Black Lives Matter: what art museums did next

This is a record of what you can see on the websites of major art galleries and museums in the USA today - in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd

• starting with the Minnesota Museum of American Art and 
• finishing with the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

They tell an important story. Don't skip the last image.

Minnesota Museum of American Art

The statement on the home page of the website

BLACK LIVES MATTER.Demands for justice in the face of George Floyd’s murder are reverberating from the Twin Cities across the world. Museums are not neutral and must actively participate in the dismantling of deeply rooted, systemic racism and racial violence in America. The M stands in solidarity with the Black community and allies showing up in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul—to protest, clean up, and support the tired, angry, and grieving. The many visionary Black and BIPOC artists in the mix are testifying to the power of art to confront white supremacy, to speak truth to power, to honor and resist forgetting, and to heal. We’re listening and reflecting on how the M can center and help sustain this anti-racist work.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

READ Standing in Solidarity, Committing to the Work Ahead (June 1, 2020)
by Daniel H. Weiss, President and CEO; and Max Hollein, Director

We know that art can be a powerful tool for commenting on contemporary issues, and that museums can play an important role in facilitating important, yet uncomfortable discussions. As the national conversation around racial injustice has heightened in recent days, we have been using our social media channels to highlight works from our collection that invite reflection on our nation's complicated past and present.

National Gallery of Art, Washington

READ Director's Message - PERSPECTIVES
by Kaywin Feldman, Director, National Gallery of Art June 01, 2020

We must remain hopeful, generous, just, and kind now. Our past does not have to be our destiny. We must let the power of art, which is the power of all that we share as human beings, be a power that prevails through this difficult time.

Museum of Fine Art, Boston

READ Director’s Message
BY Matthew Teitelbaum and Ann and Graham Gund Director

It is past time to recognize that the usual commitments to change are not enough, and that we have an obligation to make a difference. Only demonstrable actions will evidence a commitment. We acknowledge that the MFA, like many art and cultural organizations across America, has work to do to become the institution to which we aspire. This is the time for us to determine: “How will the MFA take the lead on bridging and healing the divides that exist among us?”

Art Institute Chicago

READ Our Commitment to Racial Justice and Equity 
BY —James RondeauPresident and Eloise W. Martin Director

.....this cannot simply be a time for words. Museums are contested sites; we are not neutral. We have the ability to play a constructive role in civic discourse. This is a time for self-reflection, a time for us to thoughtfully understand the best ways to advance racial justice. We recognize both the specific limitations of our authority as well as the boundless potential of an art museum to give shape and structure to new narratives. Grief will transform into action.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

READ Black Lives Matter

We stand with our community in rejecting racism, in mourning, and in demanding justice for the deaths of countless African Americans who continue to be targeted by systematic violence. We recognize that museums cannot claim neutrality in addressing the horrific issues that have plagued our society for centuries.

Minneapolis Institute of Art 

READ: Nothing

It's as if nothing happened in the city where George Floyd died.
Check out https://new.artsmia.org/