Equity at Seattle Art Museum (original) (raw)

Seattle Art Museum’s racial equity work has been a focus since the mid-1990s with the formation of multiple community advisory groups and organizational partnerships specifically aimed at building relationships with local communities of color. Under the leadership of Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Deputy Director of Education and Public Programs who was hired in 2007, and Kim Rorschach, who became SAM’s Director and CEO in 2013, many initiatives were formed to further racial equity work at SAM and the seeds of a culture shift were planted.

In 2015, SAM participated in the Turning Commitment into Action racial equity learning cohort facilitated by the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Office for Civil Rights. This program provided arts and cultural organizations across Seattle the opportunity to examine the ways they could eliminate institutional racism and build racial equity in their organizations. As a result, in 2016 SAM’s Equity Team was formed.

That same year, independent consultants facilitated racial equity training for SAM staff, Board, and volunteers. Based on feedback from the training, the Equity Team created SAM’s racial equity plan, which became integrated into the institution’s strategic plan. Because the goals were institution-wide, departments were required to look at their individual goals and develop action plans for how they could be achieved. Equity was also added to SAM’s core values, specifically referencing racial equity, with the belief that when we start with race and recognize intersectionality, everyone benefits.

In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, which intensified the Black Lives Matter movement across the country, SAM reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and created the position of Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, a senior level position now held by Priya Frank. In addition, an Equity Task Force was formed which became a permanent board committee in 2022.