Wayne Modest: Rethinking the Museum – podcast De Museoloog #38

Wayne Modest didn’t set out to become a museum director. Born and raised in Jamaica, he first studied Chemistry and Mathematics. But soon, his path shifted in a different direction.Drawing on his scientific background, he began working as Keeper of Collections at the Museums of History and Ethnography at the Institute of Jamaica. It was there that he started questioning the underlying assumptions of museum work. Why were practices in Jamaican museums based on Western models? Were these approaches relevant—or even appropriate—in a Caribbean context?These questions marked the beginning of a deeper quest.To explore them further, he moved to the Netherlands to study museology at the Reinwardt Academy in Amsterdam. There, he deepened his understanding of how museums construct narratives and how those narratives are shaped by power and history.In 2010, he became Head of Curatorial Practice at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, which later became part of the National Museum of World Cultures. Today, Wayne Modest is Director of Content at the Wereldmuseum, which brings together four museum locations in Amsterdam, Leiden, Nijmegen, and Rotterdam.Wayne Modest is a key figure in efforts to rethink the role of museums, both in the Netherlands and internationally. His work focuses on advocating for the decolonization of museums and striving toward institutions that are more equitable, inclusive, and critically aware of their histories.Listen to Wayne Modest, a man who continues to ask difficult questions—and challenges us to do the same.

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