Who Owns the World’s Art Treasures?

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How do you determine who owns a cultural artifact?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• artifacts (p. 8)
• pillaging (p. 8)
• ethical (p. 10)
• restitution (p. 10)
• repatriation (p. 10)
• justification (p. 11)

3. Engage
Ask: Imagine someone took something from an ancestor of yours 100 years ago. Should it be returned to you? Or should it stay with the current owner, who obtained it legally? Explain.   

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Who Owns the World’s Art Treasures?, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• Based on the article and your knowledge of the world, how have museums in the U.S. and Europe benefited from colonialism? (Central idea, cause & effect)
  (Museums have benefited by having artifacts in their collections that they otherwise likely would not have. For example, institutions in Germany would probably not have more than 1,000 Benin Bronzes if European powers had not attacked and colonized much of Africa. Having Benin Bronzes and other looted artifacts in their collections has helped these and other museums establish reputations as important holders of art and also has helped them attract visitors.) 

• Nigerian leaders have sought to have the Benin Bronzes returned for decades. Why are museums now beginning to return them? What are the stated reasons, and what can you infer?  (Cause & effect, make inferences)
  (There is a movement growing around the world to return stolen objects to their places of origin—causing museums to rethink whether they are the rightful owners. In addition, museums probably don’t want the bad publicity of appearing to hold art unethically for fear of damaging their reputations and losing visitors. Another reason is that more Africans are in positions of power and their voices are being listened to.)   

• What does Nigeria plan to do with the repatriated Benin Bronzes? How might this benefit Nigeria? How might the theft of the artifacts have adversely affected Nigeria? (Problem & solution, make inferences)
  (Nigeria plans to display them in a new museum. Nigerians will be able to more easily see and study artifacts from their history. Nigeria might also gain tourists and tourist dollars. The theft of the artifacts robbed Nigerians of cultural experiences and of the ability to become a cultural center for the artifacts.)   

• Why do some believe that museums should not feel obligated to return artifacts to their places of origin? Do you think those points are valid? Explain. (Evaluate claims, compare & contrast)
  (Those who say that returning objects is not necessary worry that museums will be emptied of their treasures, which will result in lost opportunities to learn about global cultures. Some also say that there is no reason for museums to return them since the museums are not the ones that stole the artifacts. Furthermore, some say you can’t really determine who owns an artwork given how nations have risen and fallen. Students’ evaluations will vary but should be supported with text evidence and other information.)

• At the end of the article, Chika Okeke-Agulu says, “It’s only within that context that we can begin to imagine the post-colonial museum.” What does he mean by post-colonial museum?  (Word meaning, make inferences)
  (He means a museum that has a collection not based on the spoils of colonialism. He also means a museum that is treated equally by other museums and loaned their cultural treasures and is not looked down upon as if it doesn’t know how to manage treasures—including its own.) 

• Summarize the sidebar “The Parthenon Marbles.” What does it add to the article?  (Summarize, integrate multiple sources)
  (The sidebar explains how sculptures called the Parthenon Marbles were stolen from Greece under the pretense of protecting them and how London’s British Museum has long refused to return them to Greece. But now, during this global movement to return treasures, it is open to making a deal. The sidebar helps show that the issue of museums benefiting from stolen objects is not limited to the Benin Bronzes and Nigeria.)

6. Writing Prompt
Imagine that you are the director of a museum. You receive a letter from the Nigerian government asking for the return of a Benin Bronze. Write a one-page response.

7. Video
Watch the video about Benin’s history. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should museums be required to return all artifacts that were looted?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.