While revealing individual misogynists is hard, uprooting misogyny is much harder. Lozada, When Women Dare to Step Out of Place The Ford and Walton Foundations made big news recently in the arts and philanthropy world, announcing $6 million in diversity fellowships for 20 US art museums. According to the Philanthropy News Digest, Efforts to be…
How to transform museums into places of greater inclusion and equity? This is the key question of the MASSAction (Museum as Site for Social Action) initiative, begun in 2016 and coordinated out of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. A few weeks ago 36 museums (art, history, science) from across the country gathered for…
On December 11, 2014, and in the days following a number of us posted a joint statement expressing our concern about museums’ lack of recognition of the underlying causes of the events in Ferguson (writ large). The statement has had both immediate and continuing impact, so I think it’s worth republishing it, and reflecting on…
History is not about the past; it is about arguments we have about the past. Ira Berlin, The Long Emancipation I’ve been visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico for about 30 years. From the first I was enchanted by the ambiance, the weather (in all seasons), the food, the architecture, the art, the museums,…
I’m so happy to feature the following guest post from Melanie Adams, Managing Director of Community Education and Events at the Missouri History Museum and President of the Association of Midwest Museums. The Missouri History Museum has been extremely responsive to all of the issues surrounding the events in August in nearby Ferguson, MO. For…
The recent series of events, from Ferguson to Cleveland and New York, have created a watershed moment. Things must change. New laws and policies will help, but any movement toward greater cultural and racial understanding and communication must be supported by our country’s cultural and educational infrastructure. Museums are a part of this educational…
Dear readers, I’m beginning the New Year on a new site, and I hope you have all made the transition successfully. I thank you for your thoughts and observations about the blog throughout the year–in conversations, in the comments section, in emails and on Twitter and other social media. I truly appreciate your interest and your…