Museum slammed after hiring white curator for African art exhibit

Discussion in 'In the News' started by darkcurry, Apr 1, 2018.

  1. darkcurry

    darkcurry Well-Known Member

    https://nypost.com/2018/03/31/museum-slammed-after-hiring-white-curator-for-african-art-exhibit/

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    The Brooklyn Museum has sparked outrage in the black community after tapping a white woman to curate its vast African art collection.

    On Monday the museum appointed Kristen Windmuller-Luna, 31, who has a Ph.D. in African art history from Princeton University, lectures in Columbia University’s department of art history and archaeology, and once worked as an educator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was “responsible for adult and college gallery tours in the African galleries.”

    Despite the stellar résumé, her hiring left some wondering why a qualified person of color did not get the post.

    “Seriously, @brooklynmuseum? There goes the neighborhood for good,” opined Philadelphia journalist Ernest Owens on Twitter.

    “People from the African Diaspora are frustrated w/white people being gatekeepers of our narrative,” tweeted Kimberly Seldon.

    The museum defended its decision.

    “Kristen is the perfect choice to build upon the Brooklyn Museum’s track record as an innovator in the collection and exhibition of the arts of Africa,” said Jennifer Chi, the museum’s chief curator, in a statement.

    The museum said it was “committed to equity” but would not discuss the hiring process with The Post.

    Following days of criticism on social media, the museum tweeted Thursday: “We have been listening closely to the debate about our recent appointments to our curatorial team. We’re listening and we hear you. As we think about ways to engage in this conversation with the care it deserves, we want to assure you that you can count on us, as ever, to continue working deeply on equity within our institution and beyond.”

    African-Americans make up just 4 percent of all “curators, conservators, educators, and leadership,” according to a Mellon Foundation demographic study in 2015. The same report said that people of color occupied 42 percent of “intellectual leadership” positions at the Brooklyn Museum.
     
  2. ColiBreh1

    ColiBreh1 Well-Known Member

    SMH. I guess this more of an example of whining about cultural appropriation.
     
  3. darkcurry

    darkcurry Well-Known Member

    I'm mixed on this. Here are the things I get why they should've hired a black person to be a curator of it's African art collection:

    1. They only make up just 4 percent of all curators and educators at museums.

    2. This is African Art so I get people's comfort level. I mean we still get outrage when POC do something they are used to white people doing.

    3. We are not there yet where this wouldn't matter to people.

    But at the same time I don't understand why this would matter

    1. I mean she studied African Art history nearly her entire adult life is she not allowed to have a job for what she love and have a Phd in?

    2. How many black people applied for the position with her credentials or better? That is important to know.

    3. This is one of MANY museums that have African art collections around the U.S.

    And for black people coming at them even some labeling them colonizers is disgusting and shows how some black people in this country obviously don't want racism to end or they would be on board with racial unity. You don't call white people racist or colonizers who are just as disgusted by those type of people and are working against as you are.

    I mean take Sally-Ann Ashton for example who has wrote books, made lectures and has a PhD in Egyptian Archaeology. She is putting it out there with her evidence that Ancient Egyptians were predominantly black and is catching HEAT for it from white people that HATE it whenever people point that out. Is she a racist? Is she a colonizer because she's not a black woman writing these books or doing lectures on this? Just ridiculous how blinded by hate some black folks are.
     
  4. RicardoCooper

    RicardoCooper Well-Known Member

    "How did your ancestors acquire this piece? Did they pay fair market value?" -- Erik Killmonger
     
  5. flaminghetero

    flaminghetero Well-Known Member

    Mad because it's a WW...and a cute one.
     
  6. GFunk

    GFunk Well-Known Member

    I get SOME of the frustration, but she's qualified for the damn job. It's mostly bullshit whining. If she respects the art, the people and history, I see no issue.

    She cute, too. ;)

    I understand there are reasons to side eye and shit on "Beckys" out there, but this ain't one of them. This ain't some white aspiring hoodrat or some colonizer trying to change shit or "tell our story".

    Also, motherfuckers are running "colonizer" into the ground because of shit like this.
     
