Co-create with DeCoGLAM: discuss/connect/zine
This event is delivered jointlyby the DeCoGLAM team and Glasgow Museums at the iconic Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow.
We invite you to join us in an open space where we will discuss and engage with others, sharing experiences, ideas and challenges around decolonising in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs) and the role co-creation plays in this. For those interested, there will also be space to learn about and engage in zine-making as a way of creatively expressing ideas and articulating discussions (thinking through making).
We’ll explore different paper folds and zine templates - deciding on the day whether to make individual or collaborative zines, or maybe a mix of both. But you don't have to zine if you don't feel like - the overarching aim of this session is to explore how to articulate decolonisation narratives relax in a relaxed and supportive space!
Materials will be provided, but feel free to bring stuff along (e.g. images) which you might want to incorporate into your zine-ing (and/or provide as an option for others to use).
Absolutely no previous zine experience needed.
About the DeCoGLAM project
This project is funded by the Collaborative Research Cultures Project of the University of Strathclyde, supported by a Wellcome Trust grant. You can read more about this project here.
The team of the University of Strathclyde works closely with Glasgow Life to create a vibrant community of practice. Everyone interested in decolonising GLAMS and decolonising academia is welcome to share and contribute, respecting all other voices, experiences, and opinions.
Why this topic?
Decolonisation in knowledge production organisations (including academia and GLAMs) is vital to challenging and changing colonialism's negative impacts. Colonial systems of knowledge engrained in the practice of GLAMs impact the quality and trustworthiness of research based on primary sources. Without decolonising GLAMs, decolonisation of the curricula is not realistic or achievable.
Staff members involved in decolonisation tasks need a range of support. Many have lived experiences and traumas, and often have fewer opportunities for growth and leadership. Decolonisation activity uptake in GLAMs is still relatively slow, and there is a substantial lack of guidance across multiple intervention areas.
This project seeks to create a community of practice (CoP) bringing together academics, GLAM professionals, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) experts, which would bring decolonisation efforts in the GLAM sectors to a new level. We plan to support this via sharing and learning from successes as well as from failures, and via co-creating new resources which would help those involved in decolonisation work.
Image credit: Anita Strasser
