Remodeling an American Cultural Institution: a Critique of The
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REMODELING AN AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTION: A CRITIQUE OF THE DECOLONIZATION OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART A THESIS Presented to the Visual and Critical Studies Program Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies By Taryn Curatti May 2020 ii ` WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, HAVE APPROVED THIS THESIS REMODELING AN AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTION: A CRITIQUE OF THE DECOLONIZATION OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART By Taryn Curatti COMMITTEE MEMBERS Karen L. Carter, Ph.D. (thesis supervisor) Art History/MAVCS Susanna Engbers, Ph.D. General Education/MAVCS Richard Yarhouse, M.F.A. Digital Media/MAVCS Diane Zeeuw, M.F.A. Painting/MAVCS Chair, M.A. in Visual and Critical Studies Program Master of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies Program (MAVCS) Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University May 2020 iii ` Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................... iv List of Illustrations ......................................................................... iv Acknowledgments......................................................................... vii Chapter One: Introduction ...............................................................1 Chapter Two: Museum Unrest: The Need for Change ..................20 Chapter Three: Primitivism at MoMA ...........................................50 Chapter Four: Modernizing MoMA: A Critique of Success .........69 Chapter Five: Conclusion ..............................................................99 Illustrations ..................................................................................111 Bibliography ................................................................................125 iv ` Abstract The focus of this thesis is assessing museums as representational cultural institutions and the ethical responsibility these institutions have in regard to accessibility and inclusivity of artifacts and information for the public. Accurate representation of cultural narratives and marginalized groups of artists within institutions has been severely lacking and needs to be addressed. Additionally, there has long been a lack of diverse representation within the infrastructure of cultural institutions in regard to gender and race in positions of power or authority. The specific institution that is evaluated in this thesis is the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Historically speaking, MoMA has been under fire in both public and scholarly critique for specific exhibitions and a clear lack of diverse artist representation and inclusivity since its creation. The Museum has recently undergone a renovation of its gallery spaces as well as a restructuring and rehanging of their collection in an effort towards decolonization. After first discussing museum unrest on a larger scale, then closely evaluating specific instances of controversy in MoMA’s recent past, I finally evaluate MoMA’s attempts at decolonization and the attempted shift towards inclusivity and accessibility. My research addresses why museums need to change, while evaluating how MoMA has made attempts at this cultural shift and if these attempts are deemed successful. Keywords: representation, inclusivity, accessibility, decolonization, institutional critique, museology, intersectionality, narrative v ` List of Illustrations Fig. 1. Banners at a town hall held at Cooper Union, New York, on January 26, 2019. Photograph by Alex Greenberger, reproduced with the permission of the artist. Fig. 2. Photograph of Michelle Hartney at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018. Copyright by Nate Brav-McCabe, reproduced with the permission of the artist. Fig. 3. Photograph of protest by artist and activist Parker Bright, standing in front of Dana Schutz’s Open Casket (2016), at the Whitney Museum of Art, 2017. Photograph by Scott W. H. Young, via Twitter, reproduced under fair use. From Artsy. Unpacking the Whitney’s "Black Death Spectacle.” Fig. 4. Announcement for the African Negro Art exhibition and publication, 1935. Photograph and permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art Archives. “African Negro Art” announcement. Fig. 5. Installation view of the exhibition African Negro Art, 1935. Photograph by Soichi Sunami, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art Archives. “African Negro Art” installation view. Fig. 6. Installation view of the exhibition “Primitivism” in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, 1984. Photograph by Katherine Keller, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art Archives. “Primitivism” installation view. Fig. 7. Image of publication Among Others: Blackness at MoMA, 2019. Photograph and permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. “Among Others: Blackness at MoMA” press release. Fig. 8. Exterior view of the Museum of Modern Art, 53rd Street Entrance Canopy, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, 2019. Photograph by Iwan Baan, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. 53rd Street Entrance Canopy. Fig. 9. Installation view of the exhibition Artist’s Choice: Amy Sillman – The Shape of Shape, 2019. Photograph by Heidi Bohnenkamp, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. “Artist's Choice: Amy Sillman.” Fig. 10. Betye Saar, Black Girl’s Window, 1969. Photograph and permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. Betye Saar, “Black Girl’s Window.” Fig. 11. Betye Saar, Phrenology Man Digs Sol y Luna, 1966. Photograph and permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. Betye Saar, “Phrenology Man Digs Sol y Luna.” Fig. 12. Installation view of the gallery Around Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in the exhibition Collection 1880s-1940s, 2019. Photograph by Heidi Bohnenkamp, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. “Around ‘Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.’” Fig. 13. Installation view of the gallery Around Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in the exhibition Collection 1880s-1940s, 2019. Photograph by Jonathan Muzikar, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. “Around ‘Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.’” vi ` Fig. 14. Installation view of the gallery Around Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in the exhibition Collection 1880s-1940s, 2019. Photograph by Jonathan Muzikar, permission to reproduce courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. “Around ‘Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.’” vii ` Acknowledgments I would like to begin by thanking Dr. Karen Carter and Professor Diane Zeeuw. Your support of believing in me as a student and guiding my practice over the last two years has allowed me to apply my strengths and interests in a realm where I wasn’t sure I belonged. Both of you have restored my faith in my writing abilities, and your support and impact on my education will never be forgotten. I would also like to express gratitude toward Dr. Stefanie Snider for helping me navigate theoretical and practical approaches to the study of museums, and for offering your time and advice to help shape my thesis. I truly appreciate your guidance and support of my passion for justice. Additionally, I would like to offer thanks to Dr. Susanna Engbers and Professor Brad Yarhouse for partaking in the committee process and taking the time to analyze the research I have spent the last two years working on. Your professional statures have provided additional perspectives to my research, and I appreciate your advice in my editing process. My thanks also belong to Professor Gayle DeBruyn for introducing me to the MAVCS program at Kendall College of Art and Design; without your warm welcome and guidance, I would not have pursued this path and for that, I cannot say thank you enough. Finally, my sincerest thanks belong to my family, friends and peers; you have been the greatest support system I could ever ask for. 1 ` Chapter One: Introduction Overview Since the development of the first cabinet-of-curiosities and kunstkammers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the act of collecting and displaying artifacts and art objects has existed as both a personal experience for groups and individuals, as well as the purpose of cultural institutions. Art museums, cultural-history museums and natural-history museums have different justifications for their activities and radically different conceptions of how to use and present their collections.1 Regardless of the type of institution, museums are expected to be neutral in the information they are presenting, as well as the means of the presented information. Unfortunately, it is very clear there is no neutrality, as seen with the great disparities of the corporate and financial infrastructure within institutions down to the lack of inclusivity and the misrepresentation of oppressed artists and cultures. Even in a world where these disparities wouldn’t exist, pure neutrality in practice will always exist as a reflection of the curator, relevant financial contingencies, the historical time period, and so on, regardless of intention. Established art dealer and gallerist Ivan Karp writes about neutrality within exhibitions in “Culture and Representation,” stating: “The mode of installation, the subtle messages communicated through design, arrangement, and assemblage, can either aid or impede our appreciation and understanding of the visual, cultural, social and political interest of the objects and stories exhibited in museums.”2 This is the museum