What associations does the Nelson-Atkins (or an art museum in your community) have for you? What memories or experiences do you have of that place? Compare your responses with those of a conversation partner – are theirs the same or different? Why might that be? 

Think about the individuals you heard from or about in this episode who seemed to hold positions of power. What kinds of power did they wield? How did Glenn’s first experience with the Nelson-Atkins reveal power systems at play?  

Glenn notes, “Spectating is not doing the work.” But, he also says there’s power in observing to understand the history and systems at play. What do you think? What role might observation and reflection play in the work for racial justice? 

Think of a place that you love in your city. What is it that appeals to you about that place? Are there places you would like to go but feel you wouldn’t be welcome there? 

In this episode, Glenn talks about his family’s tradition of taking a “Sunday Drive” through Kansas City. What are traditions within your community that you feel connected to? How might race or identity have shaped those traditions?  

What was your reaction to hearing about J.C. Nichols and the history of racially exclusionary housing covenants? 

Early in the episode, we hear reference to the City Beautiful Movement, and Glenn closes with a poem that expresses his own notion of a “city beautiful.” What makes for a beautiful city in your mind?

Glenn’s impression of the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins differs greatly from the reaction of A’aninin artist Mona Cliff. How might your identity or life experiences affect the way you perceive a particular place? 

Where do your ideas about Native American histories and cultures come from?  

Can you think of a time that a piece of art, music, or other media felt like it was “telling your story” – that you felt represented? Have you ever seen your identity or culture represented inaccurately in art or media? What did that feel like? 

What do you think should happen to racist monuments like the Keck reliefs? How can communities acknowledge the difficult parts of history without perpetuating the harm caused by their display?

Glenn is intrigued by the photograph of unnamed workers who built the Nelson-Atkins. Think about other stories that might be outside our “official” record of history. What might change about our understanding of the world if we knew those kinds of stories? 

Who are the “Charlie Parkers” of your community that you might not know about? How might you get to know aspects of local culture and history that are unfamiliar to you? If you’re local to Kansas City, check out historian Erik Stafford’s bus tour, the American Jazz Museum, the Black Archives of Mid-America, or the Mattie Rhodes Center to learn more about local history through the lens of communities of color.  

How can museums and other cultural institutions change the perception that they are “for” some people but not others? 

Glenn talks about the grey area between inclusion and cultural appropriation. Where have you seen examples of that tension at play?  

Glenn refers to the combination of racial trauma and cognitive dissonance around race in America as “The Crazy.” Does this resonate with you? In what ways have you experienced “The Crazy” in your own life or seen it in the world around you? 

What makes you hopeful about the future of your community? Can you think of an event, place, or situation that is emblematic of racial progress, like seeing the 2Step at the museum’s Juneteenth celebration was for Glenn?