Sabrina Lorier, Digital Engagement Manager, McCord Stewart Museum (Montreal, Canada)

Decolonizing Communication: How the McCord Stewart Museum Builds Dialogue with Its Community

As cultural institutions are increasingly called upon to redefine their social role, communication has become a critical lever for building trust and fostering dialogue.

This presentation offers a case study of how the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal is rethinking its communications through a decolonizing lens to better reflect the diversity of voices, memories, and narratives it represents. Drawing on flagship projects such as Little Burgundy – Evolving Montreal, the talk examines how institutional communications can move beyond dissemination to become spaces of listening, collaboration, and co-creation with communities in Montreal.

It highlights the strategic decisions, linguistic shifts, and partnerships that have shaped a more inclusive and responsible institutional voice. The presentation also addresses the inherent tensions of this work: how to communicate histories shaped by marginalization without simplifying or appropriating them, and how to balance institutional frameworks with lived realities.

Grounded in practice, this talk invites arts and culture professionals to view communication not merely as a tool, but as a relational and political space that plays a central role in bridging worlds and ensuring museums remain relevant, credible, and inclusive.