The colonial era profoundly shaped natural history museums and collections. Herbaria, which are scientists’ main source of plant specimens from around the world, are no exception.
Record numbers of visitors are flocking to blockbuster exhibitions. Behind all the excitement, there are difficult questions over how to address their carbon footprint.
Human evolution is typically depicted with a progressive whitening of the skin, despite a lack of evidence to support it.
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov/Wikimedia Commons
From Aristotle to Darwin, inaccurate and biased narratives in science not only reproduce these biases in future generations but also perpetuate the discrimination they are used to justify.
Wheatfield with Crows by Vincent van Gogh (1890).
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam / Vincent van Gogh Foundation
Museums have pushed the narrative of Vincent van Gogh as a ‘tortured genius’ for decades, but in its 50th year the Van Gogh Museum is questioning this approach.
The Ciutat de la Justícia by David Chipperfield Architects, in Barcelona, Spain.
Agefotostock/Alamy
Chipperfield is not interested in creating something iconic or instantly recognisable as his. Instead, he sees architecture as a service, a vehicle for civic and public good.
Large painting of a crocodile attributed to Majumbu along with two child hand stencils.
Photograph courtesy of the Melbourne Museum, object 019930, object size 2.94m by 1.03m
Despite causing hurt and offence, the legality of removing a whale fossil from the West Coast remains unclear. So what rules and laws govern amateur fossil hunting, and should they be strengthened?
Police officers patrol the entrance of the Tate Modern gallery, in London, Oct. 15, 2022, after climate protesters threw soup over glass covering Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ in London’s National Gallery.
(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Journals, museum collections and other historical sources can provide valuable data for modern ecological studies. But just because a source is old doesn’t make it useful.
Western museums are beginning to re-evaluate how they portray cultures and history and return stolen artifacts. But for change to be meaningful, it needs to be truly inclusive.