTS
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Quick%20facts
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The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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SPECS
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20specs
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Naga
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi