“Until recently, the viewpoints of Native and African Americans have largely been excluded from museum exhibitions. Have these exclusions been intentional or are they a reflection of institutional biases that reflect larger societal prejudices?

With his startling use of juxtaposition and irony, Fred Wilson, an artist of African-American and Carib descent, places this question at the heart of the critically acclaimed Mining the Museum. Wilson “mined” the collection of a traditional historical society and designed an installation that illustrated the complicity of museum practices in upholding— perhaps inadvertently—racism.

The power of Mining the Museum lies not so much in the objects that Wilson has selected from the collection, but in how he has displayed them. Fine silver teapots are juxtaposed with iron shackles and a Klan hood serves as the linen in an antique baby carriage. Wilson’s daring arrangements will compel anyone who reads Mining the Museum to actively question how museums perpetuate cultural biases.

Illustrated with over twenty-five color and sixty-one black-and-white illustrations, the unique design of this publication captures the rhythm and emotional tenor of the installation.

An essay by Lisa Corrin, the exhibition’s cocurator from The Contemporary in Baltimore, argues that the identity crisis facing American museums cannot be resolved until they confront their own pasts and invite other voices to participate in arriving at a solution. Other contributions include a discussion of Mining the m from the historian’s viewpoint by scholar Ira Berlin and an intimate dialogue between Fred Wilton and the art historian Leslie King-Hammond which Wilson speaks frankly about the impetus behind his work.” – taken from inside cover.