CEU Cultural Heritage Leadership Conversations
Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, from 3:40 PM to 5:10 PM CET
Join us for a conversation with Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, Director of the Illinois State Museum
About this conversation
In her book “The Inclusive Museum Leader” (co-edited with Chris Taylor), Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko argues that most contemporary museums were built as colonial enterprises and are slow to awaken to the harm caused by their irresponsible actions. For decades, the conversation about equity and inclusion in the museum field has become louder. In this conversation, we will discuss the challenges Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko has faced when trying to make the museums she leads more inclusive. Ms. Catlin-Legutko argues that museums have the power to change lives, inspire movements, and challenge authority. We will learn how museums can contribute to a more diverse and inclusive society around us.
Event details
This online conversation will consist of a 15-minute presentation by Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, followed by a 60-minute Q&A facilitated by Mariana Di-Bella and Kristina Ford, CEU MA students.
About the speaker
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko is the Director of the Illinois State Museum. With over twenty years of experience in the museum sector, she is a recognized presenter at national museum meetings. She served as director of the Lew Wallace Study & Museum and as President and CEO of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, where she led the initiative to decolonize museum practice. She has also been a board member of the American Association for State and Local History, Maine Humanities Council, Smithsonian Affiliates Advisory Council, and the American Alliance of Museums, among other institutions. She has published several works, including Museum Administration 2.0 (2016), The Art of Healing: The Wishard Art Collection (2004), Small Museum Toolkit (2012), and The Inclusive Museum Leader (2021). You can watch her TEDx talk “We Must Decolonize Our Museums”.