Hello and welcome to today's art lesson.

I am Ms. Holland and I'm really excited about today's lesson.

We're gonna be asking some really, really deep and interesting questions surrounding the idea of ownership of art.

And the lesson title is Art Empire Museums Who owns Art and Is part of the Unit: An overview of art.

So by the end of today's lesson, you will have explored research and curated your very own display, showing an understanding of context and history.

Our keywords are collection, which is the gathering of art by private or public institution.

Colonisation, which is the process of a country taking over another country.

Repatriation, which is when an artwork or artefact is returned to the country of origin.

And curate, which is to select artwork and organise art for presentation.

And I know that you may have come across colonisation and repatriation from other lessons such as history lessons.

So we'll be looking at these today through the lens of art.

So it's in three sections today.

We're gonna first of all start looking at artefacts in public institutions.

Then we're gonna look at how we curate collections, and then we're gonna look at the importance of labelling artefacts.

Let's start, artefacts in public institutions.

An artefact is an object made or used by people, and it's often from the past, and it normally has some kind of historical, cultural, or creative significance.

It can include everything from ancient tools, sculptures, paintings, clothings, everyday objects.

Think about your previous history lessons where you know that certain artefacts can tell you the daily life of historic periods.

And in art, this is expanded to include the fact that artefacts can also be something created to express ideas or tell a story.

These students are discussing where artefacts can be seen.

This pupil says, "Art is found in art galleries, sometimes artefacts too." This one says, "Some museums have artefacts." And this pupil seen said, "I've seen some sculptures and old buildings, archaeological sites, and even in the town centre." Where have you seen artefacts before? Have you been to a museum? Or maybe it's through your learning at school.

Artefacts can be found in many public and private locations.

So public locations include museums and galleries, heritage sites, libraries, anywhere where artefacts are preserved and displayed for education and enjoyment.

There are also spaces that hold monument sculptures and street art and private are personal collections and private homes, as well as commercial galleries.

So those people that sell artwork and artefacts might be owned by individuals or organisations.

True or false? Check for understanding.

Art and artefacts can be found in public and private locations.

True or false? Well done.

Yes, it's true.

But why? Well done.

Yes, art can be found in many locations including parks, streets, and private homes.

Galleries and museums are examples of public institutions that display and preserve art and artefacts.

The artworks and objects within a gallery or museum are usually part of something called a collection, which is a keyword for us today.

And a collection is a group of related pieces brought together for a specific purpose.

And they're typically organised around an artist or a theme or a style or a community helping to tell a particular story or to explore an idea.

Lucas and Jacob are discussing some well-known collections.

So Lucas says, "MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has a huge, ever changing collection consisting of almost 200,000 works of art." So it's ever evolving and ever changing.

And Jacob says, "Collections can also be online.

So for example, the British Museum in London has an online collection allowing access to almost four and a half million artefacts." Isn't that fantastic that it allows access to that many artefacts? Have you ever viewed a collection online? Well, don't worry if you haven't, because today will be your opportunity.

A check for understanding, what is the term giving to the gathering of art or artefacts by public institutions? Well done.

Yes, it is indeed a collection, a collection of art, or a collection of artefacts.

Sofia is posing a question, and this is a really interesting question, one that we're gonna continually explore through this lesson.

Where do public institutions gather their collections from? So where is it that they get them from? How is it that we can see artefacts from different places and times in one place?" Well, there are many different ways that this can be done.

But some artefacts gathered in collections displayed in the United Kingdom include artefacts created by civilizations that were colonised by the British Empire.

And I know you may have learned about this a little bit already, but we're gonna recap today.

So a colony is a place that is controlled by another country.

And colonisation is when a country takes over another place and rules it.

The British Empire had many colonies.

At its biggest in 1913, it ruled over 412 million people in many different countries around the world.

And after the First World War, the British Empire began to shrink as many countries wanted to and did regain their independence.

Some countries joined a Commonwealth of Nations, which included the United Kingdom.

Artworks and artefacts that were obtained through colonisation are still held in many public institution collections.

An example of this that we're gonna be returning to throughout the lesson is the Benin Bronzes.

And they are a collection of plaques, pendants, statues that depict a range of religious events and ceremonies, kings and warriors.

And they were made by craftspeople in the Kingdom of Benin, which was a powerful empire in West Africa, which was located in what is now Nigeria.

In 1897, British soldiers invaded the capitol, and during that invaded they looted.

They took the looted the royal palace and took thousands of artefacts, including bronzes, ivory and wooden objects.

So they took them without permission.

And many of these items were later brought to Britain and indeed were sold to public institutions like this image here, the British Museum.

