Museums should honor the everyday, not just the extraordinary | Ariana Curtis

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Representation matters.

呈現很重要。

Authentic representations of women matter.

女性的真實呈現很重要。

I think that too often, our public representations of women

我認為，我們的女性公眾呈現

太常使用非凡的表意方式來包裝。

are enveloped in the language of the extraordinary.

The first American woman to become a self-made millionaire:

第一位白手起家成為 百萬富翁的美國女性：

Madam C. J. Walker ...

沃克夫人……

The dresses of the first ladies of the United States ...

美國第一夫人的服飾……

Shirley Chisholm, the first woman to seek

雪莉西斯霍姆，第一位尋求美國

the US Democratic party's presidential nomination --

民主黨總統候選人提名的女性——

(Applause)

（掌聲）

As a museum curator,

身為博物館策展人， 我能了解這些故事為何如此誘人。

I understand why these stories are so seductive.

Exceptional women are inspiring and aspirational.

出色的女性能夠鼓舞、激勵人心。

But those stories are limiting.

但那些故事很有限。

By definition, being extraordinary is nonrepresentative.

就定義來說，非凡的意思 就是沒有代表性。

It's atypical.

不是典型的。

Those stories do not create a broad base for incorporating women's history,

那些故事無法成為 女性歷史的廣大基礎，

and they don't reflect our daily realities.

無法反映出我們日常的現實。

If we can collectively apply that radical notion

如果我們大家都能採納

「女性是人」的基礎概念，

that women are people,

it becomes easier to show women as people are:

就會比較容易展現出 這些身為人的女性

familiar, diverse, present.

是常見的、多樣的、當前的。

In everyone's everyday throughout history,

在整個歷史上， 在每個人的日常生活中，

women exist positively --

女性都以正面的方式存在——

not as a matter of interpretation, but as a matter of fact.

這並不是詮釋，而是事實。

And beyond a more accurate representation of human life,

將女性納入，除了讓人類生活有

更正確的呈現之外，

including women considers the quotidian experiences

也是考量了地球上

of the almost 3.8 billion people identified as female on this planet.

近 38 億女性的每日經驗。

In this now notorious museum scene from the "Black Panther" movie,

《黑豹》電影中這個博物館的 橋段現在惡名昭彰，

a white curator erroneously explains an artifact

一位白人策展人向畫面中

麥可 B. 喬丹的角色 錯誤地解釋一項文物，

to Michael B. Jordan's character seen here,

an artifact from his own culture.

這項文物來自他自己的文化。

This fictional scene caused real debates in our museum communities

這個虛構的橋段在我們的 博物館圈內引發了真實的辯論，

about who is shaping the narratives and the bias that those narratives hold.

爭論是誰形塑了那些說法 以及說法背後的偏見。

Museums are actually rated

在美國，博物館被評為 最值得信賴的資訊來源之一，

one of the most trustworthy sources of information in the United States,

and with hundreds of millions of visitors from all over the world,

有數十億來自世界各地的人造訪，

we should tell accurate histories,

我們應該要訴說出正確的歷史，

but we don't.

但我們卻沒有。

There is a movement from within museums themselves

在博物館自己內部有一項運動，

to help combat this bias.

就是在協助對抗這種偏見。

The simple acknowledgment that museums are not neutral.

坦率承認博物館並不中立。

Museums are didactic.

博物館是在說教。

Through the display of art and artifacts,

透過藝術和文物的展示，

we can incite creativity and foster inclusion,

我們能夠激發創意，培養包容，

but we are guilty of historical misrepresentation.

但歷史的錯誤呈現， 確實是我們的過錯。

Our male-centered histories have left our herstories hidden.

我們的歷史以男性為中心， 讓女性的故事被隱藏起來。

And there are hard truths about being a woman,

女性有一些難以理解的事實，

特別是這個行業中有色人種的女性，

especially a woman of color in this industry,

that prevents us from centering inclusive examples of women's lives.

這使我們無法將女性生活的 包容性例子集中在一起。

Museum leadership:

博物館領導職位：

predominantly white and male,

明顯都是白種男性，

despite women comprising some 60 percent of museum staffs.

儘管博物館員工 有 60% 左右是女性。

Pipelines to leadership for women are bleak --

女性通往領導職位的 管道十分嚴峻——

bleakest for women of color.

且對有色人種女性是最嚴峻的。

And the presence of women does not in and of itself guarantee

單單有女性存在，並不能表示

an increase in women's public representation.

女性的公眾呈現會增加。

Not all women are gender equity allies.

並非所有女性都是 性別平等的盟友。

In the words of feminist theorist bell hooks,

女性主義理論家 貝爾霍克斯就說過：

"Patriarchy has no gender."

