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Harlem on My Mind: A Step toward Promoting Cultural Diversity in Art Museums

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Harlem on My Mind: A Step toward Promoting Cultural Diversity in Art Museums

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Abstract: This paper reevaluates one museum’s effort to draw attention to the cultural standing of an underrepresented group of people in the United States. The exhibition, Harlem on My Mind: The Cultural Capital of Black America, 1900- 1968, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1969, featured the seventy-year history of the Black community in Harlem. The exhibition was accused of being racist and sparked widespread protest. While I see the exhibition to be an early attempt to make an underrepresented group for the topic of a major museum exhibition, it also raised awareness of a number of contentious issues with respect to the representation of minority groups in museum exhibits. The analysis presented here uses historical documentation to evaluate why the exhibition was controversial and elicited opportunities for changes in museum practices.
- Yuha Jung - 2015

Keywords: Harlem on My Mind, Cultural Diversity, African American Culture

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A Contemporary Understanding of "Harlem on My Mind": What Can We Learn from an Art Museum's Early Attempt toward Culturally Inclusive Practice? -- Yuha Jung, University of Kentucky, USA

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A Contemporary Understanding of "Harlem on My Mind": What Can We Learn from an Art Museum's Early Attempt toward Culturally Inclusive Practice? -- Yuha Jung, University of Kentucky, USA

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"Abstract: This paper discusses a contemporary understanding of the exhibition “Harlem on My Mind: The Cultural Capital of Black America, 1900–1968,” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1969. It analyzes the exhibition based on two theoretical frameworks, critical race and organizational universe theories, in order to distill the reason why the exhibition became a missed opportunity to advance cultural diversity in the field of museums and what contemporary museum professionals can learn from this early attempt toward culturally inclusive museum practices. By examining the problematic nature of the exhibition in relation to societal structures and the aforementioned theories, I discuss cultural superiority, white privilege, authoritative approaches, and rigid organizational structures. By doing so, this theoretical paper argues for a paradigm shift for museums as social agents that challenge institutionalized racism and welcome multiple voices and collaboration in the exhibition development process. I conclude that despite the negativity the exhibition did have a critical impact on advancing culturally inclusive practices in museums by making unjust museum practices visible and encouraging people to fight for more just practices."
- Yuha Jung, 2017

Keywords: Harlem on My Mind, Critical Race Theory, Organizational Universe Theory, White Privilege, Cultural Diversity, Inclusive Museum Practice, Social Agent "

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African American Culture also known as Black American culture, refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture.

Critical Race Theory a theoretical framework in the social sciences that uses critical theory to examine society and culture as they relate to categorizations of race, law, and power. It began as a theoretical movement within American law schools in the mid- to late 1980s as a reworking of critical legal studies on race issues and is loosely unified by two common themes: First, CRT proposes that white supremacy and racial power are maintained over time, and in particular, that the law may play a role in this process. Second, CRT work has investigated the possibility of transforming the relationship between law and racial power, and more broadly, pursues a project of achieving racial emancipation and anti-subordination.

Organizational Universe Theory consists of approaches to organizational analysis and the outer reaching effects of these choices. Organizations are defined as social units of people that are structured and managed to meet a need, or to pursue collective goals.

White Privilege is the societal privilege that benefits people whom society identifies as white in some countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances.

Cultural Diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to a determined or assumed majority culture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural decay. The phrase cultural diversity can also refer to having different cultures respect each other's differences. The phrase "cultural diversity" is also sometimes used to mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole.

Inclusivity is an intention or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who are handicapped or learning-disabled, or racial and sexual minorities.

Inclusive Museum Practice includes engaging in museum politics and policies in a way that critiques current mono-cultural pedagogy and reinforces the need for diverse, inclusive education and representation in museum spaces, as these spaces are meant to support and encourage all of our community members.

Social Agent is an agent in the human system, such a people, nations, organizations, cultures, and ideologies. A person working for change in social spheres.

Hypodescent refers to the automatic assignment by the dominant culture of children of a mixed union or sexual relations between members of different socioeconomic groups or ethnic groups to the subordinate group. The opposite practice is hyperdescent, in which children are assigned to the race that is considered dominant or superior.

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1969

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In Summary of the 1969 historical event, "Harlem on my Mind."

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In Summary of the 1969 historical event, "Harlem on my Mind."

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The director of the Met, Thomas P. F. Hoving, announced the inception of Harlem on My Mind on November 15, 1967 (Harlem on My Mind Exhibition Files 1969) (P.4, Harlem...) Both white men, curator Allon Schoener and Hoving were thought to be well-educated and influential in their spheres. Both considered themselves knowledgeable enough to continue with this endeavor.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) mounted "Harlem on my Mind." from January 18 - April 6, 1969.  While Initial planning stages did include reaching out to black community leaders and Harlem community groups true community participation was not achieved. Schoener also made it known, despite being the one to suggest the formation of the Harlem Advisory Group, that their opinions and perspectives would not derail his original vision.

