Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Andy Warhol Museum is among 20 institutions nationwide awarded a multiyear grant by The Ford Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation as part of their “Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative.” The North Side museum will receive $265,000 over three years.
9 comments:
Diversity in museums is just as important as diversity in colleges, in schools, and of course, in the theater. I have never heard of this enormous grant from these organizations before, but I am beyond thrilled to hear that it is benefitting museums that do not lack diversity because that's so important. I have yet to go to the Andy Warhol Museum, but these statistics just add to my intrigue, even more, to wander off this campus and head over there to see some great work in a museum that is doing good things. A lot of statistics don't make sense in America, and the fact that only 16 percent of leadership positions in art institutions are people of color just doesn't make sense. This country still has a lot of problems to fix, and this is one of them because it deals with an even bigger issue at hand because it is so much harder for people of color to gain positions of importance in any work field, and that is not okay. Discrimination still exists, and that is why I am so proud of the Andy Warhol Museum, and so glad that they were able to receive this grant and hearing about their plans for it is truly inspiring.
I am in full support of diversity initiatives in the world of museum professionals. I worked at a museum last summer whose former head (she had retired three moths prior to my working there) was the most inspirational person I have ever met. Within the Smithsonian Institution museum system, the Museum of African Art is nowhere near the top of the food chain, but when I introduced myself to her, she insisted that I say I was an intern at "The NATIONAL Museum of AFRICAN Art." She actually made myself repeat my introduction until I said it with the right enthusiasm, and in her words, "gumption." Finding paths for diversity within the world of museum professionals, especially when most established professionals are old, white men. One of our school's namesakes, Andrew Mellon, actually has his name on another fellowship grant aimed at diversity in museums. The Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship is a program at many prestigious museums aimed at giving postgrads who may not have the opportunities to work in established museums the chance. NMAFA actually had quite a few Mellon fellows, as well as the National Museum for African American History and Culture. The Ford Foundation and Walton Family's grant is a really great opportunity to foster diversity in museums where funding for diversity is often the last item on the agenda.
I am so excited to hear about this diversity initiative at the Warhol. Recently, I have felt and noticed a push for diversity in the entertainment industry, from outrage at whitewashing characters (finally) to promoting a variety of creative perspectives in tech from different cultural backgrounds. However, some people forget that museums are in the entertainment industry too! Museums are a form of entertainment that directly connect the community to arts, culture, and learning. I really liked the quote from the article by Darren Walker, “To ensure the future health and vibrancy of the arts in America, we need more arts leaders who understand and relate to the deeply varied perspectives and life experiences that weave the rich fabric of our nation.” Having the management and custodial staff come from a variety of cultural backgrounds can inspire young people and artists. I am excited to see this initiate become mainstream and watch a transformation in the staff at museums around the country.
It's encouraging to see diversity initiatives like this one taking place in the city I've just begun living in. I initially came from a city where despite our progressive politics, often little was physically done to back them up, so seeing concrete steps being taken towards eliminating workplace discrimination is heartening. I am also glad that it is the Warhol museum spearheading this change, as it was not only a lovely museum to visit, but a welcoming and inclusive one. Some examples of this were special renditions of Warhol's works for the blind to be "see" through a process almost like braille, and a guest exhibit from a middle eastern artist, among others. I think we need more museums like the Warhol, that recognize art should be for everyone, and that the arts and museums by extension will be the front line in the fight against discrimination and inequality.
The Warhol museum is a very extensive museum that captures a style very elegantly and with poise. But its also important to acknowledge that the styles that Warhol pulls from are often times the works of African American Artists like Thornton Diall and the African Folk Art movement. These styles are usually lost, and artists of color don't receive any credit due to artist like Andy Warhol who white-wash a style and achieve fame and glory. I think that this grant is necessary and imminent in todays art world when often times artists are being silenced and copied, its time for museums like the MET and LACMA and the Warhol to acknowledge and credit many modern works to their influences from African American culture. Its about principle and remaining true to the roots of where American art is coming from, not just selling the mainstream white-washed version of what we think art should be.
More diversity in the leadership of art museums is the best way to keep the world moving forward in terms of inclusion. Art museums are the way that a lot of the world is exposed to cultures other than their own, and by making the leadership in these spaces more diverse makes it so that the spaces themselves exhibit a more diverse viewpoint. It is really great to hear that such an amazing museum nearby to CMU is able to continue to diversify and bring in more and more people with differing backgrounds. It is really inspiring to know that people are willing to spend money to promote such an important thing. I am so happy to see that diversity is being pushed forward by museums and I can not wait to see this movement gain an even stronger foothold and to continue to snowball in the years to come.
Even by paragraph two, I can tell that this is more than a splashy headline to grab clicks or to boast accomplishments further than perhaps they are warranted, "The grant will support the development of strategies to diversify curatorial and management staff at art museums across the United States. Recent studies have shown that only 16 percent of art museum leadership positions are held by people of color despite the fact that 38 percent of Americans identify as Asian, black, Hispanic or multiracial." It really does seem that no field can boast that people of color make up a significant amount of their workforce--but hopefully this will change, with art centric organizations leading the way. I'd be really curious to see the breakdown of the senior staff positions at LORT level theatre around the country, and see how we do in comparison to our museum cousins. My guess is not much better in terms of people of color or women. That being said, I am really excited about this, especially how they plan to go about it with, "youth outreach program, internships and alumni and mentoring programs," all of which will help bring more diversity and keep pushing us forward.
The Warhol is one of my all-time favorite museums and the fact that the foundation received a grant to diversify art and museum management positions is even more exciting. I think it's incredibly important to have more representaion in high positions such as those because so much captivating art is created by minorities sharing their stories. Last year when I visited the Warhol there was a visiting exhibition on an artist named Firelei Baez, who I had never seen or heard of before coming across her gallery. She would later become one of my all-time favorite artists, as her delicate and extremely decorative style of work paints the picture of her culture and heritage as a Dominican American. The exhibition, titled "bloodlines", often portrayed her internal struggle with a dual identity, racism she had encountered throughout her life, and the role her mother and other important females have played to impact her as a young woman. With this grant given to the Warhol, hopefully more empowering and eye-opening exhibits can be put up in the future.
I am going to have to agree with Madeleine here on this one. Simply adding those of color to your staff does not equal diversity. Programs that work to create more diverse groups of people should be programs and include more and have great efforts and endeavors than this. I love the Warhol museum I’ve been there a multitude of times and I know that they have the capability to allow for more diverse groups of artists and those on the leading edge to be seen and heard from. Museum are really a huge starting point in helping to change culture while showing history but pushing for change at the same time. The thing to really worry about is that while pushing the avant- grade one does not push too far into in appropriate and offensive but can tastefully find be difference. I’m excited to see what the Warhol will do with this initiative.
Post a Comment