2022

SCHEDULE

The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience

11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.

| Wednesday, October 19th

In this keynote address, historian Samuel J. Redman will explore how museums have responded to major crisis events in the last century or more. Starting with the devastating 1865 fire at the Smithsonian Institution, Redman’s new book, The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience, examines how museums in the U.S. worked to bounce back from the 1918 influenza epidemic, the Great Depression, Second World War, 1970 art strike, and more recent controversies surrounding museum collections and exhibitions. The book ultimately suggests that a museum’s most important asset is its core staff. This talk will argue that museums can better learn from their history in order to become more resilient, preparing more effectively for the next crisis to come.