Co-Creation and Public Archaeology

Abstract

This paper serves a dual purpose. First it is an introduction that aims to frame a set of papers that describe and discuss the process of co-creation in a variety of archaeological projects. We discuss the challenge of community engagement in public archaeology and offer co-creative practice as a method for improving our relationships with descendant communities and the general public. We begin by providing a definition of public archaeology and a brief overview of its evolution over the last few decades. Second, we discuss co-creation’s origins and utilization in the museum and business sectors, where the process is applied to address challenges similar to those archaeologists face. We then demonstrate how co-creation fits into the public/applied archaeological framework. We argue that co-creation must be both co (that is, share power in some way) and creative (that is, not just do the same things better, but do something new). Within this framework, we discuss how co-creation aligns with and informs current trends in public archaeology practice drawing from the case studies included in this issue. We conclude that co-creation has an important place on the collaborative continuum and can help our discipline become more responsive to the needs of our many publics.

Co-Creation’s Role in Digital Public Archaeology

“…Co-Creation's Role in Digital Public Archaeology (cont. ) As noted by McDavid (2014) and Bollwerk et al (2015), the end goal of co-creation is that it has to be both co (that is, it has to share power in some way) and creative (that is, we cannot just do the same things better, we need to do something new). When engaging in co-creative processes, archaeologists must be ready to share power and authority to create something that meets their own goals and those of their community partners.…”

“…When engaging in co-creative processes, archaeologists must be ready to share power and authority to create something that meets their own goals and those of their community partners. Archaeological co-creative projects in the physical world have successfully created resources that serve a partner community's needs and interests (see Bria and Cruzado 2015;Connolly 2015;Ferguson et al 2015;Kasper and Handsman 2015;Means 2015;Miller 2015;Moyer 2015;Popetz 2015;Reeves 2015; all articles are included in this issue). The ways co-creation plays out in digital engagement, however, are not immediately obvious.…”

Archaeological tourism: A creative approach

“…These examples resonate with advances in public archaeology that promote a more cocreative approach in archaeology and demonstrate how a nuanced understanding of the locality can be achieved through dialogue and collaboration (Bollwerk, Connolly, & McDavid, 2015;Means, 2015). Archaeological tourism providers could look into these advances and apply a similar logic in order to offer bespoke experiences that incorporate tourists' knowledge and encourage critical/creative thinking.…”

Promoting a More Interactive Public Archaeology

“…As 3D printer prices fall, and the technology becomes more user-friendly, virtually curated objects of the past will take on new lives in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. As outlined by Bollwerk et al (2015), I consider virtual curation to embody within it the power of both the "co," a sharing of digital artifact models, and the "creation," the reimagining of digital models in ways meaningful to each individual. We have made only the beginning steps for facilitating this in the VCL, but we see co-creation through virtual curation as an important element on the collaboration continuum.…”