“The Curatorial Department” have signed a letter to the Guggenheim Museum demanding immediate action from the institution’s leadership.
The letter, addressed to the museum’s director Richard Armstrong; senior deputy director Elizabeth Duggal; general counsel Sarah G. Austrian and the museum’s artistic director and chief curator Nancy Spector, read: “We write to express collective concern regarding our institution, which is in urgent need of reform.”
Cultural institutions across the US and beyond are being held to account following the killing of George Floyd. According to the authors of the letter, the Guggenheim is “an inequitable work environment that enables racism, white supremacy, and other discriminatory practices.” The authors declined to write their names when signing the letter for fear of retaliation.
Armstrong confirmed receipt of the letter and said that curators were “outlining requests to change procedures to ensure more collective, transparent and accountable decision-making processes in the department.”
He continued that: “Our curatorial staff is essential to the Guggenheim and we are listening,” noting that: “Their effort to make change is an opportunity for us to engage in a beneficial dialogue to become a more diverse, equitable and welcoming organization for all.”
Armstrong responded to the letter by speaking with some of the museum’s 22 curators in a Zoom call yesterday. Spector has made the decision to take a three-month sabbatical from her role, however, it is believed this is entirely unrelated to the letter.
Troy Conrad Therrien, the curator of architecture and digital initiatives for the museum published his own letter on Sunday which read: “It’s time for many of us who have benefited from this flawed system while holding leadership positions to make space for those who can more fully embody the equity that is no longer just necessary but urgent.”
His offer to resign is still being considered by the museum.
