As we at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) address and redefine what being an anti-racist organization means for us, we are actively engaged in the ongoing work of personal reflection and dialogue. The insights gleaned from our collections, our staff, and the communities we serve have provided multiple sources of inspiration while we as a FAMSF staff confront our individual knowledge gaps. This work will continue beyond the present moment and it will be essential moving forward to maintain a critical perspective on the presentation of our collections.
One core aspect of our curatorial work in recent months has been to identify the racist and colonial narratives and perspectives that we have inadvertently and often unconsciously upheld. As we reassessed the fundamental practice of presenting and interpreting our permanent collections with fresh eyes and new perspectives, it became clear that several measurable adjustments could improve the inclusivity and diversity of the lenses through which we share information about the works in our care.
For example, curators in the European art department rewrote the gallery introductory texts, called "chat panels," which are currently installed in every gallery at the Legion of Honor. Areas of concern that these panels touch upon, among others, include: the conquest and colonization of the Americas by European powers beginning in the 15th century, the persecution of Muslims and Jews following the reunification of Spain under Catholic rule beginning in the 15th century, and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade during the late 15th–19th centuries. These new texts provide more expansive contexts for the works of art presented in each room.
We have also written a series of new labels for individual objects in the permanent collection, two of which are highlighted below. Some objects received revised extended text, like the label for our Jean-Leon Gérôme painting, The Bath, written by Isabella Holland. Others, like a bronze sculpture by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Le Chinois (The Chinese Man), written by Thomas Wu, received an extended label for the first time.
Similarly, new labels focused on historically underrepresented narratives were authored by the American art curatorial team. One example about the painting by Thomas Waterman Wood, Moses, The Baltimore News Vendor, 1858, written by Lauren Palmor, is included below. The new label positions the painting's subject—rather than the painter—at the foreground of the narrative. The challenge inherent in presenting any didactic text is telling a well-rounded story in the word count afforded by available space, however, these new interpretations expand the incomplete perspectives previously offered in the existing texts.
We also expanded the diversity of perspectives through which we understand the past by partnering with colleagues in our education department to engage with external readers who assessed these newly written didactics. This peer review identified areas of knowledge gaps, which helped to further explore the complexities of cultures, subjects, and the works of art themselves. Scholars such as Dr. Lizzetta LeFalle-Collins, Content Specialist/US Black Artists and Art of the Black Diaspora; Abram Jackson, Educator and adjunct faculty, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University; and Nitoshia L. Ford, Doctoral Candidate, African American and African Diaspora Studies, University of California Berkeley were paid consultants who reviewed these texts, providing an expertise and perspective that is evident in the final results.
Below you will find short descriptions of specific texts and the new processes through which they came to fruition.
- Melissa Buron, Director, Art Division