Though the exhibition attempted to highlight minority culture of the time, it failed to include any black artists and worse, included racist and offensive language throughout the show, catalog and associated media.  For a show so focused on the black experience in America, this was a massive failing. As it stands, "Harlem on my Mind" opened during a time of intense social and  systematic upheaval when racial tension was already running high. Most likely it was also situated between a conversation of what constituted High and Low fine art, framed within racist dialect and thought.

The show, upon opening, was already considered somewhat 'lesser than' other exhibitions of it's time. Comprised mainly of archival work, taped speeches, news reports and photographs, "Harlem on My Mind" did not approach this subject matter from a traditional standpoint, making its exclusions all the more obvious and unsettling. What little black representation (mainly photographs of black individuals of Harlem) included  in "Harlem on my Mind" existed more as a distant ethnographic study, ignoring the work of Artists and Social Agents in in Harlem and particularly that of the Harlem Renaissance.

Critiques began to pour in months before the exhibit opened its doors, generating an opening that was greeted not only with curiosity, disappointment and controversy, but with boycotts and protests. Never-the-less, the Met saw 75,000+ visitors within the first nine days of the exhibit's opening.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Problems with Single Authoritative Voice and Rigid Museum Structures 

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The Problems with Single Authoritative Voice and Rigid Museum Structures 

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The Met's rigid hierarchical organization and bureaucracy at the time influenced and enabled the poor presentation of black culture and creators throughout the show. Traditional Museum Management models at the time discouraged collaboration and relied on authoritative decision making from an assumed expert, in this case  mainly non-expert Allon Schoener.

While a Harlem Advisory committee was formed with prominent members of the community, Schoener paid little to no attention to their worries and advice. The criticisms of mayor John V. Lindsey also fell on deaf ears, at least until the city promised to pull funding from the Met for this mistake. The Museum apologized, but most likely in consideration of the safety of its financial stability rather than any actual concern or regret for its actions.

To note, museums are made of patterns and relationships. These patterns and relationships define the shaping of perceived history and of the primary biased lenses (usually of the predetermined dominant majority) used as standards when considering display and content. In short, internal values and activities of organizations lead their impact. Collaborative teams and experience reduce the chance of bias and social missteps, particularly ones that lead to such distrust of the institution.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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In Summary of Associated Critiques and Controversies

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In Summary of Associated Critiques and Controversies

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The Exhibition
"When people charged with making critical decisions in museum exhibitions do not value minority cultures, chances are slim that those cultures will be presented fairly and respectfully. However, the problem does not just lie with the individuals or organizations but in society in general. Critical race theory plays an important role in understating the cultural superiority based on a White voice. " - Yuha Jung (P. 42 - A contemporary...)

Taking into account political and social contexts is important when discussing controversial subject matter. In 1969, civil rights and black power movements were heavily invested in advocacy, representation and social change. While Schoener did have three black assistants helping to mount this exhibition, it was and is still widely considered inappropriate for a white man (with little knowledge and experience of this cultural group) to have headed up this curation job. Citing lack of knowledge, the call came from the public for Schoener's resignation. He did not resign.

Despite requests for inclusion from popular artists of the time such as Romare Bearden and Norman Lewis, Schoener was committed to his non-traditional exhibition design and wound up using very few pieces of traditional fine art in favor of a newspaper like, more distant form of communication. This ignored offered and logical contributions that could have rounded out the exhibit and shaken some of the controversial complaints.  Jung goes on to point out that both Schoener and Hoving failed to consider the bias of the media references they were presenting as well as communicative effective design, leaving room for even more misunderstandings, miscommunication and abuses of position.

The Catalog
The catalog for "Harlem on My Mind" specifically continues to be the most discussed point of contention and controversy surrounding this exhibit. The introduction of the catalog includes a modified paper by a young black high-schooler, Candice Van Ellison. While this could have been an innovative move on the part of the Met, ultimately the paper was so heavily changed and modified that it's words became warped and its meaning and influence lost.

At the heart of the introduction Ellison seems to state: “One other important factor worth noting is that, psychologically, Blacks may find anti-Jewish sentiments place them, for once, within a majority. Thus, our contempt for the Jew makes us feel more completely American in sharing a national prejudice” (Schoener 1969, n.p.) " But this is a contextual re-framing of a quote, with paraphrasing and removed footnotes that Schoener requested as a change to the document. Schoener, in his edits, also made a few deletions to Ellison's work that caused the catalog to assume an unintentional Anti-semetic standpoint, pushing further racial divides in the community.

