Hello CCNY Art Ed Community! I am Kendra Torres, an after-school art instructor on the Upper East-Side and educator at the Whitney Museum of American Art. I am also a passionate lover of art and social justice advocacy. This is currently my final semester in the Master’s of Art Education program at City College. I have been teaching and exploring art through education for a few years now.
My love for creating art and teaching a variety of age groups have taken me on a journey where I visited many art museums throughout New York City. From The Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Museum of Modern Art, there was always something intriguing and artistically stimulating for me to view. During these visits, as a woman of color, I have often found myself in the minority of people who visit these institutions. Some questions began to emerge, why are people of color not visiting museums as often? Why is my cultural background not represented on these gallery walls? These experiences propelled me to discover what kinds of strategies (if any) that these art museums are using in order to invite and encourage individuals from underrepresented communities to visit.
Working as a Teen Programs intern at the Whitney Museum and later a weekend facilitator, I began to realize that strides were indeed being made in some museums in regards to inclusive practices. This was apparent in the cultural diversity of the teens involved in the programs alongside with a few exhibitions about race and equality. The Whitney also provides a variety of access tools for those with disabilities. Seeing these steps in making the museum more universal, I was curious to find out what other methods, programs, and/or strategies are being utilized in other popular art museums. I believe it is very important for visitors to feel welcomed, included, and represented in some capacity at the museum.
My research aims to discover the multiplicity of ways art museum staff members are beginning to engage individuals from various communities to participate and return to the art museum. This includes access methods for easier navigation for visitors with disabilities, cultural works of art that reflect the visitors who come in along with members of the LGBTQ community, and even programs that encourage active engagement and critical dialogues. This is so relevant to the field of education and has the potential to pave the way for more inclusive spaces with a strong sense of community!
