Can Museums Remain Politically Neutral?

In 2010 the Supreme court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a controversial decision that allowed corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. This opened the flood gates for corporations to use their funds to try to influence politicians that will promote their philosophies and interests. Institutions, as well, have become more and more involved in politics.

But what about museums? Aren’t they a-political? Bridging a gap between a Corporation, a museum and a place for diversion is Disney World which took a stance against Florida’s Governor DeSantis’s so called, “Don’t Say Gay Law” and the Governor retaliated.

Museums were originally created by or from great collections belonging to the Church or wealthy families such as the Medici, comprised of wealthy white people with immense power. By definition they were political leaders. Has anything changed? The large city museums are still supported by the 21st century version of the same.

It has been pointed out that Museums already take political stances by what they are willing to collect and can demonstrate where they stand by the exhibitions they put on. The Metropolitan Museum, having been criticized for not showing the art of Black artists just highlighted the fact that they were doing an exhibition of the art by a Black slave, Juan de Pareja (1606-1670). Take that anyway you wish, but I am sure some will say, they only did that because the artist could be related to a famous White artist, Velazquez, who had painted his portrait. Either way it is political.

After the past President put in a travel ban which affected people from predominantly Muslim countries the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) put up a selection of works by some of the artists from those targeted countries. That may be a very subtle form of protest but for those who pay attention it certainly expresses the political leanings of the Museum. The exhibition could not have happened without the efforts of the curators, the consent of the Director and no intervention, if not support as well, from the trustees.

Artists, of course, use their creative abilities to make social and political statements? Some do it through satire in cartoons or prints ...

Some with paintings and drawings of political events ...

Some with photographs of the poor and downtrodden ...

These are all efforts to call attention to societal problems, i.e. political ...

Now that I have written just how political museums have always been. I will leave you with something to think about. The Museum of the American Revolution is a private museum in Philadelphia that according to a museum spokesperson wishes “to create an inclusive and accessible museum experience for visitors with a wide range of viewpoints and beliefs”. In articles by Kevin M. Levin in Slate and by Taylor Dafoe in Artnet both published on June 29, we learn that historians across the country are objecting to the museum renting out its space for a welcoming gathering for “Moms for Liberty”. The radically right-wing parents’ group that supports book bans, anti-LGBTQ curriculums, and are against teaching about race, gender and sexuality organized a four-day event that took place throughout Philadelphia with the usual suspects as speakers. The Museum’s role only became known when staff publicly protested, being concerned for their own safety. For me it is a conundrum because I believe that different points of view should be expressed but to have extremists in a museum that tells a story about the founding of our country…

What do you think?