The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Team is proud to announce our Forum’s first “Deep Dive Conversation”. We invite you to join us in exploring the subject of diversity, equity and inclusion through stimulating discussions aimed at giving us a more complete understanding of the critical importance of DEI in our world. This Forum is the first of its kind at the League. All members are welcome! We will lead managed discussions over the next month to explore this topic in depth.
(2020 exhibit at the DeYoung Museum, San Francisco)
We’ll start by focusing our lens on the art world; specifically, how museums and art galleries are grappling with these issues in their decisions about how to display, share, acquire and build their collections.
Did you know that right here in SW Florida the Naples Depot Museum is preparing to open a gallery devoted to works by artists of color? This gallery will be the first of its kind for Naples! There’s an opportunity here for League members to get involved in the planning stages by sharing their ideas about diversity, equity and inclusion.
But first, let’s step back and consider the underlying questions about DEI in the art world: What are the roles and responsibilities of these public-facing institutions? Do museums and galleries have a responsibility to exhibit art that provides an accurate and complete representation of history? What specific actions could they take to ensure that they are sharing an honest portrayal of history and peoples in their art? Do they have an obligation to reach out to their own local communities and welcome them in? What specific actions could they pursue to make that happen?
Join us on our DEI Forum page on May 25 to launch this conversation! We will have a managed conversation with a set of new topics and guest experts each week for the next month. Let's take the deep dive and begin the hard work of understanding this complex topic. We welcome you to join in the conversation as frequently as you’d like! What do you think?