12.02.2019 - By Ian Elsner
The field of conservation was created to fight change: to prevent objects from becoming dusty, broken, or rusted. But fighting to keep cultural objects preserved creates a certain mindset — a mindset where it’s too easy to imagine objects and cultures in a state of stasis.
Sanchita Balachandran, Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, founded Untold Stories to change that mindset in the conservation profession. Through events at the annual meetings of the American Institute for Conservation, Untold Stories expands cultural heritage beyond preserving the objects we might find in a museum.
In this episode, Balachandran talks about Untold Story’s 2019 event: Indigenous Futures and Collaborative Conservation, avoiding the savior mentality, and how the profession has changed since she was in school.
Topics and Links
00:00 Intro
00:14 The Conservation Profession
01:12 Sanchita Balachandran
01:35 Untold Stories
03:30 Mohegan Sun 2019: Indigenous Futures and Collaborative Conservation
04:58 endawnis Spears and the Akomawt Educational Initiative (episode 68)
06:09 Savior Mentality in Conservation
07:37 Changing Working Practices
09:03 Changing Technical Practices
10:30 Changing Social Practices
11:25 Activating Cultural Heritage
12:15 Salt Lake City 2020: Preserving Cultural Landscapes
12:30 Learn More About Untold Stories and Watch Recordings of Past Events
12:40 SPONSOR: StoriesHere Podcast
13:40 Archipelago at the Movies