Art Museum's Community Engagement for Inclusion and Diversity

A MUSEUMS TRANSFORMATION: CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART GOES DEEP FOR INCLUSION BY: SKYLAR HARRIS

CONNECTING TO THE READING THE ARTS MANAGER MUST CLOSELY MONITOR THE DEMOGRAPHIC ENVIRONMENT, WHICH COMPRISES THE PROFILE OF THE VITAL STATISTICS OF A SOCIETY. TYPICAL DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES THAT HAVE AN IMPACT ON AN ORGANIZATION INCLUDE GENDER, AGE, RACE, INCOME LEVEL, OCCUPATION, EDUCATION, BIRTH AND DEATH RATES, IN- AND OUT- MIGRATION, AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. FOR THE ARTS MANAGER, UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THEIR COMMUNITY, REGION, AND STATE IS IMPORTANT FOR SEVERAL KEY REASONS. ONE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION AN ARTS MANAGER IS ALWAYS CONTEMPLATING RELATES TO THE KIND OF PROGRAMMING THE ORGANIZATION PRESENTS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY. ARTISTS ARE OFTEN EXPLORING NEW BOUNDARIES AND TESTING IDEAS THAT MAY CREATE ANXIETY FOR THE BOARD AND STAFF. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ARTS MANAGER OR A BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT ALLOWS AN ORGANIZATION TO MOVE TOO FAR FROM THE CORE VALUES AND GENERALLY ACCEPTED BELIEFS OF THEIR COMMUNITY RISK LOSING SUPPORT. AT THE SAME TIME, ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT FAIL TO TACKLE ISSUES THAT MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL RUN THE RISK OF BECOMING IRRELEVANT IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

CONNECTING TO THE READING: CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS THE TEXT A RECENT OVERVIEW OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES ISSUED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU INDICATED AMERICA BETWEEN 2012 AND 2060 WOULD BE OLDER AND MORE ETHNICALLY DIVERSE. ALL IN ALL, MINORITIES, NOW 37% OF THE U.S. POPULATION, ARE PROJECTED TO COMPRISE 57% OF THE POPULATION BY 2060. THE ARTICLE DESPITE MORE THAN 66 PERCENT OF CLEVELAND S POPULATION IDENTIFYING AS PEOPLE OF COLOR, THEY CONSTITUTED ONLY 24 PERCENT OF THE MUSEUM S 600,000 ANNUAL VISITORS.

CONNECTING TO THE READING: CHANGING CULTURAL VALUES THE TEXT INCREASINGLY, THE DOMINANT CULTURE IS CHANGING TO REFLECT POINTS OF VIEW THAT ARE MORE DIVERSE. WOMEN, AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, AND ASIAN AMERICAN ARTISTS ARE HELPING TO CHANGE CULTURAL VALUES TO REFLECT A BROADER VISION THAN THAT OF THE WHITE EUROCENTRIC WORLDVIEW. THE ARTICLE ONE OF MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE PLAN INCLUDES THE CREATION OF FELLOWSHIP AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN EXECUTIVE AND CURATORIAL POSITIONS. RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION IN 2015 FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH 28 PERCENT OF MUSEUM STAFFS ARE FROM MINORITY BACKGROUNDS [SIC], THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THESE WORKERS ARE CONCENTRATED IN SECURITY, FACILITIES, FINANCE, AND HUMAN RESOURCES JOBS. AMONG MUSEUM CURATORS, CONSERVATORS, EDUCATORS AND LEADERS, ONLY FOUR PERCENT ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND THREE PERCENT [LATINX].

CONNECTING TO THE READING: ADAPTIVE PROGRAMMING THE TEXT ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF A COMMUNITY IS SHIFTING THAT WILL PROBABLY OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN ARTS ORGANIZATION PROGRAMMING CHOICES. THE ARTICLE AS PART OF THE PLAN, FIVE AREAS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY WERE EXAMINED: ART, PLACE, AUDIENCE, RESOURCES, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE. SOME OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES INCLUDE: INCREASING ACQUISITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS OF HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED PEOPLE, SEEKING CONTRACTS WITH MINORITY VENDORS, IMPLEMENTING ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES, AND DEVELOPING INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING AND HIRING PROCESSES.