Museum Metamorphosis

nico wheadon is an independent art advisor, curator, educator and writer, and is founder and principal ofbldg fund, LLC. She is an adjunct professor at Brown University and Hartford Art School, and serves on the board of governors at the National Academy of Design. nico recently served as executive director of NXTHVN (2019-2020); director of public programs and community engagement at the Studio Museum in Harlem (2014-2019); and curatorial director of Rush Arts Gallery (2007-2010). She holds an MA in creative & cultural entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths, University of London (2011), and a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University (2006).

• Key TermsAcknowledgementsPrefaceIntroduction | A Crisis of RelevancePart I | Dialogues on DecentralizationMuseum as Nexus: How to Cultivate Community Engagement through Artist-Powered Platforms Roundtable with Jordan Casteel, Shaun Leonardo, Miguel Luciano & Lina PuertaMuseum as Medium: How to Liberate the Museum from the Designed Hierarchies that Entomb ItRoundtable with Deborah Burke, Mario Gooden & Maitland JonesMuseum as Citizen: How to Engage the Commons & Build a Public Art PedagogyRoundtable with Eric Guy Booker, Maren Hassinger, Kendal Henry & Diya Vij Museum as Apprentice: How to Learn from the Cultural Entrepreneurship of People-Powered OrganizationsRoundtable with Jamaica Gilmer, Kemi Ilesanmi & Shani Peters Museum as Bridge: How to Build Relevance, Equity & Sustained Engagement Through Adult Public Programs Roundtable with Chayanne Marcano, David Rue & Lauren Argentina Zelaya Museum as Advocate: How to Decolonize Museum Practices & Drive a Systemic Call to Action Roundtable with Ryan N. Dennis, Vashti DuBois, Lauren Kelley & Jasmine Wahi Museum as Stakeholder: How to Retool the Funding Landscape & Invest in a Social Change EcosystemRoundtable with Shawnda Chapman, Ruby Lerner & Melissa Cowley Wolf Part II | Case Studies in Cultural CitizenshipThe Harlem Semester: How to Adapt Art History into Contemporary Curricular Tools Case Study with Elia Alba, Tina M. Campt, Connie H. Choi, Leslie Hewitt & Shanta Lawson Find Art Here: How to Mold Static Museum Collections into Educational Access Initiatives Case Studywith Jordan Casteel, Connie H. Choi, Dr. Dawn Brooks DeCosta, Shanta Lawson & Kyle WilliamsArtist Grants Initiative: How to Redirect Resources to Shape Future RelationshipsCase Study by Nisa Mackie, Alexandra Nicome & Victoria Sung Designing Motherhood: How to Midwife Equity Inside & Outside of MuseumsCase Study by Juliana Rowen Barton, Michelle Millar Fisher, Zoë Greggs, Gabriella Nelson & Amber WinickPart III | Perspectives on PraxisOn Defining & Building Equity as a Field Interview with Nicole IvyOn Nuancing Diversity & Diaspora within Black Museums Interview with Ariana A. Curtis, PhDOn Shaping Resilient Arts & Culture Organizations Interview with DéLana R.A. DameronOn Moving From Gatekeeping to Distributed LeadershipInterview with Sandra Jackson-DumontConclusion | Cultivating Change About the Author

Written with intimacy and care, Museum Metamorphosis asks us to thoroughly consider all the aspects of change needed for museums to truly thrive. wheadon is a much-needed voice in efforts to reconstitute the museum for the future.”