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Pitt Rivers hits back against ‘cultural safety’ reports

Arts Professional
2 min read

The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford has rubbished reports that an African mask in its collection has not been put on display in the interest of “cultural safety” because it was made by a culture that forbids women to see it.

Countering claims first reported in The Telegraph that the Igbo mask was not on view because of a "new policy" at the museum following a “decolonisation process”, Prof Laura van Broekhoven, Director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, released a statement saying: "This is a non-story.

"The Igbo mask has not been removed from display, as it was never on display and no one has ever been denied access to it.

"The museum’s online collections now carry a cultural context message, which allows users, especially those from different cultures around the world, to actively choose which items they wish to see and which to remain blurred from view.

"Only around 3,000 of our object records carry such a warning, so less than 1% of the overall collection. No digital assets are withheld from view from women."

The museum added: "Contrary to an article that appeared in this morning’s Daily Telegraph, the Pitt Rivers Museum is not withholding an Igbo mask from display because it should not be shown to women.

"The mask in question is in storage in the museum, and there is no record of it ever having been put on public display.

"The museum displays around 50,000 items from its overall collection of around 350,000 objects.

"Some collections and imagery of them are not appropriate for general public access online, and in this case, direct contact with the museum staff is encouraged to discuss the research need to consult them.

"Overwhelmingly this is for human remains, graphic or personal content, but also for copyright or other legal reasons.

"Only about 2,200 digital assets out of over 250,000 objects (less than one per cent) are withheld from public view in this way."

The Telegraph has also reported claims that The Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle has launched new guidelines restricting public access to artefacts because of cultural "restrictions" relating to "age, knowledge or gender".