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Cosmopolitan Ambassadors: International Exhibitions, Cultural Diplomacy and the Polycentral Museum

Cosmopolitan Ambassadors: International Exhibitions, Cultural Diplomacy and the Polycentral Museum is a book about exchanging two exhibitions between cultural institutions in Mexico and New Zealand.

Mexico & Aotearoa New Zealand

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Cosmopolitan Ambassadors: International Exhibitions, Cultural Diplomacy and the Polycentral Museum examines a six-year partnership between Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Published in 2019 by Vernon Press, in an English and Spanish edition, Cosmopolitan Ambassadors was researched and co-authored by Dr Lee Davidson (Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington) and Dr Leticia Pérez-Castellanos (Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía, Mexico). By studying the exchange of two exhibitions – E Tū Ake: Māori Standing Strong and Aztecs: Conquest and glory – Lee and Leticia examine how the cultural exchanges bring people, objects and practices together, and the impact this has on mediating and translating differences and creating shared meanings.

Lee and Leticia’s work builds on the work of Conal McCarthy, who examined ways of integrating indigenous perspectives into the practices at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Cosmopolitan Ambassadors takes this work a step further, by showing how indigenous approaches to museology can be applied to international exhibition exchanges.

As the first extensive study of its kind, Cosmopolitan Ambassadors won the 2020 Miguel Covarrubias prize for best research in museums. It is a very accessible book that will interest academics in the areas of cultural diplomacy and museum studies, and museum professionals who are interested in cross-cultural exchanges.

Through their research for Cosmopolitan Ambassadors, Lee and Leticia developed a transnational, intercultural network of researchers in New Zealand and Mexico, which they draw on for specific exhibitions and projects. They now organise workshops, exchanges and internships for New Zealand professionals in the cultural and creative sectors, through a programme called Cultural Sector Partnerships. These opportunities give New Zealanders the chance to engage with Mexican culture. Leticia’s most recent collaboration with New Zealand was the exhibition De la Milpa a la Mesa: A Mexican Food Journey, which toured New Zealand between 2021 and 2023. Leticia and Lee share information about their collaborative projects on a website called Polycentral Museum.

In December 2022, Lee presented at the Association of Critical Heritage Studies conference in Santiago, Chile. The conference theme was interculturalities and Lee spoke about putting intercultural theory into practice to create polycentral and cosmopolitan international exhibitions. Lee also won the bid to host the 2026 conference in Wellington.

Published 02 November 2023