National Outreach Scholarship Conference Michigan State University, East Lansing, October 2011

C. Kurt Dewhurst, Ph.D., Marsha MacDowell, Ph.D., Dean Rehberger, Ph.D., and James Pritchett, Ph.D., Michigan State University

U.S./Africa Cultural Heritage Strategic Partnerships in a Digital Age

The U.S./African Cultural Heritage Strategic Partnership

In an age of increasing digital growth, more complex and globally inter-related heritage and widespread economic challenges, a Michigan State University Strategic Partnership Grant has helped launch a high impact project to foster more connectivity and strategic planning between its university cultural heritage faculty, students, and resources and with other U.S. and African museums and cultural institutions.

High-impact nature of the project

• Africa has rich and diverse cultural heritage

• Many of Africa's tangible and intangible cultural heritage resources are at significant risk of deterioration and loss

Impact on MSU’s research portfolioResearch, publication, dissemination, and pilot testing of best practices for international partnerships workingwith African cultural heritage

Impact on MSU’s research portfolioPreserve and provide access to African cultural heritage materials making them available to scholarsin Africa and the world

Impact on MSU’s research portfolioExpand small presence on the Web of authentic materials in African languages

MSU's strong history ofpromoting ethical partnerships

Ethical Principles

Project is guided by strategic actions that are imbued with:

MutualityRespectTransparencyEquityCommunication

Five Original Major Milestones

• Convene major meeting in Africa to address the full range of challenges facing African cultural heritage digitization and access

• Produce and disseminate report on best practices for international partnerships in this field

• Produce pilot digital projects based on best practices, provide online access to cultural heritage collections

• Expand use of KORA digital repository software and test its use by cultural heritage institutions in Africa

• Establish MSU's African Online Digital Library (AODL) as a major web portal for disseminating collaborative African cultural heritage projects

Strategic Actions to Date with Partners

1. MSU (University Outreach and Engagement, MSU Museum, African Studies Center, and MATRIX: Center for Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online) form partnership with AFRICOM (African continent association of museums) to establish mutual interests and opportunities and to identify other strategic partners.

2. The American Association of Museums, the Smithsonian Institution, Association of African American Museums, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services join MSU and AFRICOM.

3. A three-day strategic planning session was held in Johannesburg in February 2011 followed by a meeting April 2011 in Washington, D.C. One day of the session included five institutions with which the MSU Museum had a history of working: Ifa Lethu Foundation, University of Witwatersrand Anthropology Museum, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Museum.

4. As a result of these meetings, a Big Framework of Collaborative Projects was established to guide next action steps.

Big Framework of Collaborative Projects (page 1)

1. Digital Collaborations: Exhibitions, research, collections, education, evaluation/reflection on practice, networking international collections. Digital access to manuals. Leveraging social media.

2. Digital Cultural Heritage Field School/Digital Humanities Field School: documentation, preservation, skills development, career pathways

3. Exchanges & internships - new models for shared positions, shared academic appointments, joint degrees, international university/museum partnerships, visiting professionals. Greater use of Fulbright. Mellon Scholars. Bellagio or Salzburg Seminar Series.

4. Linking training to existing/planned professional meetings: AFRICOM, Association of African-American Museums, American Association of Museums, Smithsonian Institution, and U.S. the integrated federal agency group efforts. Webcasting skills development.

5. New models in the areas of youth engagement in museums/heritage organizations and expansion of entrepreneurship (underserved communities, multi-disciplinary strategies, and, business approaches) that focus on art, culture, natural resources, science, and math linked to cultural heritage. Possible focus on youth, families, intergenerational engagement. Using museum store as sites for innovative approaches

Big Framework of Collaborative Projects (page 2)

6. New approaches to add value to collections: interactive, protection, info on illicit/appropriate marketing - partnerships with communities, generating new skills, and building investigative capacity models

7. Focus on current issues - post-conflict/trauma situations, emergency preparedness, SWAT team approaches to cultural preservations and stewardship

8. Identification of best practices, model projects, existing resources, development of new manuals, explication of what works/what doesn't. Highlighting and honoring innovation awards system

9. Domesticating cultural policy – work with NEPAD, European Union, African Union, etc. including workshops and establishing regulatory frameworks

10. Traveling exhibitions – new digital/physical new models

Next Steps in Process

• Incubating pilot projects with seven museums and cultural heritage organizations in South Africa;• Development of an African track at the 2012 Association of American Museums annual meeting to be held in Minneapolis;• Development of sessions on US/African museum collaborations at the 2012 annual meeting of the African American Museums Association;• Identification of potential funding sources for US/Africa cultural heritage projects and programs;• Testing of a model for Digital Cultural Heritage Field School/Digital Humanities Field School;• Opportunities like today to engage others in the discussion and identification of other strategic partnerships

Steering Committee MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY• Dean Rehberger, Ph.D., Director of MATRIX digital humanities center, Core Faculty MSU Museum Studies Program• C. Kurt Dewhurst, Ph.D., Director of Arts and Cultural Initiatives, Curator MSU Museum, Core Faculty MSU Museum Studies Program• Marsha MacDowell, Ph.D., Curator MSU Museum, Professor of Art & Art History, Core Faculty MSU Museum Studies Program• James Pritchett, Ph.D., Director,,MSU African Studies Center and Professor of Anthropology

AFRICOM• Rudo Sithole, Ph.D. Executive Director• Nath Mayo Adedrian, Vice-President

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION• Richard Kurin, Ph.D., Undersecretary for History, Art and Culture• Lonnie Bunch, Ph.D., Director, Museum of African-American History and Culture• Christine Kreamer, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Museum of African Art• Mary Jo Arnoldi, Head, Anthropology, Museum of Natural History• Diana N’Diaye, Ph.D., Curator, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage• Lea Perez, liaison to U.S. Department of State

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS• Ford Bell, DVM, President

INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES • Marsha Semmel, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Partnerships

ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUMS• Deborah Mack, Ph.D., Board of Directors

CollaboratingMSU Units