While not as involved as Schoener with much of the exhibition, Thomas Hoving exposed his own bias within the introductory catalog pages and the exhibit's fallout by exaggerating the segregation between black and white american experiences and describing his black maid and chauffeur and their effect on his upbringing only to later reveal that he had made many of these experiences up. Hoving  continued to dig himself a deeper hole by responding to critics of his words first by stating:  “If the truth hurts, then so be it.”  When city officials threatened to withdraw exhibition catalogues and cut city funding of the museum, Hoving went on to change his statement to reach “all persons who have been offended”  In his apology, published on January 21, 1969, Hoving added that the purpose of the exhibition “was a sincere attempt to increase the knowledge and understanding of the cultural history of Harlem by the public,” (Arnold 1969b, 96) While noble in intention, this series of responses reflects a defensive and privileged viewpoint of the presentation and its effect on minority community members.

While much of the problematic nature of the catalog exists in the first few pages, and acknowledging that the catalog itself is a decent reference and a still useful and comprehensive list of influential black artists and Americans, it is still undeniable that The Met and it's chosen exhibition leaders were in the wrong, misinformed and inconsiderate to the peoples and cultures they wished to represent.

Harlem on my Mind should be closed “until it reflects a more accurate record of the aspirations, achievements, and goals of the Black people of New York” -  Robert J. Mangum, commissioner of the State Division of Human Rights

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The Fallout: Significance, Impact, and Change in Contemporary Museum Practices:

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The Fallout: Significance, Impact, and Change in Contemporary Museum Practices:

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Unfortunately, critical discussion of the outcomes of this exhibition are missing despite the acknowledgement of its flaws. This makes it a little hard to evaluate in terms of true change and impact. Despite the racism inherent in this exhibition, without the public outcry that followed, it is most likely that the Met would not have reached it's full potential, most extensive power and reach of influence it holds today. As a result of this exhibit and its fallout, The Met has committed itself toward exclusivity and cultural pluralism. (P. 47. A Contemporary)

By calling out exhibits that encapsulate all this negativity, the call for change becomes in essence, more urgent and visible. Problem confrontation, in a peaceful manner, and intelligent conflict resolution increase necessary discussions of social justice and institutionalized injustice and pave the way for more inclusive and well-rounded approaches and techniques.

The omission of black artists encouraged the black community to push the Met to reevaluate their institution, it's policies, and its hired professionals. In echo, there has been a large push in recent years to consider all cultures and art as valuable, worthy of study and consideration, and proper contextual presentation.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Allon Schoener discusses his point of view and the work involved with this exhibition briefly in a connected article, and in his book (pictured below) written for and about the exhibition, which  lists more contributions from the black and brown communities of Harlem as well as taking a more investigative look into black community culture from this exhibit's conception until today.

Schoener is quoted, upon reflection on "Harlem on my Mind;" “I honestly believed that I could identify with the American black culture I was depicting. For a very short period of my life, I believed that I could see things from a black perspective and believed that I was tuned in to values that were important to blacks (Schoener 1995, n.p.).”

A retrospective of the exhibit can be found at Harlem on My Mind, A Retrospective walk...

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Harlem on My Mind: A Step toward Promoting Cultural Diversity in Art Museums. Yuha Jung. 2015. [online] Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=101723262&S=R&D=aft&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSep7M4wtvhOLCmr1CeprZSsKe4S7eWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGps02zqK5KuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

A Contemporary Understanding of "Harlem on My Mind": What Can We Learn From An Art Museum's Early Attempt Toward Culturally Inclusive Practice. Yuha Jung. 2017. [online] Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=118579424&S=R&D=aft&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHX8kSep7M4wtvhOLCmr1CeprZSsKe4TK%2BWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGps02zqK5KuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

Harlem on My Mind. Allon Schoener. 2015. [online] Retrieved from https://www.culturalweekly.com/curator-harlem-exhibition-refutes-ny-times/ and https://www.amazon.com/Harlem-My-Mind-Cultural-1900-1968/dp/1595581588

What I Learned From a Disgraced Art Show on Harlem. Holland Cotter. 2015. [online] Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/arts/design/what-i-learned-from-a-disgraced-art-show-on-harlem.html

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What I Learned From a Disgraced Art Show on Harlem - Holland Cotter
Black Artists and Activism: Harlem on my Mind (1969) - Bridget R. Cooks
How African-American Artists Fought to Diversify Museums - Isaac Kaplan
(List Updated: 12/16/18)

A Short List of Artists to Consider:

James Van Der Zee  (A photographer associated with "Harlem on My Mind," but who has largely been discounted. Photography was not largely considered a Fine Art Media at the time of this exhibition, and a conscious effort was made to keep Van Der Zee's work almost documentary style in nature.)

Elizabeth Catlett

Norman Lewis

Meta Warrick Fuller

Romare Bearden