True or false? All of the work held in public institutions within the United Kingdom originates from there.

So they come from the United Kingdom.

True or false? Well done.

Yes, that's false.

And we know that some artwork held in the collections of public institutions in the United Kingdom were created by civilizations that were colonised by the British Empire.

The question of whether artefacts should be returned is complex.

It's a hugely complex idea.

And there are many different perspectives depending on history, ethics, and practical concerns.

But understanding these viewpoints, or beginning to understand them and to discuss them are really important in helping us think critically about who owns art, who owns cultural heritage, and how we should care for it in the present.

So we're now gonna start and look at a range of different conversations between Lucas and Andeep and their thoughts.

And we are gonna reflect on this as we go through and think how we think.

So they are discussing art and artefacts acquired through colonisation.

So Lucas, first of all says, "I've seen Egyptian artefacts in museums that I would probably never have been able to see in real life had they not been in museums." But Andeep says, "I don't think it's fair to keep artworks or objects if a country didn't give permission to take them." What do you think to those two? They go on to say, "Some museums argue that they allow people from all over the world to see and learn about these objects in an international setting rather than being restricted to a single country." So Lucas is saying if they weren't in these international settings, maybe people wouldn't be able to see them.

But Andeep says, "Yes, true, but maybe people in the country of origin should have the primary right.

So I the I.

e.

the first right to access and interpret their own heritage." Should it be taken and placed somewhere else? What do you think to those two? And finally, Lucas is saying, "Yes, but places like Nigeria, Egypt and Greece have built modern museums specifically designed to house and protect returned artefacts." And Andeep then says, well, "Some say that artefacts might not be as well preserved if returned, especially if the receiving country has limited museum funding or faces, political instability." What do you think? Well done.

'Cause these are all really complex issues.

So some people think that returning an artwork or artefact to the country of origin is a way to address past injustices in their acquisition.

So when an artwork or artefact is returned to its country of origin, it is called repatriation.

Thinking about the Benin Bronzes in 2021, Nigeria requested the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes so they could be returned to the country of origin.

And aside from repatriation, public institutions are rethinking the ethics of their collections and displays and how they were acquired.

And they are doing this through different ways, including presenting works with context, I.

E.

where they are from.

Collaborating with communities of origin.

Long-term loans or digital collections to make them more accessible.

Representation and exhibitions, acknowledgement from institutions that they were acquired through colonisation and removal of some controversial works.

And I want you to think about this and really bear this in mind when you come to curating your exhibition and then writing your labels.

A check for understanding.

What is the term given to artworks that are returned to the country of origin? Is it restoration, acquisition, repatriation, or conservation? Well done.

It is indeed repatriation.

First task, so this is where we're gonna really explore this deeply.

And I would like you to explore a public institute's collection.

And I'd like you to find two artefacts that do not originate from the UK.

You could explore this online or in person, or you could look at a subject matter such as Totem Poles, the Elgin Marbles, or the Moai known in Britain as the Easter Island heads.

I'd like you to make sketches and notes considering what country they originated from? When they were added to the collection, and whether the country was part of the British Empire during that time.

'Cause then you can start delving deeper to see if they were acquired through colonisation.

You could sketch sections of the artwork, draw a map or landscape of the country of origin, or discuss whether you think it should be repatriated or not.

Pause the video and go and explore.

Well done.

There were so many different things you could have explored.

But we have Sofia here and she explored a collection online and decided to explore the Moai, the Easter Island Heads.

And she found that they originate from Rapa Nui.

And she drew a sketch of one in her sketchbook and made some notes.

And she wanted to draw their bold silhouettes in her sketchbook.

And she thinks they should be repatriated.

They should be returned to where they're from.

Well done.

Let's move on now to curating collections.

So these pupils are considering how public institutions present their collections.

These pupils says, "Some collections are really large.

How do they choose what they're gonna present?" And this pupil is saying, "And there are so many different ways to present something, how do they decide how to do it?" So how do they decide what to choose and how do they decide how to show it? Well, to present collections to the public, public institutions curate them.

Curating an exhibition means selecting, so choosing and then organising for presentation.

And the person who has that job is a curator.

A really important part of a curator's role is to consider how the presentation of the artwork impacts the audience.

So how it is experienced by the audience.

And when you come to curate your own objects later, I really want you to think about that.

A check for understanding.

What is the name of the person responsible for selecting and organising art for presentation? Well done.

It is indeed a curator.

The theme or focus of the exhibition affects how the artwork is presented.

So we have an example here.

This exhibition is an exhibition of emotion in contemporary art, that's the theme.

And so to reflect this, the art is displayed in very dynamic ways and in a dynamic space, strong colours are used and we know that they're displayed in a dynamic way.

