My Teacher is a Lizard: Decolonizing Curatorial Practice
A Two-Part Exhibition by Duane Slick and Martin Smick
John Hay Library, Brown University and Memorial Hall Gallery, RISD
2018
This collaborative project, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, explored decolonizing museum practices through object-based research and exhibition. Drawing from collections at the Haffenreffer Museum at Brown University, the artists examined the representation of Indigenous objects in academic and museum spaces, using 3D scanning to engage critically with digital tools in anthropological collections.
The exhibition, spanning two venues, featured North American Tribal objects at the John Hay Library and an immersive exhibition at Memorial Hall. These objects—ranging from a Kiowa cradleboard to Inuit sculptures carved from marine ivory—are stripped of their cultural contexts in institutional settings. At Memorial Hall, the artists responded to these objects with installations that included animated 3D scans, text paintings, video, digital prints, hanging screens and a single empty display case representing the institutional authority of the museum. Slick’s text paintings give voice to the Indigenous perspective and the separation of objects from their cultures, while Smick’s hanging screens reflect the invasive forces of colonialism. Together this exhibition was created in response to the decontextualization of these objects, exploring themes of colonialism, cultural erasure, and transformation.
The project sought to reconnect these objects with their original meanings and cultural significance, emphasizing the need to re-engage with Indigenous histories. Consultation with Meskwaki elder Jonathan Buffalo deepened the artists’ interpretations, particularly on themes like the Wendigo—a metaphor for cultural consumption and loss. The exhibition challenged traditional curatorial practices, advocating for a more respectful and reverential approach to representing Indigenous heritage, especially through the lens of digital technology.
