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Dr. Morgan’s scholarly commitment to the investigation of anti-blackness within the art realm demonstrates how traditional art history and museum practice both uphold white supremacy. As a part of her conversational series These Museum Streets, this discussion will not only reflect on general trends in inequalities across art institutions but will also analyze case studies of current events in the arts. We invite you to think about and discuss the various power dynamics of museums and other cultural institutions. 

Dr. Kelli Morgan is a Professor of the Practice and the inaugural Director of Curatorial Studies at Tufts University. Additionally she is curator, educator, and social justice activist who specializes in American art and visual culture. Besides her own curatorial experience, she mentors emerging curators and regularly trains staff at various museums to foster anti-racist approaches in collection building, exhibitions, community engagement, and fundraising. Over the past two years, Dr. Morgan has become a leading and influential voice in bolstering anti-racist work in art museums. She has held curatorial positions at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Claiming Williams invites the community to acknowledge and understand the uncomfortable reality that not all students, staff, and faculty can equally “claim” Williams. By challenging the effects of the college’s history of inequality that are based on privileges of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion, we will provoke individual, institutional, and cultural change. Find this year’s schedule of events here.