A teleconference exchange on the repatriation of culturally sensitive artifacts.

"Repatriation" means "restoring an artifact or other object to its country or place of origin." Some argue that artifacts have "special cultural value for a particular community or nation," and when they are removed from their original cultural setting "they lose their context and the culture loses a part of its history." Others, such as Dr. James Cuno, argue that "museums should be encyclopedic" and that repatriation "rewrites history."

Should cultural artifacts be returned to their countries of origin? Or do museums have a role to play in displaying these artifacts to other cultures?

Featuring:

Dr. James Cuno, President and CEO, J. Paul Getty Trust

Dr. James Cuno joined the Trust as president and CEO in August 2011. A national and international museum leader and scholar, Cuno was president and Eloise W. Martin Director of the Art Institute of Chicago before joining the Getty. Read more.

Moderator:

Dr. Selma Holo, Director, Dornsife International Museum Institute, University of Southern California

Dr. Selma Holo is the director of the USC Fisher Museum of Art and the USC International Museum Institute for Advanced Studies and Practice. She is also a professor of art history at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Read more.