Reimagining a House Museum
under Decolonization
The Museum & Their Needs
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Spadina Museum is one of Toronto History Museums. This mansion with a three-story house and a garden was originally built by sir William Baldwin and later purchased by James Austin, the founder of The Dominion Bank and Consumers Gas. It was restored by Toronto city to presents the life of the Austin family in late 19th Century, along with servants and worker of this house.
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In 2020, Toronto History Museums started to implement a decolonizing strategic plan, aiming at diversifying the storytelling, while making museum an accessible space to all communities. Since then, the Spadina Museum has been going through a period of transition to the stories of the more diverse groups of people associated with the house.
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As the partner of our class ANT465: Ethnographic Practicum - Toronto Tours, Spadina Museum asked us, a 5 student team to conduct ethnographic research in the museum during May to June 2024, to analyze visitors' experience and understanding of the decolonization strategy, in order to have a better interaction with visitors and improve their practice.
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Methods
user send games to customer service
user send games to customer service
Findings
People love diversed stories.
We'd like to emphasize the history of grand rich people with very fancy lifestyles, but hiding their servants in little passageways... Those people are just as human as the people who own the place and deserve to have their stories told.
We came from a matriarchal culture, so in history, mostly men are the one that rules the family. But I think the household changed for the better when the mother became the matriarch of the family. You know, I think there's more progressive ideas.”
And feminist perspective.
but...
There are also puzzlements.
Original portrait
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Reimagined portrait
When introducing Mrs. Pipkin's portrait, who was a laundry woman but was reimagined as the owner of the house, people said...
Visitors feel a historical museum needs to focuses more on presenting the history, instead of "reimagine" it.
You know, it seems so speculative that - it would be nice to know if there was… some more historical about it?