Examining How Art Schools Shore Up White Supremacy at SVA
On March 29, panelists will identify how art schools perpetuate the exclusion of artists of color and propose ways to diversify the canon.
The current debate over a certain painting in the 2017 Whitney Biennial is, among other things, a clear reminder — as if one were needed — that institutional racism permeates American art museums. To see the syllabi of art schools’ survey courses confirms that the same blind spots afflict our institutions of higher learning, leading to a community that’s not only lacking in a diversity of voices and discourse, but, worse still, frequently oblivious to that lack.
A panel this Wednesday evening, March 29, at the School of Visual Arts, “Erasure by Exclusion: How Art Schools and Institutions Uphold White Supremacy,” will address this topic, with participants identifying how art schools perpetuate the exclusion of the contributions of artists of color. Current student Anastasia Warren and alumna Shellyne Rodriguez will co-moderate the conversation, which will take place between documentarian Robin J. Hayes and artists Tomashi Jackson, Cheryl R. Riley, and Bill Gaskins. Together, they will attempt to identify solutions to loosen the grip of institutional racism.
When: Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30pm
Where: SVA Theatre (333 W 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan)
More info here.
