Addressing the Statue: Museums, Monuments, & Race

What is the meaning of a statue? What do our monuments celebrate, and how do we confront the legacies of racial injustice that are propagated by public art? This session explores how the American Museum of Natural History addressed the controversial equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt accompanied by a Native man and an African man that sits on its front steps (and is now slated for removal) through conversations, film, and an exhibition. The Museum’s approaches to rethinking cultural representation serve as a springboard to discuss how cultural institutions and communities are reevaluating public monuments across the country.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

photo of Reniqua Allen-Lamphere
photo of Bella Desai

Bella Desai

American Museum of Natural History

photo of Lauri Halderman

Lauri Halderman

American Museum of Natural History

photo of Monique Scott

Monique Scott

Bryn Mawr College

photo of Mabel O Wilson

Mabel O Wilson

Columbia University

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About
Format: Panel
Type: Session
Track: A New Urgency
Level: Intermediate