Re-framing the Collection
The thousands of objects in our care belong to the people of Aberdeen. We want everyone from across our diverse communities to connect with and feel pride in the collection. Through research, re-interpretation and re-display we can ‘re-frame’ objects to give them meaning and relevance to as many people as possible.
’Re-framing the Collection' highlights two projects that aim to improve the representation of people of colour in the collection. We are beginning to address the legacies of colonialism and the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The first project, ‘Re-naming’, explains our approach to removing offensive and discriminatory language from titles of artworks. The second project, ‘Creative responses’, brings new voices to the interpretation and curation of the collection, and helps us all to see objects from different perspectives.
Re-naming removes offensive and discriminatory language from the title and description of artworks. It also enables us to share new discoveries about our collection.
Most of the changes we make will be straightforward and will have no impact on the meaning of the artwork or the artist’s intention. Some titles and descriptions will require more in-depth consideration and consultation, before deciding what changes are needed.
We will maintain a full, accessible and transparent record of all changes we make.
Creative Responses introduces new voices to the interpretation of the city’s collection. Working with local community networks, we invited people of colour, from minority backgrounds, and those with an interest in decolonising the museum to take part in workshops re-exploring the collection.
Our team of curators identified objects which have legacies of colonialism, representations of people of colour and linked to the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. These objects were the focus of the workshops held in Aberdeen Art Gallery. We provided images and information about the objects to support open discussion. The creative responses made by everyone who took part are displayed with the object that inspired them.
