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Historically, art collections have been private and owned by the elite, upper class. A good example of this was the Medici family of Florence who were renown art collectors. However, because of this way of creating collections and of enjoying art— in the sense of appreciation and discussion— was something only upper-class members of society could do. It was an experience made for the elite, by the elite. Through the Enlightenment, access to art and art spaces began to change.

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The Kunstmuseum Basel in Basel, Switzerland is considered the first public art museum. It was established in 1661 (more than 300 years ago) and it was purchased by the city of Basel, essentially making it open to the public. The art collection is said to be impressive due to its extensive timeline. It also octants the largest collection of works by Hans Holbein who was a prominent artist during the Renaissance. The museum is considered to be of national significance. This museum is far from the private collections at the time it was established.

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The Louvre in Paris, France is known throughout the world of it's wide collection of European work. It began as part of the French Royal residence and as a place to store the royal art collection of Francis I. After Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles, the Louvre began to be seen as a possible public museum. In 1793, the museum opened with most of the art being a part of the royal collection and it was one of the first great art museums.

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Art museums in the United States can be traced back to the 1700s. For example, Peale's portraits in Philadelphia. Another example is the New York Historical Society and the Boston Athenaeum. One for the first well established institutions was the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1880. From then on, modern art museums began to pop up throughout the United States, mainly during the 1920s and 30s. The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art are some examples.

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The term ‘white cube’ was coined by Brian O’Doherty in his 1986 publication Inside the White Cube. In this publication O’Doherty breaks down the ideology of an art gallery, what it means to have that space and what it means to be in that space. He writes that the art world has reached a point where instead of viewing art, the space is looked at first. What he means by this is that the design for a then and now modern gallery space is the use of what can only be described as a white cube— neutral patterns, color and lighting. Because of this shift towards a clean, minimum aesthetic, art is essentially stripped of a space that would allow for it to flourish and thus the basic purpose of art is destroyed. When a piece fits that ideal, then it is high in worth and quality. This is because the white cube seeks to present art as untouched by the past, free from its surroundings (such as political and social issues) and thereby giving anyone who wishes to purchase the piece a sense of ideal detachedness.

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Along with the concept of the white cube is the notion that art museums have become places of ritual. This comes form Carol Duncan's 1995 The Art Museum as Ritual. Here she states this very well by saying that those spaces have been designed for some sort of performance. This performance can be understood as one created to confirm the identity of the educated, white men who founded museums in the first place. Museums will never be able to act as a neutral space because they will always, in some way or another, define art and how it’s perceived by the public. To control the museums is to control the communities perspectives and truths.

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Daniel Buren, French painter and sculptor, once stated that a museum has three functions: Aesthetic, Economic and Mystical. Within all three of these functions, BIPOC artists and communities have been historically excluded. This can be credited to racism but a more crucial thing to point out is the notion of the white cube and an art museum being seen as a place of ritual. Again, these spaces have been built to isolate and alleviate art from the rest of the world and this inclination has always served the interests of the white upper-class.

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Because a community should be able to control how their work is presented, alternative spaces have been established throughout the Western art world. Alternative spaces stand as challenges to the art world status quo, to support new experimental forms of art outside of the commercial gallery system and to defy the remnants of colonization within institutions like an art museum. Early alternative spaces in the United States formed during the 1960s in direct conversation with the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath.

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The new generation of alternative spaces do not necessarily exist to oppose the mainstream but to offer a diverse approach to the presentation of artwork and to support those artists. This can be seen today throughout the United States as there are many alternatives to the White Cube that put forth exhibits that address real socioeconomic issues and provide support to artists. San Francisco is full of art spaces that strive towards this belief. An example of this is Root Division in San Francisco; an organization that is dedicated to empower the community it occupies and to enrich the art world.

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There are several art museums in the United States that have been created for specific communities. While more and more diversity is being found within different institutions, it is still comforting to have a space just for one's experience.  One great example of this is the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. This museum celebrates Latin American culture and the experience. Another museum is the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.