What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing Museums Today? Three Directors Commiserate on the ‘Culture of Meanness’ and Other Issues

The art world may like to bill
itself as a bastion of liberalism and tolerance, but some of its
leaders feel it has a long way to go—and may actually be moving
backward.

On February 4, three leading
women at the helm of major metropolitan museums—Nathalie Bondil of the Montreal Museum of Fine
Arts, Kaywin Feldman of National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC,
and Anne Pasternak of the Brooklyn Museum—came together for a
discussion called “Women
Leaders in the Arts” moderated by Alison Stewart, host of
WNYC’s “All Of It.” 

Given the title, guests to the
sold-out talk at the Brooklyn Museum might have anticipated more
discussion about women in the arts. But all three directors said
they wanted to engage as leaders, not
as women leaders. (In fact, Feldman at one point
expressed concern that the museum field might be
becoming too female, citing research that pay
goes down when industries become “pink-collared.”)

Instead, the discussion
frequently touched on what the directors described as
a culture of intolerance
that put pressure on institutions from both the right and the
left. 

“Our contemporary moment is a
culture of meanness,” said Pasternak, in response to a question
about what keeps her up at night. “It’s not based on facts. It’s not based on
conversation… it’s destructive to our democracy and our
institutions. Notice the bags under my eyes? That’s what it’s
about.”

The worry, shared by all three
panelists, seemed to be twofold. First, they expressed concern
about a lack of nuance in the ongoing discussion
about the role of donors and the recent protests over museum
board members’ political and financial affiliations, including the Sackler
family and the real estate industry’s
relationship to the Brooklyn Museum. Such discussions often
don’t just lack nuance, they have “no nuance,” according
to Pasternak, who noted that “we’re quick to demonize people”
without understanding the effects this might have on institutions
we rely on.

“It’s very important to be open-minded and sit in
conversation with people who have different views than you,”
Pasternak said. “If we can’t have difference of thought, I worry
what hope there is for all of us.”

Feldman also conceded that much
of the hard work of a director involves reconciling the desires of
important stakeholders with the need to serve a broad and inclusive
audience. Donors, she said, “tend to be older,” “tend to be white,”
and “don’t recognize changing America unless they’re taking their
grandchildren to elementary school.” (Pasternak proposed that this issue be
addressed partly by changing how board members are recruited,
choosing them not simply for their ability to contribute
financially, but also because of the personal and professional
expertise they bring to the table.) 

The panelists all seemed to walk
a thin line between acknowledging that the older way of doing
things was no longer acceptable, but also defending the museum as
an institution that is not only redeemable, but essential to public
life. The museum should
be a “safe space for democratic dialogue,” said Bondil. She was
reflecting on accusations of cultural
appropriation faced by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2017, when
it displayed a Jean-Paul Gaultier headpiece inspired by
a Plains Indian
headdress.  

Rather than remove the work from
the exhibition or simply leave it untouched, Bondil commissioned
Cree artist
Kent Monkman to respond
to the Gaultier work. The ultimate resolution was a new performance
art piece that involved a ceremonial
marriage between Monkman and Gaultier. 

“Our job is to make bridges
between generations, between fields, between publics,” Bondil said.
“Here, in this room, we might all agree about values… but we need
to have a conversation with a deeper part of the
population.” 

The post What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing Museums
Today? Three Directors Commiserate on the ‘Culture of Meanness’ and
Other Issues appeared first on artnet News.