I can't breath

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images, taken from NPR

The year of 2014 was marked in the USA by the death of unarmed black people in the hands of police officers in the cities of Ferguson, Cleveland and New York. It was the year Eric Garner died, repeating “I can’t breath”…

That same year, in their joint statement on Ferguson and related events (which became known as “Museums Respond to Ferguson”), museum professionals took a stand regarding the role of museums in the face of those tragic deaths. There are three points from that statement that I highlighted in a post I wrote at the time.

First, the signatories reminded everyone that “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 and cultural network.”

Second, that “As mediators of culture, all museums should commit to identifying how they can connect to relevant contemporary issues”, irrespective of their collections.

Thirdly, and most importantly for the moment the USA are going through right now, they stated the following: “As of now, only the Association of African American Museums has issued a formal statement about the larger issues related to Ferguson, Cleveland and Staten Island. We believe that the silence of other museum organizations sends a message that these issues are the concern only of African Americans and African American Museums. We know that this is not the case.”

We knew it then and we know it now. As another unarmed black man, George Floyd, died last week under the knee of a policeman, repeating “I can’t breath” - the latest in a series of deaths of unarmed black people in the hands of the police – the scenario in the American museum field, and beyond, seems rather different. Almost six years after the “Museums Respond to Ferguson” statement, there seems to be a higher conscience among museums regarding their responsibilities towards their communities – members of staff, artists, neighbours, visitors, donors and supporters.

(Click on the images to enlarge them or on the link to view them on Facebook)

Oakland Museum of California on Facebook

Metropolitan Museum of Art on Facebook

Whitney Museum of American Art on Facebook

High Museum of Art on Facebook

The Phillips Collection on Facebook

Tate Gallery on Facebook

So, perhaps at this point the question to ask might be “Are these issues the concern only of American museums?”. They certainly aren’t, no matter how much we try to convince our “not a racist, but” selves of the opposite. The progress made in the USA - perhaps also because the current presidency has made some cultural organisations more aware of their role and responsibilities in society, as well as of their past failures – is significant, it brings hope. Hope that, for instance, a day will come when most people in Portugal will instantly recognise names such as Cláudia Simões or Flávio Almada and that will be also thanks to the country’s museums and other cultural organisations. This is about our cultural relations, about living together in society, about politics in the best of the senses. This will happen when museums realise their political role. But also when citizens will expect and demand that they do so.

More on this blog

Museus, espaços de diálogo multicultural

The educational dimension

What have we got to do with this? (ii)

More readings

Alex Greenberger and Teresa Solomon, Major US museums criticized for responses to ongoing George Floyd protests

Alex Greenberger, Longtime MOCA Cleveland director Jill Snyder resigns, urges museum to diversify leadership

Alex Greenberger, Alleging ‘Plantation-Like Culture,’ Former Workers Accuse New Orleans Museum of Art of Racism and Hypocrisy

Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science at Kew: it's time to decolonise botanical collections

American Alliance of Museums, Racial equity and inclusion plan primer

ArtNews, Statements from major US museums about the George Floyd protests

Benjamin Lee, 'This ends today': over 300 stage figures call out 'anti-blackness' of US theatre

Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Theatremakers, We see you, White American Theater

Catherine Hickley, 'Time to give back the swag, guys!' British Museum unleashes Twitter storm with statement on Black Lives Matter

Charles McNulty, Playwrights are calling out racism in theater. Their art lights a path to justice

Gus Casely-Hayford, There is a moment

Holland Cotter, Museums Are Finally Taking a Stand. But Can They Find Their Footing?

Holliday Phillips, Performative allyship is deadly (here's what to do instead)

Jessica Gelt, The spreadsheet that shook the theater world: Marie Cisco’s ‘Not Speaking Out’ list

Joan Baldwin, The chickens come home to roost: museum values in times of crisis

Joi-Marie Mckenzie, Guggenheim's first black curator calls museum out for institutional racism and hypocrisy

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. and Al Heartley, We don't want your statements, American Theater

Killer Mike’s emotional plea to Atlanta protesters (video) - Note: Killer Mike became a member of the Board of High Museum of Art in Atlanta in 2018 (read more)

Kira Hudson Banks and Richard Harvey, Is your company actually fighting racism or just talking about it?


Lori Fogarty, Our Museum Is Considered a Leader in Equity and Inclusion. Here’s What We’ve Done - and Why We Have a Long, Long Way to Go

Makeba Clay, The Phillips Collection’s Plan for Advancing Racial Equity

Maxwell L. Anderson, Expressions of empathy are not enough – it’s time for US museums to act

Mike Murawski, A moment for accountability, transformation and real questions

National Art Education Association, An open letter to art educators on constructing and anti-racist agenda

National Museum of African American History and Culture, Talking about race (resources)

Norman Lebrecht, Staff accuse London's Southbank Centre of structural racism

Porchia Moore, Cartography: a black woman's response to museums in the time of racial uprising

Robin Pogrebin, Upheaval Over Race Reaches Met Museum After Curator’s Instagram Post

Sarah Petz, Former employees of Canadian Museum for Human Rights say they faced racism, mistreatment

The Art Newspaper | The Week in Art, Let's talk about race: museums and the battle against white privilege (podcast)

Valentina di Liscia, Amid Historic Black Lives Matter Protests, One Museum’s Call for a “Nonpartisan Approach” Disappoints

Walker Art Center becomes first major US museum to stop contracting police for events




Institutional statements

American Alliance of Museums, We have a unique duty to listen

American Alliance of Museums, For museum leaders who want to do better

Association of Science and Technology Centres, A statement from the President Cristin Dorgelo

Brooklyn Museum statement

Latinx Theatre Commons Steering and Advisory Committees, What we believe and what we are doing next

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts responds

Museum Education Roundtable statement

Museum of London statement regarding the statue of Robert Milligan

Museums Association, Joint statement of intent for the heritage sector

Smithsonian Institution, Statement from Smithsonian Secretary Lonie G. Bunch III

The Metropolitan Museum, Standing in solidarity, committing to the work ahead

The Phillips Collection, A message from the director, Dorothy Kosinski

The Tenement Museum, A message from the Tenement Museum President, Dr. Morris J. Vogel

The Tenement Museum, Commitment to anti-racism

The Wallace Foundation, A message from President Will Miller about recent events

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Black Lives Matter, by Deborah Cullinan, CEO