“Carriers of Culture” Principles of Collaboration

The development of the “Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions” exhibition is an activity, while coordinated by the Michigan State University Museum, is a collaboration by numerous stakeholders.  The MSU Museum will use the following set of “Principles of Collaboration” to guide the process of working in partnership with stakeholders in the basket project.

1) Reciprocity:  At the heart of successful collaborations there needs to be direct benefit to participating stakeholders.  Ideally, these reciprocal rewards, while not often the same, will enrich each partner in expected or unexpected ways.

2) Representation:  The most successful collaborations bring all relevant stakeholders to the table to launch and implement the collaboration.  This requires thinking broadly to identify potential participants--especially in seeking both staff and participants representing the rich diversity of basketmaking within North America and Hawaii.  This includes consideration of tribal affiliation, gender, age, geographic distribution, and traditions of artists presented in the exhibit.

3) Reach: For the “Carriers” project, the goal is to not only reach audiences beyond the immediate locales of each basketmaker but also to raise awareness within communities of the importance of basketweaving traditions. The best collaborations usually have an impact beyond the individual project--they build new collaborative opportunities.

4) Skill and Human Development:  Whatever the product of the collaborative project, it should result in the empowerment of those involved, the transformation of their organizations, and building new individual and organizational capacity.

5) Establishing the Framework:  There should be a clearly defined leadership structure, a shared understanding of the leadership structure, and a mechanism to regularly communicate.

6) Belief in Collaboration:  Those involved must believe that more can be achieved by working together than working alone, and bring this perspective to the dialogue.

7) Institutional Relationships Rather Than Individual Relationships:  Individual participants are often also institutional representatives; when this occurs there is a commitment to build institutional capacity by enriching the knowledge and skills of individuals within the organization.

8) Transparency:  There is a real need for open and honest expression of aspirations, expectations, and a process to ensure ongoing review and evaluation.  Real transparency takes time, energy and a desire to build a sense of trust and respect.

9) Continuity and Regularity: Regular communication is critical as is the establishment of and adherence to timelines.

10) Acknowledgement of Contributions: A willingness to acknowledge contributions and share credit is a goal.

11) Continual Consultation: New relationships demand investments of time, energy and good will.

-- Marsha MacDowell and C. Kurt Dewhurst, Michigan State University Museum, August 2004

The “Principles of Collaboration” as outlined here are based on principles developed over many years of work on cultural heritage projects involving Michigan State University Museum and various communities.   A formal statement of principles was first articulated in 1999 for the 1999-2004 South African National Cultural Heritage Project in which the MSU Museum was a lead partner.  Dr. David Wiley, Director of the African Studies Center at MSU, initiated the formalization of these principles.