DOI 10.60531/INSIGHTOUT.2023.1.9| PORTEOUS: FOOD, DRINK, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING_ INSIGHTOUT 1(2023)54Holly PorteousCase Study:Food, Drink, and Community Building in a Women’s MuseumABSTRACTThis short case study discusses how museums can draw on hospitality practices to create anatmosphere of inclusivity and mutual support. In-depth research into a women's museum, archive, library, and community space has highlighted how food and drink has been used as partof feminist organisational practice to foster a sense of openness and welcome. Our case studyorganisation sought to empower a diverse community of women, and the symbolism of foodand drink was integral to helping museum staff and volunteers to form strong connections withvisitors and service users. Building a sense of community in this way is an invaluable way forcultural organisations such as museums, which can sometimes be seen as intimidating by thoseexperiencing vulnerability, to connect with a broader range of people.CVHolly Porteous is based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Her researchfocuses on how inequalities are produced and reproduced, particularly from a gender/feministperspective. After finishing her PhD on gender in Russia(University of Glasgow, 2014), sheworked on projects studying how migrants from former state socialist countries made themselves secure in Scotland. Her most recent project, Transformative Servicescapes and ConsumerVulnerability, looks at how service spaces have the potential to ameliorate vulnerability.KEYWORDSFood, Hospitality, Material Culture, CommunityHolly Porteous,“Case Study: Food, Drink, and Community Building in a Women’s Museum”,insightOut. Journal on Gender and Sexuality in STEM Collections and Cultures, 1(2023),53–57, DOI: 10.60531/insightout.2023.1.9DOI: 10.60531/insightout.2023.1.9Published under license CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
