Museums & Race Statement of Solidarity

Posted on by Museums and Race

Every American should be chilled to their very core that this world of hate, oppression, and systemic injustice is the one on which we live.

Museums & Race acknowledges that the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade are literal reflections of anti-Black, white supremacist ideology that exists in America and can be seen in every facet of our museums.

As written by the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable: “We acknowledge our complicity in the long history of systemic racism within our country and the institutions of power in our city. We will continue to work to dismantle white supremacy within our organizations, schools, and communities.”

For too long, museums have resisted any formal role in addressing oppression, but, as our colleagues have insisted, museums are never neutral. Noted historian and acclaimed scholar Ibram Kendi writes, “there’s no in-between safe space, neutrality in this struggle — either we’re producing this racist society or we’re struggling against it.” Museums, by and large, have been in the business of racist reproduction, which we see in board composition, hiring practices, opaque and unjust salary structures, persistent curatorial discrepancies, dismissal of racialized narratives as “too controversial,” and so much more.  If you are aware of the reality of our society, and the oppression facing Black Americans, you should be actively working to dismantle it.

We call for museums to step forward with those who are already fighting, cast off their chains of inaction, and find some way to make a difference in the field, for museum workers, and in support of dismantling white supremacy in all institutions for the good of their communities, their institutions, and their nation.

As national and international practitioners that center the ideals of justice, we are not surprised that this is happening. This is the time to raise our voices against racism and elevate anti-racist actions. We stand in solidarity with justice-centered communities, rejecting systemic and institutionalized racism and demand a radically-imagined museum community in which human dignity is honored before property. This statement is only a small part of a much larger movement.

Three things museums can and SHOULD do now:

 

M&R Solidarity Statement V2

 

YOU’RE INVITED: 2019 Pre-AAM Retreat in NOLA

Posted on by Museums and Race

Dear museum colleagues:

  • Feeling discouraged and stressed in your antiracist and social justice work?
  • Getting resistance to ideas you’ve brought to your institutions from inspiring convenings and workshops?
  • Grappling with the prevalence of unconscious bias either in the treatment you receive or in your own thinking and responses?

Join us for four hours of reflection, sharing, and skill building in the context of our common work on Saturday, May 18, 2019.

TO LEARN MORE & REGISTER, click here!

And many thanks to our workshop partners:  The Empathetic Museum, MASS Action, and The National World War II Museum

WE ALL GET FREE retreat + restorative experience (AAM 2019)

Posted on by Museums and Race

SEE FINAL MUSEUMS & RACE LOUNGE SCHEDULE HERE

 

This year, WE ALL GET FREE!

We hope you’ll join us at the American Alliance of Museums conference (May 18-22)

The 4th Annual Transformation and Justice Lounge engages Local Artists to tell the unique stories of New Orleans; hosts Community Cyphers to dialog about pressing issues of museums, race, and practice; and invites weary conference travelers to recharge in our Relaxation Pod.
(Expo Hall Booth #1112)

For updates, follow: @MuseumsandRace #MuseumsandRace

SCHEDULE
Laissez les bons temps rouller!

Saturday, May 18 | Noon – 4pm
WE ALL GET FREE Pre-conference Workshop
The National WW II Museum

Monday, May 20 | Noon – 5:30pm
Museums & Race Lounge
Interactive Artist Installation

Community Cypher | 1-2pm
AAM Museums & Race Talk Back

Community Cypher | 3-4pm
Inclusive Leadership: The Rise of DEAI Officers

Tuesday, May 21 | 10am – 5:30pm
Museums & Race Lounge
Interactive Artist Installation

Community Cypher | 10-11am
Naming and Subverting Whiteness in Museum Education

Community Cypher | Noon-1pm
Insisting on Equity: Collaborative Strategies through MASS Action

Community Cypher | 1-2pm
We Have a Place Here: Mixed Race and Museums

Community Cypher | 3:15-4:15pm
Is That Hung White: Representation in Exhibition Design

“HAPPY HOUR” and MR Poetry Slam | 4:30 – 5:30pm

Wednesday, May 22 | 8:30am – Noon
Museums & Race Lounge

Community Cypher | 8:30-9:30am
Empathy: Core vs Cosmetic

AAM 2018 | Museums & Race Transformation and Justice Lounge (final schedule)

Posted on by Museums and Race

See you in Phoenix!
You can find us in Booth 1704.

REFLECT on current Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access issues via our community cypher dialogs.

RECHARGE in our lounge area and relaxation pods.

RECLAIM a progressive vision for museums in collaboration with local artists and colleagues.

Follow @MuseumsandRace #MuseumsandRace to stay in the know.

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Co-sponsored by our generous friends at Museum Next:

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All the Things:

COMMUNITY CYPHER DIALOGS 1_auut-studio

Join round table hosts to discuss a range of contemporary issues around race, image, representation, access, and identity. Monday (3 & 4 pm); Tuesday (11:30 am & 12:30 pm); Wednesday (8 am). Grab coffee or lunch and join us for some real talk. (details below)

Sponsored by our friends at Auut Studio 

RELAXATION PODS logo@4x

Need a moment to catch your breath, close your eyes, and prepare for your next networking challenge? Check out our colorful relaxation pods and take a moment to clear your head and nourish your soul! Open during all Expo Hall hours.

Sponsored by our friends at Interactive Mechanics

PARTICIPATORY ARTIST COLLABORATIONS BalboaParkLogo v11 082709

We’ve partnered with local mural artists Thomas “Breeze” Marcus and Dwayne Manuel, and Zine artist Amber McCrary to engage loungers in exploring these mediums for personal expression and building community identity. Come get your hands dirty — we’ll provide the wet wipes.

