Mapping Indigenous Collections

November 30th, 2024

2024 was a year spent visiting some of the museums that agreed to take part in the project. In addition to ongoing communication by email, between January and July Davide Domenici and Anna Bottesi visited the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, the Caffi Museum in Bergamo, the Castello d’Albertis in Genoa, the Civic Museum of Modena, and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology in Florence, in order to establish contact with the curators and discuss the best strategies for continuing the research work and data collection.

As part of the activities of KNOT – Knowledge of Things project, 2024 was dedicated to mapping Indigenous American collections preserved in Italian museums. Alongside continuous exchanges via email, a series of on-site visits was carried out between January and July to strengthen collaboration with partner institutions and support future research activities. During this period, Davide Domenici and Anna Bottesi visited several museums that agreed to participate in the project, including the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, the Caffi Museum in Bergamo, Castello d’Albertis – Museum of World Cultures in Genoa, the Civic Museum of Modena, and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology in Florence. The visits provided an opportunity to meet curators and museum staff in person, establish direct contacts, and discuss shared strategies for continuing research, documentation, and data collection.

These activities represented a foundational step for the KNOT project, enabling the systematic identification of collections, the alignment of research priorities, and the planning of future interdisciplinary investigations. By fostering close collaboration with museum institutions, the project aims to support a coordinated and responsible approach to the study and dissemination of Indigenous American heritage preserved in Italy.