Representation as a Bridge to Inclusivity in Art

Art Historical Cannon in America

The most popular and highly sought after art museums hold a great significance to how society learns about different types of artwork. The National Gallery of Art in D.C holds the Presidential paintings, and works ranging from the Middle Ages to Western Art; The Met, NYC, is the largest museum in America and houses a large Egyptian collection; These high-profile museums and other notable ones are a great place to not only enjoy art, but to learn about history through the lenses of certain eras. However, most of the art acquired in said museums are male Euro-centric in the historical and the contemporary. The demographic of the population often does not properly represent everyone. If we want a more inclusive environment for locals to enjoy the physical work and learn about other non-western perspectives, then there must be different perspectives shown in the galleries.

Example of BIPOC Representations in Museums

The Baltimore Museum of Art is one of the many museums that has made strives to re-contextualize contemporary art and increase attraction to people already living in the area. In 2020, the BMA acquired works solely made by BIPOC women. During that year the BMA also faced backlash because of a plan to deaccession significant white male artists to fund staff salaries and diversify their future collections. Just recently, in 2023, the BMA entered a new collection of works in an exhibition called The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. This coincided with the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop. Tributes like these to black culture and other cultures that are marginalized, allow the individual to broaden their artistic perspectives of what is around them today.

Thoughts

As I develop my project, I want to consider the significance of digitizing my art and how it highlights a moment of my community to a wider audience. This platform allows for a variety of viewers to interact without the financial or physical barrier of viewing it in a gallery.

Additional Readings

The Baltimore Museum of Art Concludes a Year of Collecting Work by Only Women Artists

The Linguistic Overlap of Color Theory and Racism