Reparative Curation

Impressed gold foil disc. AD 1000–1500. Cave 47, Barrio Mataba, Masbate, Philippines. Asian Archaeology, U-M Philippine Expedition. UMMAA 34653.

We intend to perform a full inventory of Philippine collections on campus that includes discovery of unprocessed materials, the diagnosis of harm at all levels (e.g., acquisition, representation, contextualization, stewardship, and utilization), and the development of recommendations for repair (e.g., through the revision of item-level description, finding aids, access systems, etc.). Given the sheer scope of our Philippine historical, cultural, and natural science collections, implementing these recommendations within the two-year period is unrealistic. Still, out of this inventory, we expect to produce clear guidelines for our and other institutions to follow. 

Philippine Flora from the Herbarium Collection