Our first site visit on 6.26.19 was to the Tropenmuseum. This
is an ethnographic museum that highlights some permanent and some rotating exhibits on topics relating to Dutch culture and social topics in general. The museum opened in 1926 and its original goal was so showcase artifacts from Dutch colonies to paint Dutch colonialism in a positive light…so many problems…Today, the museum is used both to showcase some of these artifacts as well as to put on rotating showcases that are more culturally sensitive and reflective of the diversity in Amsterdam and the Netherlands as a whole. The first floor of the new exhibition captivated my attention with the personal stories and shared experiences of different Dutch citizens. Questions around identity, defining home, and happiness whirled around me as I listened to Coco Plooijer talk about learning to live in her biracial skin and beginning to celebrate her individual identity. Listening to her story and learning about her work was more captivating because she had her own space to “share” within the museum. Each of the 10 primary profiles had a cube room where all of their artifacts, videos, and media sources were intentionally displayed and curated. The physical separation between the profiles made them more powerful and allowed each to stand as strong individual that were part of a collective museum experience. I often see museums as a place that try to get you in through one door and out through the other, but this exhibit allowed the museum-goer to take their own path through the stories and created an easier, less congested flow.
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