Three scholars from the Netherlands discuss the legacy of the Dutch role in trans-Atlantic slavery and the significance of enacting socially and culturally inclusive strategies in museums for today and for the future. The lectures are being organized in conjunction with the exhibition Rembrandt in Amsterdam: Creativity and Competition, which is on view at National Gallery of Canada.
The recorded lectures will be released on the National Gallery of Canada’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 1:00 pm EDT
This event will feature three presentations:
Race and slavery in the Dutch World
Dr. Karwan Fatah-Black, Assistant Professor, Leiden University, the Netherlands
How did racialized understandings of human difference develop in the early modern Dutch republic, and how are these developments related to the history of slavery in the Atlantic world? This lecture will trace the history of racialization and the Dutch role in trans-Atlantic slavery, its abolition and afterlives.
Rembrandt and Slavery
Dr. Valika Smeulders, Head of History, Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is best known for its collection of 17th century paintings, of which Rembrandtsâ Night Watch is the most famous. Now, for the first time in its history, the Rijksmuseum is organizing an exhibition on slavery. How do we connect this theme to the collection? What did we learn through working on this exhibition?
Museums See Colour: Who is afraid of being vulnerable, self-critical and curious?
Dr. Aspha Bijnaar, Founder and Managing Director, EducatieStudio, the Netherlands
As cultural institutions across the Netherlands endeavour to be more inclusive and address their colonialist past, âMusea bekennen kleurâ (Museums See Colour) is a new network of major and small Dutch museums that aims to anchor diversity and inclusion in the museum and heritage sector in a sustainable manner.
For more information about this event, visit the National Gallery of Canada’s website.