「父權制沒有性別。」

Women can support the system of patriarchy

女性可以支持父權制度，

just as men can support the fight for gender equity.

就如同男性可以支持 性別平等的奮鬥。

And we often downplay the importance of intersectionality.

且我們通常低估了交織的重要性。

Marian Anderson was one of the most celebrated voices of the 20th century,

瑪麗安安德森是二十世紀 最被讚揚的歌手之一，

and the Smithsonian collected her 1939 outfit.

而史密森尼收藏了 她 1939 年的服裝。

After the white Daughters of the American Revolution denied her access

因為她是黑人， 白人的美國革命女兒會

to sing in Constitution Hall, because she was black,

否決了她在憲政大廳演唱的申請，

she famously sang instead on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,

之後造成了她在林肯紀念堂 階梯上演唱的著名事件，

to a crowd of over 75,000 people.

當時的觀眾有七萬五千人以上。

And in libraries all over, including museums,

在各地的圖書館，包括博物館，

you can still find the groundbreaking 1982 anthology, entitled

你仍然可以找到開創性的 1982 年選集，名為

"All the Women Are White,

《所有的女性都是白人，

All the Blacks Are Men,

所有的黑人都是男性，

But Some of Us Are Brave."

但我們有些人則是勇敢的》

Demands for the increase of women's representation

希望增加女性呈現的要求

does not automatically include Afro-Latinas like me ...

並不會自動包含 像我這樣的拉丁裔黑人……

or immigrant women, or Asian women, or Native women,

或是移民女性，或亞洲女性， 或原住民女性，

or trans women, or undocumented women,

或變性女性， 或無正式文件的女性，

or women over 65, or girls --

或 65 歲以上的女性，或女孩——

the list can go on and on and on.

我還可以繼續不斷列下去。

So what do we do?

所以我們要做什麼？

Targeted initiatives have helped incorporate perspectives

有針對性的計畫已經協助納入了

過去本來就應該要被納入的觀點。

that should have always been included.

I arrived at the Smithsonian through a Latino curatorial initiative

我透過拉丁策展計畫到了史密森尼 （美國國立自然史博物館），

whose hiring of Latinx curators,

他們要僱用拉丁美洲策展人，

mostly women, by the way,

順便一提，大多是女性，

has raised the profile for Latinx narratives across our institution.

他們這麼做，讓整個機構中的 拉丁美洲呈現形式受到更多關注。

And it served as a model

它是個模範，

for our much larger Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative,

供後來更大型的史密森尼 美國女性歷史計畫做參考，

which seeks to amplify diverse representations of women

該計畫的目的是要 用各種可能的方式

來擴大女性呈現的多樣性，

in every possible way,

so that women show up,

這麼一來，女性就不只會 出現在我們當代現實的意象中，

not only in the imagery of our contemporary realities,

but in our historical representations,

也會在我們歷史的呈現中，

because we've always been here.

因為我們一直都在這裡。

Right now though, in 2018, I can still walk into professional spaces

不過，現在，2018 年， 我仍然會走進專業的空間中，

and be the only --

然後發現我是唯一一個——

the only person under 40, the only black person,

不到四十歲，唯一的黑人女性，

the only black woman, the only Latina,

唯一的拉丁美洲裔， 有時還是唯一的女性。

sometimes, the only woman.

My mother is African-American and my father is Afro-Panamanian.

我母親是非裔美國人， 我父親是巴拿馬黑人。

I am so proudly and inextricably both.

我無可避免有這兩邊的 血統，而我很驕傲。

As an Afro-Latina, I'm one of millions.

我只是數百萬名拉丁裔黑人之一。

As an Afro-Latina curator, I'm one of very few.

我卻是非常少數的 拉丁裔黑人策展人之一。

And bringing my whole self into the professional realm

把我整個自己帶到 這個專業領域中，

can feel like an act of bravery,

感覺像是個很勇敢的舉動，

and I'll admit to you that I was not always up for that challenge,

我向各位承認，我並非 一直都準備好面對那個挑戰，

whether from fear of rejection or self-preservation.

不論是怕被拒絕的恐懼 或自衛的本能。

In meetings, I would only speak up

在會議上，我只有在我的意見

when I had a fully developed comment to share.

很完善的時候才敢發言分享。

No audible brainstorming or riffing off of colleagues.

同事間沒有能聽見的 腦力激盪或是辯論。

For a long time,

有很長的時間，

I denied myself the joy of wearing my beloved hoop earrings

我都不容許我自己 享受戴著我最愛的

環形耳環或名牌項鍊 去工作的喜悅，

or nameplate necklace to work,

thinking that they were too loud or unscholarly or unprofessional.