Sponsored by our friends at Balboa Park Cultural partnership

WORK THAT NETWORK

Drop by during Expo Hall hours to catch up with friends and colleagues or join us Tuesday from 4:00-5:30 for a Networking “Happy” Hour.  Although we can’t legally serve you alcohol — we will be ecstatically happy to have you with us to connect with one another and continue to build a strong network of industry professional committed to challenging and re-imagining institutional policies and systems that perpetuate oppressions in museums.

MUSEUMS & RACE REPORT CARD

Join us at our Wednesday session (10:15 am) for a frank conversation about Museums and Race. As the museum industry comes under increased scrutiny about policies surrounding race, diversity, inclusion, and representation, we take this opportunity to reflect on events from the past year to celebrate excellence, challenge mistakes, and identify opportunities for continued growth and forward momentum. From exhibition, to programming, to governance, to funding, issues of equity will continue to challenge us personally and professionally. How will we meet these challenges and grow our capacity to serve our communities?

Schedule:

MONDAY, MAY 7

Noon – 5:30 pm
Transformation & Justice Lounge kick-off and Mural-making with Thomas “Breeze” Marcus and Dwayne Manuel

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm  —  Expo Hall Break.
Grab a snack or some coffee and swing by the Lounge

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Community Cypher Dialog
Acknowledging Indigenous Lands 
This conversation will focus on the importance of acknowledging Indigenous lands as foundational part of public program. This dialogue will also challenge participants to think about how this acknowledgment can be a thread woven into the work we do as museum professionals and not simply a welcome protocol to follow but a powerful statement about how we work to share Indigenous perspectives throughout our community work.
Hosted by Jaclyn Roessel (@JacRoess of @grownupnavajo),Director of Decolonizing Initiatives, San Diego Museum of Man; and Marcus Monenerkit, Director of Community Engagement at the Heard (@heardmuseum)

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Community Cypher Dialog
Overcoming Historical Amnesia Through Community Reflection
The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the events that followed left an indelible mark on society and throughout communities. This roundtable will focus on how museums can bring communities together across generations to address historical amnesia and issues of racial and social justice.
Hosted by Saralyn Rosenfield, Director of Learning & Engagement, Delaware Art Museum; Marlowe Stoudamire, Detroit 67 Project Director, Detroit Historical Society; Jonathan Whitney, Manager of Performance Programs & Community Engagement, Delaware Art Museum

TUESDAY, MAY 8

10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Transformation & Justice Lounge open and Zine creation with Amber McCrary

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Community Cypher Dialog
Being a Multiracial Museum Professional
The museum professional community is dispersed across a wide spectrum of acceptance and implementation of transformation of this traditionally academic field deeply rooted in white supremacy. Join multiracial museum professionals sharing their experiences bringing the resistance into their respective museums. Their stories and experiences on claiming and reclaiming their identities in museums, along with how they’ve navigated and negotiated privilege, will open up a larger conversation with audience members on coping mechanisms and strategies on how to reimagine a truly inclusive space.
Hosted by Andrea Neighbors, Education Specialist, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center; Dina Bailey, CEO, Mountain Top Vision; Stacey Swanby, Associate Director of Visitor Services, The Broad

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Community Cypher Dialog
Beyond Tokenism: Building an inclusive and equitable Museum
Share your stories and add to the building blocks that will change our field. #inclusionandequity #museumsarenotnutral 
Hosted by Cris Scorza, Director of Education and Engagement, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm  —  Expo Hall Break
Grab a snack and some coffee and swing by the Lounge.

4:00 – 5:30
Work That Network 
Mingle with your peers; explore this year’s artist installations; and tell us what’s in your “inclusion rider“.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9

8:00 am  – Noon
Transformation & Justice Lounge open

8:00 am – 9:00 am — Expo Hall Breakfast
Grab some grub and coffee and swing by the Lounge.

8:00 am – 9:00 am
Community Cypher Dialog
Building Your Museum Manifesto
Collaborative creation of manifestos or a written statement that can encapsulate a team’s foundational beliefs, including how they engage with each other and their communities. The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Culture Lab Manifesto and Playbook will be distributed as an example, but the conversation will be an opportunity to share experiences and exchange ideas.
Hosted by Nafisa Isa (@thenafisaisa), Program Manager, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (@smithsonianapa) 

10:15 am – 11:45 am
Museums and Race Report Card: Looking Back to Move Forward (129AB)

Special thanks to:

EMP-logo     CCS Logo

ESP-BlackOnWhite_1     LyndhurstLogo

and to Margaret Kadoyama for their generous support.

Looking forward to 2019 

If you’re interested in serving on the 2018-2019 Museums & Race Steering Committee, let us know! 

 

 

AAM 2018 | Announcing >> Museums & Race Transformation and Justice Lounge: REFLECT, RECHARGE, RECLAIM

Posted on by Museums and Race

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Ready to challenge and transform industry values that perpetuate structural racism within our community? Join us in Phoenix!

REFLECT on current Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access issues via our round-table dialogs.

RECHARGE in our lounge area and relaxation nook.

RECLAIM a progressive vision for museums in collaboration with local artists and colleagues. Follow @MuseumsandRace #MuseumsandRace

Interested in volunteering for the Transformation and Justice Lounge?  Give us a shout on social media.  Core lounge staff will be eligible for FREE and/or reduced-cost access to the Expo Hall and AAM Conference.  CONTACT US >>

Museums and Race is looking for sponsors to support the critical dialog and work engaged in by our colleagues in this space.  LEARN MORE >>