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How did this get here?

The concept of the museum as an institution is inextricably linked to histories of colonialism and Enlightenment notions of classification. Museums today are looking to decolonial or anti-colonial futures. How do we talk about these nuanced and complex institutional histories?

This selection of objects, exhibitions, articles, and other resources features deep-dives into specific works as well as first-person perspectives on institutional legacies.

From the Collection

How Did This Get Here?
How did this get here?

These past exhibitions interrogate institutional histories and reconsider conceptions of value.

Gina Borromeo and Jan Howard at Brown's Center for Public Humanities

Benin Head of an Oba
How did this get here?

RISD Museum curators Jan Howard and Gina Borromeo share the RISD Museum’s process for deaccessioning a bronze head of an oba from Benin prior to its return to Nigeria

Reading List

How Did This Get Here?
How did this get here?

These resources provide additional context for dialogue and conversation around the case studies featured in this section and other ongoing work at the museum.

Why Is This Even Here?

How did this get here?
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Is a Mummy a Work of Art?

Curator How did this get here? Portfolio

Collection Research

How did this get here?

The staff of the RISD Museum stewards works of art representing diverse cultures, from ancient times to the present. Our work includes archival, scientific, and humanities-based research.

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Making Meaning from a Fragmented Past: 1897 and the Creative Process

Happenings How did this get here? Artist
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How did Nesmin get here?

Curator How did this get here? Portfolio
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What are we looking at?

Curator How did this get here? Portfolio

The Head in Focus

Benin Art and Visual History
How did this get here?

The discovery of these treasures resembles that of a valuable manuscript. They are a new “Codex Africanus,” not written on fragile papyrus, but in ivory and imperishable brass.

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Objects in Inventory Land: Repairing the Collection

How did this get here? Artist

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