Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
Intentionally cultivating and sustaining a comprehensive museum experience and community rooted in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion principles.
Diversity is all the ways that people are different and the same at the individual and group levels. Even when people appear the same, they are different. Organizational diversity requires examining and questioning the makeup of a group to ensure that multiple perspectives are represented.
Equity is the fair and just treatment of all members of a community. Equity requires commitment to strategic priorities, resources, respect, and civility, as well as ongoing action and assessment of progress toward achieving specified goals.¹
Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings.
Inclusion refers to the intentional, ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in all aspects of organizational work, including decision-making processes. It also refers to the ways that diverse participants are valued as respected members of an organization and/or community.
An ongoing, active process of acknowledging and a willingness to learn about other people and how to respect their cultures, etc.
Historically Underrepresented Populations
Commonly used to mean people of color (non- white), the term can encompass other identity groups not originally, consistently or well-served by US higher education, such as LGBT persons, people with disabilities, women, non-native English speakers, first generation college-goers, lower economic classes, veterans, students younger or older than the traditional 18-22 years, non-Christian religions, etc. As with other aspects of systemic inequity, the term refers to longstanding patterns of unequal access, retention and success; however, in specific contexts, other identities can be under-represented or under-served.
Structural Racism
A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with "whiteness" and disadvantages associated with "color" to endure and adapt over time. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we all exist.
For too long museums have been elite institutions not everyone felt welcomed to visit and enjoy. We aim to shift that paradigm. The Phillips Collection is committed to ensuring that all members of our community feel seen and valued in everything we do. DEAI values guide us in sustaining our dynamic museum environment—comprised of staff, the board of trustees, supporters, volunteers, audiences, collections, exhibitions, programming, and internal operations. We unlock diversity's power and beauty by intentionally fostering an inclusive, accessible museum fashioned upon a foundation of equity. Only by promoting and living out these values can the Phillips truly democratize belonging in our museum and set an example for our field.
You belong here and we are honored to be with you on our DEAI journey.
An Update on Our Journey, June 2021
Definitions from American Alliance of Museums and The Aspen Institute
Peggy McGlone, The Washington Post -
" Phillips Collection's diversity efforts get boost from $2 million gift "
Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times -
" For Diversity Leaders in the Arts, Getting Hired Is Just the First Step "
From Our Chief Diversity Officer
A Note from Dorothy Kosinski
Vradenburg Director and CEO
Adapted from "How the Phillips Collection is diversifying the art world," The Washington Post (May 18, 2018)
Diversity and accessibility have long been absent from museums. The Phillips Collection is speaking up about how to lead the way to inclusion.
Art is a vanguard industry that takes pride in its role to represent progressive ideology and risk taking, and yet the management lacks the representation that is vital to the arts' dynamism. A 2015 Andrew Mellon Foundation report on diversity in art museums reinforced what is obvious to anyone working in or affiliated with the industry: a preponderance of non-Hispanic white men dominate leadership positions. That says nothing of the lack of ethnic, religious, disability, sexual orientation, or geographic diversity at the executive levels or in Board rooms. The survey catalyzed a movement toward a more diversified art and museum world, and The Phillips Collection is a pioneer of that change.
Responding to the urgency of these challenges, I made it my personal responsibility to secure major funding that allowed us to demonstrate institutional commitment to full inclusion at every level. We've appointed a new Chief Diversity Officer, Makeba Clay, as part of our senior leadership team. Makeba is among the first chief diversity officers appointed to an art museum and, in her lead role, she will guide the Phillips forward in pursuit of our mission to serve a multiplicity of artists and audiences. We will establish paid internships and fellowships to help eliminate barriers to entry into the field, and provide a new cadre of young people with the training and skills to establish credentials. Further, we've restructured our recruiting practices for staff and trustees to create a more diverse pipeline of candidates and board members.
The Phillips is striving to create an environment where stories of diverse audiences are shared. Since 2013, the Phillips has formalized a philosophy to acquire more works by largely underrepresented groups— including women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ community. We recognize that this goes beyond an institution's walls and that the success of this is also rooted in our ability to forge deep and lasting partnerships with external partners across sectors. For the Phillips, this means relevant programming, sustainable partnerships, and a better visitor experience.
Fellow institutions like the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of Latin American Art, the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Alabama, represent strong commitment to progress. However, we cannot let our successes cloud our vision of the challenges that remain. It is increasingly important that museums provide a space where people can connect to one another across perspectives and experiences, and relate to their communities' institutions. It is precisely in this atmosphere that the Phillips is committed to serving our current and future audiences, cultivating diverse artists and arts managers, and incubating creativity and creation. Our goal is to initiate the transformation of the arts industry in Washington so that it represents the true nature of the city. We challenge other art institutions to commit to opening up the doors to all and encouraging the next generation to pursue the arts.
"Exclusive survey: what progress have US museums made on diversity, after a year of racial reckoning?" by The Art Newspaper
Advisory Board for the Arts: Five Museums Ahead of the Curve on DEI&A
"For Diversity Leaders in the Arts, Getting Hired Is Just the First Step," by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times
Insights from American Alliance of Museums' Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Working Group
American Alliance of Museums Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Resources
2015 Andrew Mellon Foundation Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey
The Phillips Collection Announces First Chief Diversity Officer
Meet the American Alliance of Museums' Facing Change Senior Diversity Fellows
"Meet the Chief Diversity Officer Overhauling The Phillips Collection," by Julia Fiore, Artsy