Because I think that's what I think about, like from a preservation point of view, is that I'm trying not to make it impossible for new ways of working and thinking to happen in the future.

They don't have to do the way things the way that I do them or the way that maybe is the

prevailing way right now.

But at least whatever I do doesn't limit or take away the choices in the future in ways that are harmful.

That was Monica Shaw.

She's the deputy director of collections and conservation at the Anchorage Museum.

She's interested in the things that we surround ourselves with,

the things that bring us comfort,

familiarity, and memories, manifestations of culture and identity.

These materials are important to us because they embody our stories.

In areas affected by war, for example, we see people rallying behind

architecture, art, and religious structures. These things are targeted because by destroying them,

you dehumanize the people they belong to and subjugate them.

The opposite is also true that by creating these materials, people are reinforcing their

connections with each other and with their community.

These concepts, creation, destruction, and subjugation, weigh heavily on Monica

in the work she does at the museum. But why do museums have items from other cultures in their

collections? This is an important question that museums around the world have been grappling with.

For their part, the Anchorage Museum has put a lot of effort into decolonizing their collections.

Sometimes this means working with Alaska Native communities to ensure that cultural materials are displayed accurately.

Other times, it means giving them back.

In both cases, the goal is to honor the origins of the materials and the culture and life ways they represent.

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