Like many in our community, we at the University Art Museum (UAM) are saddened and maddened by the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, Sean Reed, Nina Pop, Tony McDade and the countless other African American people who have been victims of police brutality and systematic racism in this country. We stand in solidarity with the protesters who are taking to the streets, polling booths, and social media to take a stand against hate, intolerance, and injustice in this country and globally.
As an Art Museum within higher education, we pledge to listen to, learn from, advocate for and provide a platform for people of color within our greater artistic community. We know we are not perfect, but we are committed to evolving, and as our mission states, we aim to actively work to establish the importance and significance of the visual arts relative to the diverse human values present in our broader community, values of inclusivity and a more equitable democracy.
In 2016 we prepared new missions for both the UAM and the NMSU Permanent Art Collection which pledges to diversify our programming and collections by exhibiting and collecting significant works by leading African American, female, LGBTQ, and other underrepresented and marginalized artists. We want to recommit ourselves to this mission, aiming to more accurately reflect and amplify the voices of our diverse cultural communities. We also want to reassert ourselves as a safe space that welcomes all members of our on-campus and off-campus communities to come together to mourn, relearn, hear and understand how we will attain social justice and reform for our communities of color.
Much love and support,
NMSU University Art Museum
