About
Who
Museums Moving Forward (MMF) is a staff-driven initiative to support greater equity and accountability in art museum workplaces through data and research.
Why
As lovers of art museums and workers within them, we have been concerned to witness multiple and widening disconnects in American cultural institutions while having nowhere to address and work through them collectively. MMF is committed to working together in new ways to co-design productive solutions for museums moving forward.
How
MMF's work is driven by shared values of trust, courage, and care. Our shared leadership structure facilitates collaboration and consent-based decision making.
MMF TEAM
Makeda Best Head of Editorial (Curator of Photography, Harvard Art Museums)
Connie Butler Editorial Committee (Chief Curator, Hammer Museum)
Marissa Del Toro Director of Communications (Assistant Director, NXTHVN)
Jason Dubs Grants Administrator (Project Manager, MoMA)
Alex Klein Editorial Committee (Head Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Contemporary Austin)
Mia Locks Head of Strategy and Editorial Committee (Independent Curator)
Matthew Villar Miranda Director of Research (Curatorial Fellow, Walker Art Center)
Liz Munsell Editorial Committee (Curator of Contemporary Art, Jewish Museum)
Margot Norton Editorial Committee (Curator, New Museum)
Cathy Richmond Robinson Initiatives Administrator (Independent)
We have shifting roles that adapt based on the needs of our projects. The above list reflects the current team configuration. If you are interested in getting involved with MMF, please contact us.
MMF ADVISORS
Jen Benoit-Bryan (President, Slover Linett)
Diane Jean-Mary (Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, LaPlaca Cohen)
Christine Y. Kim (Curator-at-Large, Tate Modern)
Jenni Kim (COO, Park Avenue Armory)
Brooke A. Minto (Executive Director, Black Trustee Alliance)
Jessica Morgan (Director, Dia Art Foundation)
Kelli Morgan (Director of Curatorial Studies, Tufts University)
Melissa A. Passman (Attorney at Law)
Christine Steiner (Attorney at Law)
Olga Viso (Independent Curator and Arts Consultant)
More Context
MMF is dedicated to leveraging the position of curators within the art museum infrastructure to 1) build bridges between the varied stakeholders; 2) collectively assess the state of the field, obstacles to equity, and new models for change; and 3) create an actionable, sustainable platform for change that can be adapted and applied system-wide.
Since 2018, our cross-institutional and intergenerational coalition has centered women and BIPOC professionals, and the group has grown to more than 200 current and former staff members from 60+ museums across the U.S.
Since drafting our initial platform in 2019, MMF’s work has focused on research and coalition-building. In 2021, we facilitated eight convenings on topics related to internal culture and structure, program and audience, and legal issues in museum workplaces.
In 2022, we conducted a field-wide data study about workplace equity and organizational culture in U.S. art museums, and launched a programmatic partnership with the advocacy group MASS Action to increase alignment between curatorial, education, and other staff within the broader movement of museum workers advocating for institutional change.
Our first report will be available in spring 2023 with an analysis of the data study results. Please check our Programs page for more information about upcoming events in 2023!
Acknowledgements
This project is the direct result of the labor of many people who have attended meetings and convenings, reviewed documents, assisted with grant writing, participated in roundtables, conducted research and outreach, offered critical feedback, and acted as thought partners along the way. We wish to acknowledge the following individuals and offer our profound gratitude for their contributions to MMF in its different formations:
Nora Abrams, Carla Acevedo-Yates, Christine Anagnos, Liz Andrews, Anniessa Antar, Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Rachael Arauz, Candice Banjes-Small, Stephanie Barron, Emma Batman, Kristen Becker, Naomi Beckwith, Michelle Bedford, Jen Benoit-Bryan, Makeda Best, Sarah Bodinson, Katherine Brinson, Charlotte Burns, Johanna Burton, Connie Butler, Elisabeth Callihan, Nikki Columbus, Lauren Cornell, Deborah Cullen-Morales, Russell Davis, Melody Buyukozer Dawkins, Marissa Del Toro, Leah Dickerman, Jason Dubs, Buffy Easton, Adrienne Edwards, Mario Einaudi, Carol Eliel, Anne Ellegood, Ruth Erickson, Amber Esseiva, Cheryl Finley, Michelle Millar Fisher, Lori Fogarty, Wendy Fox-Kirk, Glorimar Garcia, Miki Garcia, Amy Gilman, Thelma Golden, Rita Gonzalez, Madeleine Grynsztejn, Marcela Guerrero, Michael Guidetti, Julia Halperin, Larissa Harris, Morgan Hayes, Lauren Haynes, Casandra Hernández Faham, Megan Heuer, Elsa Hiltner, Rujeko Hockley, Seena Hodges, Candice Hopkins, L. Camille Hébert, Henriette Huldisch, Amanda Hunt, Joanna Hunter, Jane Hyun, Andrea Inokon, Danielle Iwata, Apsara Iyer, Ana Janevski, Ashley James, Jamillah James, Diane Jean-Mary, Gretchen Jennings, Gabriel Kaptchuk, Ruba Katrib, Anna Katz, Naima Keith, Christine Y. Kim, Jenni Kim, Min Jung Kim, Jennie King, Alex Klein, Jennifer Kneivel, Emily Koh, Drew Kugler, Michelle Kuo, Saida Largaespada, Yvonne Lee, Alexandra Letvin, Emily Liebert, Frances Lloyd-Baynes, Mia Locks, Hailey Loman, Sharon Maidenberg, Lisa Mark, Courtney Martin, Akemi May, Makeeba McCreary, Kimberli Meyer, Brooke A. Minto, Matthew Villar Miranda, Helen Molesworth, Porchia Moore, Jessica Morgan, Kelli Morgan, Catherine Morris, Liz Munsell, Asma Naeem, Margot Norton, María Elena Ortiz, Jane Panetta, Jessie Park, Anne Pasternak, Melissa A. Passman, Harsh Patel, Jackie Peterson, Lisa Phillips, Judith Pineiro, Jessica Porter, Ido Radon, Laura Raicovich, Eva Respini, Cathy Richmond Robinson, Victoria Rogers, Legacy Russell, Peter Russo, Claire Ruud, Siddhartha V. Shah, Yayoi Shionoiri, Kathleen Shiroma, Xaviera Simmons, Melanie Sirisoma, Lise Soskolne, Cara Starke, Christine Steiner, Megan Steinman, Kailee Stovall, Terrie Sultan, Sarah Suzuki, Lumi Tan, Eugenie Tsai, Mayank Varia, Marie Vickles, Olga Viso, Julie Rodrigues Widholm, Angela Yang, Christina Yang, X Zhu, Diva Zumaya