  7. darkcurry

    darkcurry Well-Known Member

    Yeah it's like what do they want white people to do. Her and Sally-Ann just by having a vast interest in this and educating other white people(they miss that part.) on this they are already throwing white privilege out the window. I mentioned in my points of how I would understand some of the things wrong with this picture, but like you said she's qualified, respects the art and dedicated most of her adult life to this. She is probably and more than likely has more knowledge than a lot of them complaining. If anything they should be mad at themselves that this "colonizer" knows more about African art than they do! They should be mad at themselves that this "colonizer" is more INTERESTED in this than they are!
     
  8. GFunk

    GFunk Well-Known Member

    They'll glorify strippers, Love and Hip Hop groupies, Cardi B, gold diggers and trap houses talking about "secure the bag" and "get it how you live it" and "I won't knock your hustle so don't knock mine", but trying to take the bag out this woman's hand like she didn't work for it with her legs closed and over a decade of studying.
     
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  9. DudeNY12

    DudeNY12 Well-Known Member

    I get that a black person would be ideal, but if this person comes along with the necessary qualifications... Hire her!
     
  10. flaminghetero

    flaminghetero Well-Known Member

    Folks gotta choose their battles better than this.
     
  11. Bliss

    Bliss Well-Known Member

    My friend keeps saying, SM will be the ruination of society.

    First of all, what the whiners are advocating for, is illegal.
    Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It makes it illegal for employers to discriminate based upon protected characteristics regarding terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

    Brooklyn Museum will be slapped with a lawsuit faster than before they could tweet they 'fired her (because she's White)", and they know it.

    Furthermore, those complaining can never complain about work discrimination again. They can't have it both ways.

    This is so appalling to me. You don't have to be African to LEARN African Art, and to LOVE African Art and to TEACH that knowledge. That's insane.

    This means, don't learn or dare teach Impressionist Art unless you're French, or Classical Art unless you're Greek...etc..
    Let's not stop there. Extend it to languages. Dance. Martial Arts. Culinary - you name it - don't learn it, dont teach it and don't work it.

    Honestly, anyone enjoying the African Art she has chosen for exhibition shouldn't give a damn as to the color of the curator's skin.
    Do you like the Art? Then ENJOY the Art.
    It's not like she personally created the Art.
     
  12. Bliss

    Bliss Well-Known Member

    Here is a classic example...
    Imagine if they applied their logic to these examples...

    14 BLACK CLASSICISTS

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    William Sanders Scarborough

    ..Focuses on the lives of fourteen African-American men and women who taught Greek and Latin at the college or university level ...

    "With them...begins the serious study and teaching of philology (the study of language) by African Americans.

    Featured African-American academics... include:

    - William Sanders Scarborough(above), the first black member of the Modern Language Association and author of a Greek textbook (1881),

    - Lewis Baxter Moore,(1866 - 1928) who earned the first Ph.D. awarded by the University of Pennsylvania to an African-American for his work on the Greek tragedian Sophocles.
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    - Wiley Lane (1885), the first black professor of Greek at Howard University ...

    Frankly, it makes my heart beam to know these men loved with a passion, Greek Lit and language, to the point it was their chosen field..

    No one should ever be reprimanded or thwarted from pursing and engaging in whatever passion and interests they have, in ANY CAPACITY. Live and let live!
     
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  13. darkcurry

    darkcurry Well-Known Member

    I was trying to find something to show the double standard this backlash is having as well. Good find. Or did you already knew about them?
     
  14. Bliss

    Bliss Well-Known Member

    I didn't. I'm thrilled to learn this though.

    Keep in mind, already knew there are many fortes in which Black people extend expertise academically, so figured cultural and the antiquities would no doubt be covered. It took me but a minute to find the men in my post.

    I'm in awe of them, tbh. As a history lover, l would be crushing hard in their presence. Feeling giddy just looking at those handsome, stoic intellectuals. :D *Where's a time machine when l need it.* (I digress)
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2018
  15. DudeNY12

    DudeNY12 Well-Known Member

    Agreed! It's silly, and very unfortunate.
     

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