Representation

During my site visits, I evaluated representation of BIPOC artists by two criteria: (1) the number of artworks by BIPOC artists on display; and (2) how many of these artworks were from the museums’ permanent collections. Based on the findings from study by the Public Library of Science, I was not expecting to see many artworks from BIPOC artists outside the exhibitions Museums A and C had showcasing Black artists. For three out of the four museums, I was pleasantly surprised at how many artworks that were created by BIPOC artists were on display.

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Out of the four museums, Museum A was the biggest museum I visited. Its rotating and permanent exhibitions were just about evenly split between White artists and BIPOC artists. There were even certain galleries of their permanent collection solely dedicated to BIPOC artists. With Museum B, two of the visiting exhibitions were mid-career surveys of Black artists (a painter and a photographer). From what I understand, these shows were scheduled and established prior to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, as opposed  to the exhibitions that Museum A and C held (check out Exhibitions page for more information). Additionally, the artworks for another exhibition were mostly from Museum B’s permanent collection and the majority of them were works created by BIPOC artists. I was surprised that Museum B owned so many BIPOC artworks, especially since this institution has had numerous controversies regarding its treatment of BIPOC artists and staff members. In Museum B’s permanent exhibition, BIPOC artworks were evenly distributed throughout the space as well. Overall, Museums A and B had a sizable number of BIPOC artists in their exhibitions. I was excited to see the representation of these artists in these institutions.

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Museums C and D differ both from Museums A and B and from each other. Museum C did not have a permanent exhibition, so after the BLM-inspired exhibition ended, four new shows were held. Two of these exhibitions contained artwork by contemporary BIPOC artists, so it was encouraging to see these artists being celebrated and showcased in this current moment. On the other hand, Museum D contained very little artworks by BIPOC artists or even artworks depicting BIPOC individuals. While the time period of art in Museum D was not historically supportive of BIPOC artists, this does not mean Museum D is able to escape any criticism. If anything, this museum should be working to educate visitors about any and all BIPOC artists working during this era or about how BIPOC individuals were represented in the art itself at this time.

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After these visits, my biggest question is how often do these museums (specifically Museums A and B) rotate works in and out of their permanent collections? Over the course of my repeated visits, I was able to notice when certain artworks were swapped out. I am not sure how much of a coincidence this is, but typically an artwork by a BIPOC artist was replaced by a White artist. This makes me wonder if these museums pulled out artworks by BIPOC artists that they had in storage and displayed them in response to the heightened criticism they have been facing for being exclusive. Like I said, it could have just been a coincidence that it was BIPOC artworks being swapped out, but I am curious about who decides which works get swapped out, who chooses when they get swapped out, and who picks which artwork will now be on display.

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Overall, I went into these museums expecting to see very little BIPOC representation– for Museum D this expectation was accurate– but I was proven mostly wrong as museums A, B, and C all contained a decent amount of artworks by BIPOC artists. Based on the Public Library of Science study, this could mean that these museums decided to put more of the BIPOC artwork that they own on display in response to the social climate and to make their spaces seem more inclusive. I am curious to know exactly how many BIPOC artists are in these museums' permanent collections compared to White artists, but this information is a bit difficult to find. Either way, art museums need to continue displaying and highlighting BIPOC art and artists and not just display them to evade criticism.