“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin
As the world collectively mourns, all of us at Galerie d’Orsay would like to take a moment to honor the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the countless known and unknown victims of systemic violence in this country. And to our friends, neighbors, and collectors around the world who are people of color, we want you to know that we stand together with you, we grieve with you, and we are committed to change.
Galerie d’Orsay affirms that Black lives matter.
Our mission at Galerie d’Orsay has always been centered around creating an environment where ALL people are accepted and welcome to find inspiration through art. Moving forward, we are committed to broadening our collection to include a more diverse range of artists and voices. Furthermore, while the gallery has always been engaged in charitable giving, we are seeking out new ways to support the arts in marginalized communities, building the next generation of artists in America.
As engaged citizens, we are all called to listen and to reflect on our actions—conscious or unconscious—that have contributed to the injustice that inordinately affects people of color. The arts community is not immune to this; we at Galerie d’Orsay are not immune to this. Arts organizations must acknowledge our role in sustaining and perpetuating deeply ingrained racism and ask ourselves: “how can we move forward and contribute meaningfully to the discussions surrounding race and identity in the world?”
We invite you to join us in this ongoing discussion and to reflect and grow with us. This is a first step, and we acknowledge that we have a long way to go. We are listening.
In support and solidarity,
Kristine Feeks Hammond | Martha S. Folsom | Ben Flythe | Devon Engle
For additional reading: In starting this long overdue conversation, we're reflecting on the following article from Hyperallergic, "Artists in 18 Major US Museums Are 85% White and 87% Male, Study Says" (2019). In a study of a number of US museums' collections, "African American artists have the lowest share with just 1.2% of the works; Asian artists total at 9%; and Hispanic and Latino artists constitute only 2.8% of the artists."
What resources have YOU found that address and attempt to correct the parity in museum and gallery collections around the world? We'd love to hear from you: info@galerie-dorsay.com