Co-Curating Digital Museum Collections with Local Communities

This resource introduces the fundamental concepts and practices of community co-curation and digital outreach in the Arctic, highlighting how Indigenous knowledge brings invaluable perspectives to our shared understanding of the past across Nunavut, Alaska, and Greenland. It discusses the role of digital humanities methodologies within heritage projects, showcasing key case studies such as the 3D digital reconstruction and interactive touchscreen display of a Baffin Island Inuit kayak for Perth Museum, alongside the suite of educational tools, digital catalogs, and interactive museum guides designed for the Nunalleq archaeological site in Quinhagak, Alaska. Particular emphasis is placed on how a range of creative digital media, including 3D scanning and modeling, game-engine programming in Unreal Engine, animation, illustration, short film production, and audio soundbites, can be co-designed with local elders, craftspeople, and youth to support multivocality and living culture. Furthermore, it underlines the importance of integrating Indigenous languages, intergenerational knowledge, contemporary lived experiences, and climate change resilience into resource development, demonstrating how collaborative digital technologies can breathe life back into museum collections while upholding Indigenous cultural sovereignty.

This presentation is part of the Digital Humanities After Hours lecture series, hosted by the Centre for Digital Humanities and Arts (DARIAH-IS/CDHA, https://www.mshl.is) in Autumn 2025.

Learning Outcomes

After studying the resource, learners should be able to:

• explain how collaborative curation with Indigenous source communities replaces traditional top-down museum practices to integrate living cultural knowledge alongside archaeological and historical interpretations;
• assess the application of 3D modeling, game engine technology, and interactive touchscreens to reconstruct, explode, and contextualize fragile or incomplete museum artifacts;
• analyze how community-led rescue excavations utilize digital archiving and physical community museums to safeguard cultural collections threatened by rapid permafrost thaw and coastal erosion;
• design digital educational resources and art-based workshops that connect historical collections to contemporary youth and living community practices.