The Rabinal Community Museum (Guatemala, Central America)

Arts-Based Research in Practice?

Abstract

The rich, multimedia, multisensory and embodied experiences presented by the Community Museum for Historical Memory in Rabinal, Guatemala, tell the stories of war, genocide, survival, resilience, and hope for a brighter future of the community it represents. It is métissage in practice: a place of encounter between the old and the new, the commemoration of death and the celebration of life, the presentation of historic and scientific data and artistic experiences. It promotes “conspirational” conversations between foreign visitors, community elders, school kids, anthropologists, and artists. Thus, it is not only susceptible of study from an Arts-Based Research (ABR) lens, but it also could be considered as ABR in practice.