All Objects Have Meaning – So How Do Museums Contextualize Shame?

As museums face increasing pressure to be responsive to historicalintersections and contradictions in their presentation of works, it canbe risky to introduce audiences, who otherwise might not seek complexityborn out of conflict, to objects that may provoke embarrassment orpain. Yet some institutions still believe generating this tension is anecessary step toward reconciliation. Perhaps there is no more powerfulfeeling provoked by a museum than shame, which extends beyond theinitial encounter