Last Word

If there was ever a year to embrace change, 2020 was it.

As our communities navigate the unknown waters of living, working, and schooling in a pandemic, we’ve also been coming to terms with our country’s history and identity.

Many of us turn to art to get through these realities in hopes of emerging stronger.

Art is about more than looking at a work. Artists are encouraging us to actively participate in important conversations and heed their call for transformation. We are striving to tell a diverse and inclusive story of America through art, and that inclusivity means coming to terms with the darker side of our nation’s history and society.

At Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, we’re beginning the journey to become an antiracist institution. This takes hard, honest work within our team and clear partnership with all those in our community. In 2021, we will focus on creating pathways for diverse leadership, empowering youth to be agents of change through our school curriculum, continuing to diversify our collection, and creating programs that reflect and include our diverse communities.

As you’ve read in this issue, we are also making a change in the way we think about museum spaces. Through community outreach projects like the Social Connecting Campaign, My Museum Kits, and food boxes, we are striving to be an institution that meets people where they are to truly become a community-centered organization. We will invite community collaboration to shape and inform our exhibitions, programs, and institutional initiatives.

Whether welcoming you to our spaces, or meeting you in your neighborhood, remember that Crystal Bridges and the Momentary are not treasure boxes, but tool boxes to be used to activate community change and quality experiences for all. We will never stop believing in the power of art to transform individuals and communities, and it is up to all of us to actively participate in that transformation.

Rod Bigelow

Executive Director and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Lieven Bertels

Director The Momentary