During the Spring 2016 course AS.389.375, students explored the ways in which museums engage with local communities and asked: Do museums have a social responsibility? What roles should they play in and with their communities? Should they be agents of social change or social justice? Students visited local museums and cultural organizations, examined case studies and theories and met with museum professionals from Baltimore and around the nation to discuss the role of museums and how we define, represent and engage community. Then, students worked in small groups with The Walters Art Museum, The Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Eubie Blake Cultural Center to develop an original and fundable proposal in support of community-centered, inclusive practice.