'Cause some of them are displayed in the middle of the space to become interactive.

In contrast, this looks very, what do you think the theme of this exhibition is? Have a really close look at the pictures.

Well, Izzy thinks that the theme is landscapes because that is the subject matter of all the paintings.

I wonder if you thought that too.

And this is much more of a traditionally hung exhibition.

Check for understanding.

What is one factor to consider when curating an exhibition? Is it the artist's age, the exhibit's theme or the gallery's location? Well done, it is the exhibit's theme.

At the British Museum, artist Hew Locke curated an exhibition called, "What Have We Here?" This exhibition specifically looked at Britain's past, showing how trade, power, and the empire, the British Empire shaped the world.

And using museum artefacts and his own artworks, Locke asked really big questions like the ones we've been exploring today.

Where did these objects come from? Who do they really belong to? Why are they here? And one way he did this was through an exceptional artwork with, "The Watchers." And the watchers are bright carnival like figures that literally watch the viewer, watch us looking at these past histories, because we feel so watched, it makes us think harder about these histories and look at the histories more closely.

Artists often raise awareness of colonial histories in museum collections.

Kara Walker does this, she critiques museum collections by exposing their ties to this.

"Fons Americanus" was from 2019, and it is a large scale fountain displayed at the Tate Modern and reimagines monuments to colonial power.

Lubaina Himid's art piece, "Naming the Money," from 2004 highlights enslaved and overlooked Black workers in European histories by re-imagining their stories.

And Barbara Walker's series, "Vanishing Point," from 2018 questions the visibility of Black figures in museum collections.

She draws attention to marginalised subjects in historical art pieces by revealing and concealing different parts of the image.

It is also important to remember that artworks and artefacts that aren't always made to go in a gallery or museum, for example, art or artefacts from global indigenous communities might have a purpose that does not factor in being displayed.

Instead, they might have been made for cultural or religious rituals to be used as part of everyday life or to share stories and local histories.

Why might an artwork or artefact be made outside of being made for display purposes? Is it to share ideas with people who often visit galleries? Is it for cultural or religious rituals? Or is it to be used as part of everyday life? Well done? Yes, it's for cultural or religious rituals.

And of course to be used as part of everyday life.

Often reasons for not repatriating objects are based in how the objects are cared for.

So in Western museums, objects are placed in controlled environments so they won't degrade and will be there for future generations to see.

But this can be at real odds with the intentions of the communities.

So what do you think is most important preservation of the artefact or the community's intentions? Or does it depend on the situation? So bringing artefacts into a museum can change their purpose.

So let's look at the Moai, the Easter Island heads, they were created by the Rapa Nui people, and originally stood outdoors facing their communities.

They was guardians, spiritual and cultural guardians of their communities.

Keeping them in a museum might be seen by some as removing them from their land, their history, their purpose, their meaning.

What do you think? Similarly, Totem Poles are often found in Western museums. These objects were made to go outside and often they were made to degrade over time as a reflection of life and the lifecycle or the community's role was to actually care for them.

Similar to the Moai head, Totem Poles are also considered symbols of ancestral collection.

Do you think they should be placed in museums? A check for understanding.

What do some Totem Poles and the Moai heads have in common? Were they created for commercial trade? Used for agricultural purposes? Served as symbols of ancestral connection? Or intended to be displayed in museums? Well done.

Yes.

They served as symbols of ancestral connection.

First Nation artists are raising awareness about their heritage through their art.

So Tommy Joseph creates wood carvings, including Totem Poles inspired by his Tlingit heritage.

Lil'watul Levi Nelson creates large scale drawings of Totem Poles, which he says is an act of reclaiming them.

And Freda Diesing is a Haida artist from modern day Northwest Canada.

And she was one of the only women to learn carving techniques.

She wanted to ensure that the craft would be passed onto future generations and not lost.

And Doreen Jensen was a Gitsxan artist carver and also became known for a activism in promoting indigenous art methods.

True or false? First Nation are raising awareness about their heritage through their artworks.

Yes, indeed, that is true.

And they're making sure traditional crafts are kept alive and are using their artwork to raise awareness about objects that are taken from their communities.

So this is a very exciting task.

I want you to take your artefacts from task A.

And I would like you to curate or plan an exhibition.

So you're gonna plan it.

You're gonna consider the history of the artefact and its community.

You're gonna consider how you would curate the exhibition.

So would you use the actual artefacts or would you use a representation of them? And why? Or would you make your own artwork like Hew Locke? What would you name your exhibition? What reflects the theme? You could also consider where you would place your exhibition.

