In this lecture, I examine the history of art collecting and the art museum by centering both squarely within the dynamics and functionality of European colonization and imperialism. Through this lens, I demonstrate how and why art museums are currently struggling so badly with diversity, repatriation, restitution, and attempts to create genuine cultures of institutional equity.
This lecture was presented on March 9, 2023 as part of the exhibition Black on Black on Black on Black by University of Illinois' School of Art & Design faculty at the Krannert Art Museum.