Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative: Accomplishments and Recommendations

This research paper discusses the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI), a $6 million program launched in 2017 by the Alice L. Walton Foundation and Ford Foundation to increase the diversity of American art museums' curatorial and management staff.

Lack of diversity in art museum leadership and DAMLI's response

The paper notes that currently, less than 20% of art museum leadership positions are held by people of color and other underrepresented populations. To address this, DAMLI awarded grants to 21 diverse art museums to help expand pathways to leadership for young people from a wide range of backgrounds, including high school and college students, graduate students, and doctoral candidates.

Activities undertaken by the DAMLI museums

The paper outlines the various activities undertaken by the DAMLI museums, which included internships, fellowships, staff development and anti-racism training, and the creation of noteworthy exhibitions and public programs that highlighted the work of artists of color. Over the three-year period, the museums collectively served over 2,000 teens/high school students, community college and undergraduate students, and sponsored 35 extended post-baccalaureate, graduate, and post-doctoral fellowships.

Key lessons learned through the DAMLI initiative

The paper highlights the key lessons learned through the DAMLI initiative, such as the importance of providing competitive stipends and housing support for interns and fellows, crafting meaningful experiences that allow for broad exposure and project completion, and dedicating staff at senior leadership levels to carry forward diversity, equity, access, and inclusion (DEAI) work. The paper also emphasizes that for these efforts to be truly successful, museums must embrace internships and fellowships as opportunities for the institution to learn and change, and that the commitment to learning and shifting practices must be embraced throughout the organization, not just by staff of color or those with marginalized identities.

Conclusion and impact of the DAMLI initiative

Overall, the DAMLI initiative serves as an example of the meaningful progress that can be made through sustained efforts to diversify art museum leadership and create more welcoming and equitable institutions for all.