The power of museums

This March, for the first time in its history, the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC) will be coming to the Bahamas to host its conference and emphasise the power and importance of museums in the region and the world.

Partnering with National Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB), the Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBB), the Antiquities Monuments and Museums Corporation (AAMC), and the University of the Bahamas (UB), MAC will host its 32nd annual conference at the Courtyard Marriott in Nassau, March 1-5, 2023.

This year’s conference theme, ‘The Power of Museums: Relevancy, Advocacy, Transformation’, will provide opportunities for sharing the changes in the museum field since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters will explore how museums and cultural heritage sites have, and must now continue to question, how their role is evolving alongside the world surrounding us. How have, and can, museums stay relevant, advocate for change, and provide transformative experiences for visitors and communities?

MAC and the conference’s host venues, NAGB, CBB, AAMC, and UB, all look forward to seeing museum and heritage site professionals coming together and discussing these topics, representing different institutions, geographies, backgrounds, and perspectives.

Organises said the Bahamas’ diverse cultural landscape and variety of artistic and cultural offerings make it an ideal location for the 2023 conference. In addition, Nassau has a great variety of heritage museums, historical sites, and art museums and galleries, making it a fitting and relevant backdrop for the conference’s discussions this year.

Katrina Cartwright, NAGB education and outreach manager, is one the local professionals who will be participating in the conference.

The Long Island native is an educator, arts administrator, arts advocate, ceramist and sculptor.

“My professional practice is heavily influenced by the indigenous cultural practices that were a part of my upbringing, including but not limited to bush medicine, agriculture, storytelling, and music,” she said.

Given the host of challenges that Caribbean countries are facing socially and economically post-pandemic, Katrina says it’s easy for anything associated with heritage, preservation, and the creative fields to be pushed aside in favour of programmes and initiatives that focus on creating traditional jobs or providing food or housing, all of which are important.

“In addition, access to resources was a challenge before the pandemic; hose challenges have now been exacerbated,” she said.

She is encouraging those intending to attend the MAC conference to visit the many local art galleries and museums: NAGB, the Junkanoo Museum, the Pompey Museum, the Doongalik Art Gallery, ICE Project, D’Aguilar Art Foundation, The Current at Baha Mar, the Tern Gallery and Contemporary Art Bahamas (CAB).

As for what’s next at the NAGB, she said: “We’ve just opened the exhibition ‘Antonius Roberts: Art, Ecology and Sacred Space,’ which will accompany a series of public programming, outreach events and an amazing catalogue. We’re also designing a special National Collection catalogue that commemorates 20 years of the museum’s existence alongside the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence.”

• To register for the upcoming conference, visit https://form.jotform.com/220603846917055.