by Julia Newman
Beginning in 2010, the Portland Art Museum launched Object Stories as a way to challenge the grand and limited narratives frequently supported within museums. The first iteration of this outreach project invited community members to share stories inspired by an object in a small recording both located in the museum gallery. In speaking about this project in a piece for the Art Museum Teaching forum, the current Director of Education and Public Programs Mike Murawski explained the goal remained “to create and share a multiplicity of stories around its collection, and to bring the meaning-making process of storytelling into the galleries.” Although museums are increasingly beginning to recognize the importance of community involvement in the construction and execution of exhibitions, many institutions continue to do their work behind closed doors without community input. Object Stories actively worked to involve the larger Portland community at all levels of planning, implementation, and in the actual structure of the exhibit. In order to execute this initiative, the Portland Art Museum’s education department partnered with multiple community organizations including the Northwest Film Center, the Milagro Theater and Write Around Portland. The first round of Object Stories showcased stories from community members and also worked with schools to highlight the voices of young students. These stories were then made available within the exhibition space and were collected in an online digital archive. Overall, this project continues to reach new audiences by offering a different type of experience that asks visitors to actively engage with the museum space.
The next and most recent iteration of Object Stories features stories and objects curated in relation to current exhibitions on display at the museum. These object stories still seek to disrupt the traditional museum by interjecting personal experience and community voices into the customary art exhibition, but have a more focused approach to the inclusion of community storytelling within the museum. In 2014, the Object Stories gallery space was renovated and the recording booth was removed in order to exhibit Revival/Remix in conjunction with the Venice: The Golden Age of Art and Music exhibit. This new type of exhibit continued the object/story format with individuals telling a story surrounding a particular object, but sought to highlight underrepresented or under-recognized communities in the Portland area. The objects are then displayed in the Object Stories gallery with the stories available on nearby iPads. The most recent Object Stories exhibit, Igniting Voices, documents the stories of activists and advocates for social justice in the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps the recent transformation of Object Stories speaks to the many complexities involved in the capturing of community storytelling and the resources required to maintain such an outreach project. Or perhaps the museum realized the mission of involving community voices in exhibitions could continue with a smaller and dedicated effort. Nevertheless, Object Stories continues to bring new voices into the museum space through a commitment to active community involvement.
The community response to Object Stories has been overwhelmingly positive. The project has been recognized for its inclusion of community voices and differing experiences, and has been featured in the local news on numerous occasions. Additionally, Object Stories has been highlighted some members of the larger museum community as a successful outreach project. The Portland Art Museum has also consistently hosted a Object Stories Community Opening that offers another opportunity for new visitors to interact and engage with the museum. Overall, the Portland Community continues to recognize and support this outreach initiative.
This project’s archival component is also compelling to consider. Object Stories has archival implications for these stories have been archived and will continue to be preserved by the museum. Initially, the recorded stories were available in a digital archive, but that interface is no longer available. It appears the museum has worked to transfer most of the stories onto the museum’s YouTube channel, but feasibly the museum is also maintaining the corresponding files and records within the institution’s own repository. The museum will be responsible for preserving these stories and thus, the museum archive will hold stories that introduce new voices. As long as the Portland Art Museum remains open and committed to community involvement in the museum space, Objects Stories will carry on important outreach in the Portland community and will continue to demonstrate the potential of such work to challenge the ever-pressing authority of the museum.