West LA Times

The Waystation Initiative at UCLA is leading a global project to address the ethical stewardship and return of unethically obtained cultural objects. This initiative, funded by a two-year, $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), will focus on shared stewardship and voluntary return of these objects.

Lyssa Stapleton, co-founder and director of the Waystation Initiative, highlighted that the project aims to provide resources for institutions primarily in the U.S. and help Indigenous communities express their needs within their own countries. "This grant will support the crucial work of the Waystation in developing and exploring more equitable and collaborative approaches to the voluntary return and stewardship of cultural objects, advancing the cause of heritage justice," Stapleton said.

A key component of this effort is a two-day convening titled “Creating Connections: Advancing Restitution and Stewardship of Cultural Heritage through Community Collaboration.” This event will be held this spring at UCLA in collaboration with the Consensus Building Institute and the Fowler Museum at UCLA. It aims to gather representatives from various global communities to develop strategies for cultural heritage management.

The initiative also plans to launch community consultations involving international communities to ensure their perspectives are central to new guidelines for shared stewardship and voluntary return. These findings will contribute to “The Best Practices for Voluntary Return and Shared Stewardship,” which is one of the project's main objectives.

Funded under NEH’s United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture program, this project is part of a larger initiative called American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future. The Waystation's proposal was chosen from 33 applications due to its potential impact on social challenges like strengthening democracy and promoting equity.

Since its launch in April 2023, the Waystation Initiative has also offered a graduate certificate program in cultural heritage research, focusing on ethics and practices related to returning cultural objects.