認為它們太炫耀了， 或不像學者，或不夠專業。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I wondered how people would react to my natural hair,

我不知道大家對我天然的 頭髮會有什麼反應，

or if they viewed me as more acceptable or less authentic when I straightened it.

或者，若我把頭髮弄直，

他們會比較接受我 或覺得我不夠真實。

And anyone who has felt outside of mainstream representations

任何覺得自己 在主流呈現之外的人，

understands that there are basic elements just of our everyday being

都能了解光是我們 日常生活中的一些基本元素

that can make other people uncomfortable.

就可能造成其他人不舒服。

But because I am passionate

但因為我對於女性真實

about the everyday representation of women as we are,

日常生活的呈現抱持著熱情，

I stopped presenting an inauthentic representation of myself or my work.

我停止不再為我自己 或我的工作做不真實的呈現。

And I have been tested.

我受到了考驗。

This is me pointing at my hoop earring in my office --

我是我在我的辦公室中， 指著我的環形耳環——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Just last month, I was invited to keynote a Latino Heritage Month event.

上個月，我被邀請到 拉美裔傳統月的活動做主題演講。

The week of the presentation, the organization expressed concerns.

在演說的那一週， 該組織表示有些憂心。

They called my slides "activist,"

他們認為我的投影片很「激進」，

and they meant that negatively.

他們是指負面的意思。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Two days before the presentation,

在演說的前兩天，

they requested that I not show a two-minute video affirming natural hair,

他們要求我不要播出一段關於 肯定天然頭髮的兩分鐘影片，

because "it may create a barrier to the learning process

原因是「它可能會對一些參與者的

for some of the participants."

學習過程造成阻礙。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

That poem, "Hair," was written and performed by Elizabeth Acevedo,

那首詩《頭髮》，由伊莉莎白 阿斯維多撰寫和表演，

a Dominican-American 2018 National Book Award winner,

她是多明尼哥裔的美國人， 2018 年美國國家圖書獎得主，

and it appeared in an award-winning Smithsonian exhibit that I curated.

它出現在我所策劃 且得獎的一項史密森尼展覽中。

I canceled the talk,

我取消了那場演說，向他們解釋，

explaining to them that their censorship of me and my work made me uncomfortable.

他們針對我和我的作品 所做的審查讓我感到不舒服。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲和歡呼）

Respectability politics and idealized femininity

體面政治和理想化的女性氣質

influence how we display women

會影響我們如何展示出女性，

and which women we choose to display.

及我們選擇要展示哪些女性。

And that display has skewed toward successful and extraordinary

且那種展示會偏向成功、非凡、

and reputable and desirable,

聲譽好、令人滿意的女性，

which maintains the systemic exclusion

這就讓一般人、 沒有得到足夠代表的人，

and marginalization of the everyday, the regular, the underrepresented

且通常不是白人，

繼續被體制給排擠和邊緣化。

and usually, the nonwhite.

As a museum curator, I am empowered to change that narrative.

身為博物館策展人，我有能力 可以改變那種表述方式。

I research, collect and interpret objects and images of significance.

我研究、收集、詮釋 重要的物品和影像。

Celia Cruz, the queen of Salsa --

希莉亞庫茲，騷沙女王——

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

yes -- is significant.

是的，她很重要，

And an Afro-Latina.

且是拉丁裔黑人。

The Smithsonian has collected her costumes, her shoes,

史密斯尼收集了 她的服裝、她的鞋子、

her portrait, her postage stamp

她的畫像、她的郵票，

and this reimagining ...

還有這幅重新成像之作……

by artist Tony Peralta.

作者是藝術家東尼佩拉塔。

When I collected and displayed this work,

當我收集並展示這件作品時，

it was a victory for symbolic contradictions.

它是象形性矛盾的勝利。

Pride in displaying a dark-skinned Latina,

很驕傲地展示出一名 暗色皮膚的拉丁美洲裔，

a black woman,

黑人女性，

whose hair is in large rollers which straighten your hair,

她的頭髮上有大髮捲， 是用來將頭髮拉直用的，

perhaps a nod to white beauty standards.

也許是在向白人的美麗標準致敬。

A refined, glamorous woman in oversized, chunky gold jewelry.

一位優雅迷人的女子， 戴著過大的大塊金飾。

When this work was on view,

這件作品被陳列後，成為我們在 Instagram 上最熱門的作品，

it was one of our most Instagrammed pieces,

and visitors told me they connected with the everyday elements

訪客告訴我， 他們能夠和她褐色皮膚、

of her brown skin or her rollers or her jewelry.

