We Need to Talk About NAGPRA: Noncompliance & Cultural Affiliation

We Need to Talk About NAGPRA: Noncompliance & Cultural Affiliation

Previously, we discussed what the Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act is and what it requires of museums and other institutions. NAGPRA is a federal law, so why do tens of thousands of ancestors and countless Native belongings remain unavailable for repatriation? Many institutions 

We Need to Talk About NAGPRA…But What Is It?

We Need to Talk About NAGPRA…But What Is It?

 Museums are currently facing a reckoning for past collecting practices, with many nations demanding repatriation of illegally or unethically obtained items. It comes as no surprise that Indigenous Nations have been among those demanding the return of their cultural heritage and ancestors. Public scrutiny combined 

The David Reconsidered: Art, Censorship, and Outrage

The David Reconsidered: Art, Censorship, and Outrage

If you have been anywhere near social media this week, it’s likely you’ve heard about the recent controversy that has pushed a small Florida school into a global spotlight. At the Tallahassee Classical school, sixth graders were learning about Michelangelo’s David, a standard part of 

Encounter Black History in the Nation’s Leading Music Museums

Encounter Black History in the Nation’s Leading Music Museums

This Black History Month, we are sharing some of the most impactful music museums in the country. Many of these museums are located in historically Black communities, and all of them celebrate the careers of some of the top Black artists in global music history.

Museums in Wartime: The Place of Art and History in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Museums in Wartime: The Place of Art and History in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

We are rapidly approaching the one-year mark of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the latest and most extreme in a series of Russo-Ukrainian conflicts. The past year has seen widespread destruction throughout the country, with over eight million refugees leaving their homes to flee the 

The Parthenon Marbles and the Issue of Restitution

The Parthenon Marbles and the Issue of Restitution

Whether you are part of the museum world or not, you have likely heard of the controversy surrounding the Parthenon marbles. This summer, newspapers have been flooded with stories about these ancient sculptures, with a renewed fervor for restitution and apparent headways in the Greek