Black and Brown Lives Matter
A message from the Board President and Director
The Trustees and Staff of the Fitchburg Art Museum are deeply saddened and outraged by the murder of George Floyd and many other Black Americans, and we stand in solidarity with all who oppose police brutality, racism, and the culture of white supremacy. Black and Brown Lives Matter.
We recommit ourselves to FAM’s mission of community service, and we understand that we have a great deal to learn and that the ongoing work of anti-racism must be hard-wired into our institutional culture. We will actively listen to people of color in our community. We will create a Social Justice and Equity Policy for the Museum, which will include anti-racism and cultural competency education for Staff and Trustees, and result in increased representation of people of color from the community in North Central Massachusetts on our Staff, Board of Community Advisors, and Board of Trustees.
In our conversations, we are following recommendations for reading and information provided by the Talking About Race website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://s.si.edu/3ffYmFy.
FAM will continue to amplify the artistic voices of people of color through our collection, exhibitions, events, and education programs. Once FAM reopens in July, we urge everyone to visit our exhibition After Spiritualism: Loss and Transcendence in Contemporary Art, where themes of anti-racism and social justice are explored: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/spiritualism/. This show will run through September 6, with free admission for all.
Art museums play many roles in 21st-century America. We foster dialogue. We forefront beauty and visual eloquence. We serve as a gathering place for people of many backgrounds and cultures. We educate students of all ages. We uphold freedom of expression. We provide a safe haven for introspection and personal transformation. We contribute to our community’s health, well-being, economy, and civic pride. There’s no place for racism in any of this.
Susan Roetzer
President of the Board of Trustees
Nick Capasso
Director
