Essays and Commissioned Writings

Museums and Civic Dialogue

Giving Voice: A Role for Museums in Civic Dialogue [PDF]
by Barbara Schaffer Bacon, Pam Korza, and Patricia E. Williams

There is a growing movement to reinvigorate civic dialogue as vital dimension of a healthy democracy, based on the premise that a democracy is animated by an informed public engaged in the issues affecting their daily lives. This article explores the role that museums can play in expanding opportunities for democratic participation through civic dialogue and engagement.  Published in Museums and Communities Toolkit, American Association of Museums. 

Back to Table of Contents

Conducting Civic Dialogue: A Challenging Role for Museums [PDF]
by Selma Holo

Animating Democracy invited museum studies scholar Selma Holo to write an article from ideas and themes she found compelling at the Animating Democracy Learning Exchange held in Seattle in May 2002. Her article responds to the arts-based civic dialogue work of the three museums participating in the Animating Democracy Lab--the Andy Warhol Museum, the Jewish Museum, and the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington--comparing it to other museums whose efforts have intersected with the sphere of civic ideas and issues.

Back to Table of Contents