Would it be inside or outside? And do you think the artefacts need to be preserved or should they be allowed to evolve naturally? Pause the video and off you go.

Well, well done.

Let's have a look at what our pupils said because there are so many different things you could do.

But let's revisit the Moai heads.

And Lucas decided to make an exhibition of this and he used copies of them rather than the real ones because he thinks that the museums could then have them copies of them, but give the originals back.

And because of this, he called the exhibition Return Home to really show this idea of repatriation.

He kept them inside as they're not the real ones.

And so this was more the intention of the exhibition was about learning the history.

And he thinks that the community should decide where the real ones are placed if or when they're returned.

And then he decided to do a floor plan like this.

And he wanted to place the Moai in a diagonal line to reflect how some are placed on Easter Island, but also to have real impact when the viewer walks into this huge scale, really big, big pieces.

He wanted people to walk around them and see their scale, but it'd also have projections of the landscape on the wall.

So they feel quite immersed in the experience.

Right.

Well done.

And now we're gonna move on to labelling, which is a really important part of displaying collections.

So labelling in galleries and museums are important as they provide information about the work on display.

So think back to when you were thinking about your artefacts in task A.

How did the labelling or the information that the online or in person museum give you? And how useful was it? A check for understanding.

Complete the sentence: Labels need to give about the work.

Yes.

Well done.

Labels need to give information about the work.

They also need to link to the theme or focus of the exhibition.

And this is even more important if the work has a colonial history.

What we're gonna do now is just look at a few fictional labels.

Now, fictional labels means that they have been made up.

And this label is going back to looking at Benin, the objects and artefacts taken from Benin in the 16th century that we looked at in the first section of the lesson.

I'm gonna read it to you and I want you to think what you think is missing from the label? And I want you to think really, really hard.

Bronze Head of an Oba Benin, Nigeria 16th century.

This finely crafted bronze head represents a king of the Benin Kingdom.

Created using the lost-wax technique, these heads were placed on royal altars to honour past rulers.

The Bening Kingdom was known for its skilled metal workers and rich artistic traditions.

Acquired by the museum the late 19th century, this piece reflects the long history of cultural exchange between Africa and Europe.

So it gives lots of information about the piece, but what do you think is missing? Let's see what Izzy thinks.

She thinks that there's really important information missing.

She says, "Well, we know these objects were taken without permission and this label doesn't mention this or that some of the people of Nigeria want them back." She thinks that's really important to include.

Do you agree? Let's also now think what, how Hew Locke may have written a label to go alongside this museum label.

So Alex says, "I think Hew Locke would have asked more questions and shared different viewpoints of the history of the objects.

And he would write something like this." This regal Benin Bronze once sat in the palace of a mighty king, surrounded by history and tradition.

But in 1897, British forces stormed Benin, looted treasures like this, and burned the city to the ground.

So he is giving some really important contextual information.

Now it sits here in a museum far from home.

And some of the people of Nigeria want the object to be returned.

Museums sometimes just tell one story, but history holds many truths.

Look at this bronze.

What does it say to you? Do you think that's better label? Is it a more accurate label? Did it make you think harder? A check for understanding.

What's important to acknowledge if an object has a colonial history? Especially in our labels of artefacts.

Is it different viewpoints? The size of the object? Or when it was made? Well done.

Yes, it's different viewpoints.

So onto our last task and now I'd like you to label your artefacts from task A.

So you need to write a label for each of your objects and you could include facts to explain how the artefacts were made and acknowledge the history of the object.

And remember, it's really important.

And you need to discuss how you decided to display your artefact and how you consider the best way to care for your artefact is.

I can't wait to see them.

Pause the video.

Well done.

Well, let's see what Jacob did.

Jacob wrote about his Moai heads, the Easter Island heads, and he said, This statue stands strong and proud, looking across the exhibition, searching for home.

So that links really nicely to his exhibition theme.

Carved from basalt, they are said to be the living faces of the ancestors.

The people of Rapa Nui want them returned home.

So he chose to write quite emotionally about how their position means that they are wanting to go home.

And he also gave some factual information about what they are made from.

And although the Moai are being well looked after in the museum, he also wanted to say that the community wants them to be repatriated.

I wonder what yours said.

Thank you for joining me today for the lesson, Art, Empire Museum: who owns art? And we've learned that today art can be found in many public locations such as institutions and everyday spaces, that a collection of art is a group of artworks that has been gathered together and is often curated based on a theme.

And then when an artwork or artefact is in a collection and is returned to its country of origin, it's called repatriation.

And also that curation also occurs outside of traditional galleries, when artists choose to work in public spaces used everyday.

Thank you again, and I hope to see you soon.