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Timeline

    1. December 2020

      1. Museum Workers from Portland Museum of Art vote for a Union Staff, Unions External Link 1 External Link 2
      2. Departure of Peabody Essex Museum's Director Brian P. Kennedy Departure, Staff External Link 1
      3. Founding of United Museum Workers Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Staff, Unions External Link 1 External Link 2
      4. Departure of SITE Santa Fe's Director Irene Hofmann Departure, Staff External Link 1
      5. Founding of Walker Worker Union (AFSCME) Staff, Unions External Link 1

    2. November 2020

      1. Departure of Standford's Cantor Arts Center's Director Susan Dackerman Departure, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1
      2. Founding of Milwaukee Art Museum IAMAW United Lodge 66 Union Staff, Unions External Link 1 External Link 2
      3. Ithaka S+R Art Museum Director Survey 2020 Internal Strategy, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1

    3. October 2020

      1. Balitmore Museum of Art suspends deaccession plan Diversity, Exhibitions, Museum Collections External Link 1
      2. Departure of PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art) President and CEO David Brigham Departure, Staff External Link 1
      3. Founding of Black Trustee Alliance Boards / Trustees, Museum Advocacy, Museum Boards External Link 1 External Link 2
      4. Baltimore Museum of Art Curators address deaccession plan Diversity, Exhibitions, Museum Collections External Link 1
      5. Departure of Guggenheim's Deputy Director and Chief Curator Nancy Spector Controversy, Departure, Staff External Link 1

    4. September 2020

      1. Philip Guston exhibition postponed Controversy, Museum External Link 1
      2. Museum Workers from Portland Museum of Art in Portland petititon for a Union election Staff, Unions External Link 1 External Link 2
      3. Departure of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts's Director Nathalie Bondil Departure, Staff External Link 1

    5. August 2020

      1. Founding of Philadelphia Museum of Art AFSCME DC 47 Union Staff, Unions External Link 1 External Link 2

    6. July 2020

      1. Departure of MOCA Detroit's Director Elysia Borowy-Reeder Departure, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1
      2. Marciano Foundation pays laid-off workers 10 weeks of severance as part of settlement Staff, Unions External Link 1
      3. Departure of Newfields Curator Kelli Morgan Departure, Staff External Link 1
      4. Departure of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Chief Curator Gary Garrels Departure, Staff External Link 1

    7. June 2020

      1. Op-ed: Kelli Morgan "To Bear Witness: Real Talk about White Supremacy in Art Museums Today" Racism, Staff, White Supremacy External Link 1
      2. SFMOMA Staffers Condemn ‘Racist Censorship’ and Institutional Inequities in Letter Calling for Change Racism, Staff, White Supremacy External Link 1
      3. Departure of MOCA Cleveland's Director Jill Snyder Departure, Staff External Link 1
      4. Public Letter: Andrea Montiel de Shuman "No longer in extremis." Racism, Resignation, Staff, White Supremacy External Link 1
      5. Departure of Norton Museum of Art Director Elliot Bostwick Davis Departure, Staff External Link 1
      6. Open letters from BIPOC staff and allies at SFMOMA, Guggenheim, Brooklyn, MFA Boston, etc. Open letter, Racism, Staff External Link 1 External Link 2
      7. Founding of A Better Guggenheim Equity, Staff External Link 1
      8. Founding of Cultural New Deal Racism, Staff External Link 1 External Link 2
      9. Launch of Change The Museum (@changethemuseum Instagram account) Racism, Staff, White Supremacy External Link 1

    8. May 2020

      1. Departure of Parrish Art Museum's Director Terrie Sultan Departure, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1
      2. Murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis Broader Culture, Racism External Link 1
      3. Departure of Akron Art Museum Director Mark Masuoka Departure, Discrimination, Harassment, Staff External Link 1
      4. Departure of Telfair Museum's Director Robin Nicholson Departure, Staff External Link 1
      5. Launch of Museum Workers Relief Fund Staff External Link 1

