Why did this art museum hire an Indigenous curator from across the world
July 20, 2023 6:55 AM Subscribe
The Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal recently hired a new Indigenous arts curator who is not an expert in Indigenous arts from north america. I am confused and wondering why.
The person they picked obviously have an insanely impressive profile, multilingual, multicultural, they speak French and are interested in expanding the collection of French Indigenous art apparently. I'm super excited to see what they will do.
But why would they not hire and Indigenous person from North America? Doesn't understanding Indigenous cultures from different parts of the world require specific, localized knowledge?
I guess my question boils down to: how can one person be an expert on Indigenous art globally? Just as an example, within the land called Canada, there are hundreds of different Indigenous tribes, and the artwork styles contain such complex meanings that intertwine with the way of life and cosmology of each Indigenous people. And then sometimes they don't.
Or is it more because the role of a curator is to shape the platform that the museum offers and provide spaces for these voices to be amplified? (I'm not an art expert, so apologies if I've misunderstood the concept of curatorship)
Why would a museum positioned in Canada hire an Indigenous curator with no background in the Indigenous art of the territory in which they were hired? Aside from the publicity and optics concerns, what justifies this? I am ignorant and genuinely curious to see, and I'm not trying to make a statement with this question. Does the art world just not make any sense in general and I shouldn't bother worrying about this? Or are there interesting issues to think about here?
The person they picked obviously have an insanely impressive profile, multilingual, multicultural, they speak French and are interested in expanding the collection of French Indigenous art apparently. I'm super excited to see what they will do.
But why would they not hire and Indigenous person from North America? Doesn't understanding Indigenous cultures from different parts of the world require specific, localized knowledge?
I guess my question boils down to: how can one person be an expert on Indigenous art globally? Just as an example, within the land called Canada, there are hundreds of different Indigenous tribes, and the artwork styles contain such complex meanings that intertwine with the way of life and cosmology of each Indigenous people. And then sometimes they don't.
Or is it more because the role of a curator is to shape the platform that the museum offers and provide spaces for these voices to be amplified? (I'm not an art expert, so apologies if I've misunderstood the concept of curatorship)
Why would a museum positioned in Canada hire an Indigenous curator with no background in the Indigenous art of the territory in which they were hired? Aside from the publicity and optics concerns, what justifies this? I am ignorant and genuinely curious to see, and I'm not trying to make a statement with this question. Does the art world just not make any sense in general and I shouldn't bother worrying about this? Or are there interesting issues to think about here?
Also, as the article notes, the MMFA isn't dedicated to Canadian First Nations art - one of the examples it cites of this sort of exhibit being done well was “Thought and Splendour of Indigenous Colombia“ - a very global project including at least 5 different stakeholders.
posted by sagc at 7:05 AM on July 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by sagc at 7:05 AM on July 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
Are you aware of good candidates who are Indigenous and experts in curation and speak French and who want to live in Montreal? That seems like a pretty stringent set of criteria! It's hard to know why they chose one person if you don't know who the other candidates were.
posted by Mid at 7:07 AM on July 20, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Mid at 7:07 AM on July 20, 2023 [8 favorites]
Such a position requires an extremely rarefied level of education, which local indigenous communities may not be able to access due to monetary constraints. They might also feel that the academic process alienates them from their own practices and are therefore uninterested.
That and there's been a rash of academic "indigenous" appropriators, so cynically, hiring someone from outside the North American indigenous cultures prevents any sort of controversy about background.
posted by kingdead at 7:21 AM on July 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
That and there's been a rash of academic "indigenous" appropriators, so cynically, hiring someone from outside the North American indigenous cultures prevents any sort of controversy about background.
posted by kingdead at 7:21 AM on July 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Art World is about connections and they just left a job at the Tate. Not to mention they are incredibly talented and knowledgeable. I would rather see a Samōan in this role than just another white person.
posted by Bottlecap at 7:22 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Bottlecap at 7:22 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: The article mentions a plan to develop Canadian Indigenous curators.
We are creating a pathway program for emerging indigenous curators, and cultural mediators, which will be rolled out towards the end of this year, to really ensure that, you know, next time we have a role, we don’t have to go to find someone from Australia,” Eshraghi added, noting how their mentor at the National Gallery of Victoria, the Black-Indigenous curator Sana Balai, informally mentored 30 other people. “We’re lucky that we have a funded program that we’ll be able to roll out, which will support the next generations of arts workers coming through.”posted by zamboni at 7:23 AM on July 20, 2023 [17 favorites]
But why would they not hire and Indigenous person from North America?
American Sāmoa is a part of North America (technically, at least).
posted by unknowncommand at 8:04 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
American Sāmoa is a part of North America (technically, at least).
posted by unknowncommand at 8:04 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
Are you aware of good candidates who are Indigenous and experts in curation and speak French and who want to live in Montreal? That seems like a pretty stringent set of criteria! It's hard to know why they chose one person if you don't know who the other candidates were.
posted by Mid at 7:07 AM on July 20
Personally, I don't know of such a person (as I'm not part of this world). I do, however, know somebody who I'm pretty sure either knows people who would fit that criteria or would be able to come up with some names after one or two phone calls. Now, I'm not saying those people would be as qualified as the person who was hired or that they'd have the same international connections and reputation. Let's face it, getting this kind of job involves not just what you know, but who you know and what your international status and reputation is, but I have very few doubts that there are Canadian-based Indigenous art experts who speak French, who are Indigenous themselves and who would be willing to live in Montreal. It's not like you're asking for somebody to move to the Northwest Territories and speak an Inuit language. Those kinds of criteria would be a much higher hurdle to clear.
