The US art world today is a site of struggle against inequality and injustice as never before. The last few years have witnessed a surge in union organizing at museums across the country, widespread protests against toxic philanthropy, vocal challenges to institutional racism, and public lawsuits against gender discrimination and sexual harassment. With the far-right dominating our national politics, art workers are determined to upend the compromises and contradictions that structure our field. Despite decades of debate about representation in the gallery and outreach to new audiences, equity won’t be found in the exhibition space until it exists in the workplace.

Recognizing the need for both concrete demands and radical imagination, ART • WORK • PLACE brings together a broad spectrum of cultural workers and activists to link conflicts, build alliances, and share strategies. The goal is to create a space and time to think collectively and develop tactics collaboratively: How can workers in museums, studios, publishing, and academia support each other to effect change? Equally, the summit extends beyond a narrow definition of workplace issues and the limits of an immediate timeline to consider the following questions: How do we respond to the modes of exploitation that characterize so much of the art world? Can we envision what our cultural organizations could be, how they would operate, and whom they should serve? And if we can’t change our existing institutions, what alternatives can we create together?

Day 1
Friday, April 17, at Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center

1:00pm Welcome Remarks

1:15–2:30pm PANEL 1: Discrimination and Harassment
Unions / Lawsuits / Community Organizing & Voluntary Agreement / Press

2:45–3:45pm PANEL 2: Building Anti-Racist Institutions
Criticism / Decentering Whiteness / DEI Plans / Culturally Rooted Initiatives

4:00–4:45pm Coffee & Snacks Optional drop-in workshops/conversations

5:00–6:15pm PANEL 3: Recognizing Labor and Empowering Workers
Unions / Salary Transparency & Ending Unpaid Internships / Paying Artists

6:15–7:00pm Open Discussion/Town Hall

7:15pm Reception at The Liberty

Day 2
Saturday, April 18,  at Wollman Hall, New School 

1:00pm Welcome Remarks

1:15–2:15pm PANEL 4: Inhuman Resources
Workplace Safety / Accessibility / Paid Family Leave / Freelance Workers

2:30–3:15pm Coffee Break
Optional drop-in workshops/conversations

3:30–4:30pm PANEL 5: Museum Boards and Sites
Protest and Boycott / Reimagining Museum Structure /Artist Actions

4:30–5:30pm Open Discussion/Town Hall

5:45–6:45pm Reception

Organized by the Ph.D. Program in Art History, in collaboration with the Center for the Humanities (CUNY Graduate Center) and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics (New School). With additional support from the Contemporary Art Research Collaborative (NYU). Sponsored in part by the Helen Shapiro Lectureship.