    9. April 2020

      1. Indebted Cultural Workers Share Spreadsheet Highlighting Major Income Disparities at Cultural Institutions Equity, Staff External Link 1 External Link 2
      2. "Artists, Scholars, and Museum Workers Petition Museums to Retain Staff During Pandemic" Equity, Staff External Link 1 External Link 2
      3. US Museums allowed to use restricted funds for operational costs Deaccessioning, Museum Collections, Staff External Link 1
      4. Museum Endowments are reassessed after closures and layoffs Equity, Staff External Link 1
      5. Founding of Indebted Cultural Workers Equity, Staff External Link 1

    10. March 2020

      1. Murder of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky Broader Culture, Racism External Link 1
      2. "A Daily Report on How COVID-19 Is Impacting the Art World" Equity, Staff External Link 1
      3. COVID-19 pandemic begins in the US Broader Culture External Link 1

    11. February 2020

      1. Departure of Cooper Hewitt's Director Caroline Baumann Departure, Staff External Link 1
      2. Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia Broader Culture, Racism External Link 1

    12. January 2020

      1. Report: CCLI National Landscape Study: The State of DEAI Practices in Museums Diversity, Equity, Museums External Link 1

    1. December 2018

      1. MoMA PS1 Art Handlers and Maintenance Workers Protest Unfair Wages Staff, Unions External Link 1

    2. November 2018

      1. Departure of Metropolitan Museum of Art's Social Media Manager Kimberly Drew Departure, Staff External Link 1
      2. Sarr Savoy report, "The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics," released. Repatriation, Report External Link 1

    3. September 2018

      1. Report: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's and Ithaka S-R's Case Studies on Institutional Practices in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from Eight Art Museums Diversity, Staff External Link 1
      2. Report: The Burns Halperin Report on African American artists Diversity, Exhibitions, Museum Collections, Racism External Link 1
      3. Departure of California State Long Beach’s University Art Museum's Director Kimberli Meyer Departure, Staff External Link 1
      4. Departure of Palm Springs Art Museum's Executive Director Elizabeth Armstrong Departure, Staff External Link 1
      5. Report: Invisible no more an evalution of the Smithsonian Institution and Latino Representation Diversity, Exhibitions, Museum Collections, Staff External Link 1

    4. July 2018

      1. Founding of Time's Up Museums
      2. Nikki Columbus files pregnancy discrimination claim against MoMA PS1 Discrimination External Link 1

    5. June 2018

      1. Departure of Brooklyn Museum's Deputy Director and Chief Curator Jennifer Y. Chi Departure, Staff External Link 1
      2. Departure of Munich's Haus Der Kunst's Director Okwui Enwezor Departure, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1

    6. May 2018

      1. Departure of MOCA Los Angeles Director Philippe Vergne Departure, Museum Directors External Link 1

    7. April 2018

      1. Baltimore Museum controversy over selling "blue chip" works from collection Controversy, Deaccessioning, Diversity, Exhibitions, Museum Collections External Link 1
      2. Departure of Scottsdale Musuem of Contemporary Art's Director and Chief Curator Sara Cochran Departure, Staff External Link 1
      3. Open Letter: Brooklyn Museum "Your Curatorial Crisis is an Opportunity to Decolonize" Diversity, Equity, Open letter External Link 1

    8. March 2018

      1. Departure of MOCA Los Angeles Chief Curator Helen Molesworth Departure, Staff External Link 1
      2. Departure of Ghent Museum's Director Catherine de Zegher Departure, Staff External Link 1
      3. Departure of Bordeaux's CAPC Musée D'art Contemporain's Director Maria Inés Rodríguez Departure, Staff External Link 1

    9. January 2018

      1. Departure of Queens Museum's Director Laura Raicovich Departure, Museum Directors, Staff External Link 1
      2. Departure of VCU Institute for Contemporary Art's Director Lisa Freiman Departure, Staff External Link 1