CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Breaking Down Barriers to Access: Thoughts on Inclusivity, Mentorship and Diversifying Museums

Online event: 9 December 2020

Two webinars focusing on expanding DEAI (diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion) values within the museum are organized by Inclusivity in Dutch and Flemish Art (IDFA) and the Center for Netherlandish Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

IDFA, an organization of 30-40 curators of Dutch and Flemish art in the United States, was started by a group of American CODART members who who meet monthly to explore key DEAI themes within our museum collections.  Their goal is to deepen the understanding of the values of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion, and brainstorm actionable responses together.

The webinar sessions are free and open to the public, and will be recorded and posted to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston YouTube channel.

Breaking Down Barriers to Access

The first webinar, Breaking Down Barriers to Access: Thoughts on Inclusivity, Mentorship and Diversifying Museums takes place on 9 December 2020 from 3-4 EST (21:00 – 22:00 CET). This panel discussion unites the expertise of three museum changemakers to address how the curatorial field can thoughtfully reshape itself to better reflect American audiences. For the second webinar, see this page.

Panelists

Monica O. Montgomery, MA, is the newly minted Curator of Special Projects + Programming with Smithsonian Institution Arts + Industries Building. As an arts administrator, she uses her platforms to be in service to society, working at the intersection of equity, community and diversity in museums. She is the co-founder and strategic director of Museum Hue, leading the premiere multicultural group in advancing the visibility and viability of BIPOC in museums, and building diverse representation and equity through advocacy with members throughout Europe and North America. She is an arts and culture innovator, who has been featured in the media on Humans of New York, C-Span, Hyperallergic, Radio One, Black Art in America, and The Museum Life podcast.

Thanh Sinden is an independent arts and museum consultant supporting organisations and teams in Audience Development strategies, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Arts Health and Wellbeing initiatives. Thanh works as a collaborator, facilitator and enabler for positive change and involved in various projects with individuals, arts and cultural organisations to make change happen. Thanh works with teams that have vision and purpose in a strategic way to turn plans into actions for a more inclusive sector. Her work has taken her across the UK and internationally with groups and organisations, such as Museum Detox, British Council, Museum Association, Tate, Arts Marketing Association and Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.

Hilary L. Walter is the Manager of Academic Programs, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Hilary Walter has managed programs that support emerging art professionals, from historically under-represented groups, gain access to internships and fellowships in art organizations for over a decade. She is currently the National Fellowship Coordinator for the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program. She is also involved in the LACMA-ASU Master’s Fellowship in art history program, and the LACMA Emerging Art Professionals (LEAP) Fellowship program at the museum. Prior to her time at LACMA, Walter oversaw the Getty Foundation’s Multicultural Undergraduate Internship program at the Getty Center and Villa.

This webinar will be moderated by Diva Zumaya, Assistant Curator, Department of European Painting and Sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

To register, please click on this link.