My Art Museum Mission

As the #BlackLivesMatter movement increased attention to racial inequity in the U.S., in December 2014 a group of museum professionals published a joint statement highlighting the lack of acknowledgment by most museums to the unrest and struggles in Ferguson, Staten Island, Cleveland, and other cities. Soon after that call to action, Aleia Brown, @aleiabrown, and Adrianne Russell, @adriannerussell, both co-authors of the statement, started #museumsrespondtoferguson, an ongoing open discussion on Twitter that occurs every third Wednesday of the month. The exchanges I have encountered on this virtual forum along with actual conversations with my museum colleagues have reignited my focus on diversity in art museums. The thoughtful words of the beloved Maya Angelou “I am working toward a time when everything gives me joy!” helped me articulate my vision of how museums can promote anti-racism initiatives.

My Art Museum Mission
by La Tanya S. Autry

I am working toward a time when
being black and a curator doesn’t elicit surprise the curators, educators, conservators, and directors are of all races, ethnicities, and genders

I am working toward a time when
past and present systems of omission, discrimination, and privilege are admitted, addressed, and resisted

I am working toward a time when
more people realize that works by women and people of color are integral to the social relevancy of institutions

I am working toward a time when
fear of donor disapproval doesn’t obstruct progress, education, and inclusion

I am working toward a time when
programming regularly engages diverse communities

I am working toward a time when
art museums operate as sites of dialogue and social justice, places for public conversations about things that fracture society

I am working toward a time when
institutions work as collaborative partners with local community organizations
to improve the lives of oppressed people

I am working toward a time when
art museums are truly centers for all people

My Museum Mission was posted on the PAGE2Ferguson blog salon on Imagining America’s website, January 26, 2015.