Museums & the City Workshop
Tuesday, September 24 — Thursday, September 26, 2019
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum
A city is a sacred landscape in which we live, learn and communicate with others. It is woven into the fabric of day to day life, manifest in languages, performances, traditions and other tangible representations of our existence. While multiple art forms are the reflection of creative human minds and can manifest anywhere, the provision of different high-quality cultural facilities provide crucial spaces and places where we connect with our heritage and also experience the excitement of the contemporary art traditions. Such experiences motivate us to become part of the conversation by exploring similarities and differences inherent in the city’s fabric. The city emerges as a cosmopolitan interface, where it pays attention to local needs but connects well with global thinking.
A museum is a cultural, as well as a social space, it is a meeting place for culture and communities to engage in dialogue and exchange of ideas. It plays a direct role in preserving and enriching the community in which it is sustained. The museum is seen as an agent of change and development.
Through this workshop, we will explore how museums could potentially create an expanded culture of civic life that represents and nurtures the diverse and plural sensibilities of those with whom they share space.
This is a collaborative workshop between CSMVS, Mumbai and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University.