ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico: Community Museum as Political Practice

publication · 2026-04-22

Published in Afterall Journal Issue 43, the essay 'History is made by the people': Fragments on the Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico, written by Pablo Lafuente and Michelle Sommer on 17 March 2017, examines a community museum in Xico, Mexico. The text explores how the museum functions as a site of collective memory and political agency, challenging institutional art histories. The Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico is presented as a model where local residents actively shape narratives, contrasting with top-down museum practices. The essay is part of a broader discourse on participatory art and decolonisation, as reflected in related articles in the same journal.

Key facts

  • Essay published in Afterall Journal Issue 43 on 17 March 2017
  • Written by Pablo Lafuente and Michelle Sommer
  • Focuses on Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico in Xico, Mexico
  • Explores community museum as political and collective memory practice
  • Part of Afterall's ongoing series on art and decolonisation
  • Full text available only to journal subscribers or via University of Chicago Press

Entities

Artists

  • Pablo Lafuente
  • Michelle Sommer

Institutions

  • Afterall
  • University of Chicago Press
  • Museo Comunitario del Valle de Xico

Locations

  • Xico
  • Mexico

Sources