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Outreach & engagement models in the cultural sector is so rooted in colonial missionary politics, i.e. 'we need to save the poor' these ppl cant fathom that: 1) marginalised ppl privilege their own culture making above Culture with a capital C (referred to as 'Culture.')
2)Bc white middleclass 'Culture' is valueless & meaningless to us in how produce culture. This position defies deficit model, i.e. us lacking the knowledge/taste to engage with 'Culture.' This models is colonial bc its based 'how can we make these people just like us?'
3)Whilst economic, hostile & exclusionary conditions affects participation this isn't the only reason why. IF museums understood how our culture making doesn't centre whiteness/middleclassness, they would see how culturally rich we already are &why we don't attend museums
4)Museums should be making themselves accessible to us, but it requires a complete decolonising of what they consider engagement/outreach. Often bc our engagements are ghettoised, sidelined to 'special events' that are not sustainable, often temporary & reactionary.
More PoC & workingclass staff would be the answer. But representation is meaningless without activism backed with structural change i.e. marginalised people can reproduce dominant behaviours like class & white supremacy.