髮卷，或飾品的日常生活元素連結。

Our collections include Celia Cruz

我們的收集品包括希莉亞庫茲

and a rare portrait of a young Harriet Tubman ...

及年輕哈莉特塔布曼的 一幅稀有畫像……

iconic clothing from the incomparable Oprah Winfrey.

無與倫比的歐普拉·溫芙蕾的 標誌性服裝。

But museums can literally change

但博物館真的可以改變

how hundreds of millions of people see women

數億人看待女性的方式，

and which women they see.

以及他們看見哪些女性。

So rather than always the first or the famous,

所以，不能總是只展現出 最先的或最有名的人事物，

it's also our responsibility to show a regular Saturday at the beauty salon,

我們也有責任要展現出 平凡星期六的美容院，

the art of door-knocker earrings ...

門把式耳環的藝術……

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

fashionable sisterhood ...

時髦的姐妹之誼……

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

and cultural pride at all ages.

以及各種年齡的文化驕傲。

Stories of everyday women

平凡女性的故事，

whose stories have been knowingly omitted from our national and global histories.

我們國家以及全球的歷史 都故意遺漏了她們的故事。

And oftentimes in museums, you see women represented by clothing

通常，在博物館中， 你會看到女性是用

or portraits or photography ...

衣著、畫像，或照片來呈現……

but impactful, life-changing stories from everyday women

但平凡女性的那些有影響力、 能改變人生的故事

can also look like this Esmeraldan boat seat.

也可能看起來像是 埃斯梅拉達斯的船上座椅。

Esmeraldas, Ecuador was a maroon community.

厄瓜多的埃斯梅拉達斯 是逃亡黑奴聚集的地方。

Its dense rainforest protected indigenous and African populations

那裡的雨林很茂密， 能保護原住民和非洲人，

from Spanish colonizers.

不受西班牙殖民者侵犯。

There are roads now,

現在有道路了，

but there are some parts inland that are still only accessible by canoe.

但內陸有些地區還是只能 靠獨木舟才能到達。

Débora Nazareno frequently traveled those Ecuadorian waterways by canoe,

黛柏拉納沙雷諾常常靠獨木舟 走厄瓜多的那些水路，

so she had her own boat seat.

所以她有她自己的船座椅。

Hers personalized with a spiderweb and a spider,

她的座椅被個人化，特色是 一個蜘蛛網和一隻蜘蛛，

representing Anansi, a character in West African folklore.

代表阿南西，西非 民間傳說中的一個人物。

Débora also sat on this seat at home, telling stories to her grandson, Juan.

黛柏拉在家時也坐在這個座椅上， 向她的孫子胡安說故事。

And this intangible ritual of love

愛的這種無形儀式

in the form of intergenerational storytelling

採用的形式是跨世代訴說故事，

is common in communities across the African diaspora.

在非洲僑民的社區中很常見。

And this everyday act sparked in Juan the desire to collect and preserve

這種日常的小動作，點燃了 胡安的慾望，他想要收集和保存

over 50,000 documents related to Afro-Indian culture.

和非裔印度文化相關的 超過五萬份文件。

In 2005, Juan García Salazar, Débora's grandson,

2005 年，胡安加西亞薩拉查， 黛柏拉的孫子，

and by now a world-renowned Afro-Ecuadorian scholar,

也是現在世界知名的 非裔厄瓜多學者，

traveled to Washington, D.C.

前往華盛頓特區。

He met with Lonnie Bunch, the director of the museum where I work,

他見到了盧尼布區， 也就是我工作的博物館的館長，

and toward the end of their conversation,

在他們談話接近尾聲時，

Juan reached into his bag and said, "I'd like to give you a present."

胡安把手伸到他的袋子中，說： 「我有一個禮物要給你。」

On that day, Débora Nazareno's humble wooden boat seat

那天，黛柏拉納沙雷諾的 簡約木製船座椅

became the very first object donated

成了第一件被捐贈給史密斯尼

to the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

國立非裔美國人歷史 和文化博物館的物品。

It is encased, displayed and has been seen by almost five million visitors

它被罩起來，展示出來，

已有來自全世界 近五百萬訪客看過它。

from all over the world.

I will continue to collect from extraordinary historymakers.

我會繼續向創造歷史的 非凡者收集收藏品。

Their stories are important.

他們的故事很重要。

But what drives me to show up today and every day

但讓我今天，每天， 出來露面的動因，

is the simple passion to write our names in history,

則是很單純的一份熱情， 想要把我們的名字寫入歷史，

display them publicly for millions to see

將它們公開展示， 讓數百萬人看見，

and walk in the ever-present light that is woman.

走在永遠存在的女人的光芒中。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲和歡呼）