posted by sardonyx at 8:45 AM on July 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mid at 7:07 AM on July 20
Personally, I don't know of such a person (as I'm not part of this world). I do, however, know somebody who I'm pretty sure either knows people who would fit that criteria or would be able to come up with some names after one or two phone calls. Now, I'm not saying those people would be as qualified as the person who was hired or that they'd have the same international connections and reputation. Let's face it, getting this kind of job involves not just what you know, but who you know and what your international status and reputation is, but I have very few doubts that there are Canadian-based Indigenous art experts who speak French, who are Indigenous themselves and who would be willing to live in Montreal. It's not like you're asking for somebody to move to the Northwest Territories and speak an Inuit language. Those kinds of criteria would be a much higher hurdle to clear.
posted by sardonyx at 8:45 AM on July 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
Best answer: The big-picture answer to your question is that for hirings at this level (i.e. very high), there are likely numerous factors behind who they choose that are impossible for outsiders to know. I know for academic positions, Canadian institutions are required by law to give preference to Canadian citizens (it says so on the job ads) but I also know that non-citizens regularly get academic jobs in Canada. So, I'd assumed there were some Canadian applicants in the mix for this job, but that certain qualities of this applicant made them stand out. It's also completely possible they weren't the first choice, but the first choice candidate used the job offer to negotiate a raise at their current job.
But also, as sage has already mentioned, they do have expertise related to this position. Though based in Canada, the museum clearly is interested in indigenous arts across the Americas and the Francophone world. They have also done curatorial work related to Canadian indigenous arts, and done postdoc research in Canada.
Other factors that might have made them an attractive candidate: being an artist themselves, having a very global resume, speaking so many languages (especially given the global scope of this job), being non-binary, having art world connections across multiple continents, and likely many factors impossible to know.
I guess my question boils down to: how can one person be an expert on Indigenous art globally?
I mean, logistically you are right that it's impossible to know everything about anything on a global scale - but it's possible to have in-depth knowledge on at least a couple parts of the world, and then to know enough about the rest of the world to know who to reach out to/what sources to consult for the rest of it.
posted by coffeecat at 10:39 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
But also, as sage has already mentioned, they do have expertise related to this position. Though based in Canada, the museum clearly is interested in indigenous arts across the Americas and the Francophone world. They have also done curatorial work related to Canadian indigenous arts, and done postdoc research in Canada.
Other factors that might have made them an attractive candidate: being an artist themselves, having a very global resume, speaking so many languages (especially given the global scope of this job), being non-binary, having art world connections across multiple continents, and likely many factors impossible to know.
I guess my question boils down to: how can one person be an expert on Indigenous art globally?
I mean, logistically you are right that it's impossible to know everything about anything on a global scale - but it's possible to have in-depth knowledge on at least a couple parts of the world, and then to know enough about the rest of the world to know who to reach out to/what sources to consult for the rest of it.
posted by coffeecat at 10:39 AM on July 20, 2023 [7 favorites]
Best answer: it's possible to have in-depth knowledge on at least a couple parts of the world, and then to know enough about the rest of the world to know who to reach out to/what sources to consult for the rest of it.
Also there can be considerable commonality in theoretical/practical problems of curating across this space. Not that you can just randomly apply your analysis of Squamish art to, like, that of Torres Strait Islanders, but the experience of grappling with colonization and white supremacy does tend to raise similar problems, especially in museums and collecting, which is most often a realm where the art is encountering (to save space on a dozen other verbs you could be using here) dominant cultures.
posted by praemunire at 10:46 AM on July 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
Also there can be considerable commonality in theoretical/practical problems of curating across this space. Not that you can just randomly apply your analysis of Squamish art to, like, that of Torres Strait Islanders, but the experience of grappling with colonization and white supremacy does tend to raise similar problems, especially in museums and collecting, which is most often a realm where the art is encountering (to save space on a dozen other verbs you could be using here) dominant cultures.
posted by praemunire at 10:46 AM on July 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
Doesn't understanding Indigenous cultures from different parts of the world require specific, localized knowledge?
[...]Just as an example, within the land called Canada, there are hundreds of different Indigenous tribes, and the artwork styles contain such complex meanings that intertwine with the way of life and cosmology of each Indigenous people.
As your own example proves, no one person can be a specific, local expert on all Canadian indigenous art.
And I don't think that Canada is a world leader in all aspects of working with indigenous peoples; my own impression is that Australia is in some ways ahead of us -- one way of doing things better can be bringing in international experts in best practices from overseas, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
posted by Superilla at 10:47 AM on July 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
[...]Just as an example, within the land called Canada, there are hundreds of different Indigenous tribes, and the artwork styles contain such complex meanings that intertwine with the way of life and cosmology of each Indigenous people.
As your own example proves, no one person can be a specific, local expert on all Canadian indigenous art.
And I don't think that Canada is a world leader in all aspects of working with indigenous peoples; my own impression is that Australia is in some ways ahead of us -- one way of doing things better can be bringing in international experts in best practices from overseas, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
posted by Superilla at 10:47 AM on July 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
how can one person be an expert on Indigenous art globally?
The meaning of the pieces and the culture surrounding them? I doubt anyone could.
The shared experience of having their art looted by conquerors and spread out among the world's museums and private collections? Yes, someone could very much become an expert in that and particularly the negotiations to help return them to their original owners and then immediately turn around and ask to borrow them.
That person is also going to have to consult or hire experts from various indigenous cultures and I suspect that someone who grew up in one would have a lot more credibility.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:08 PM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
The meaning of the pieces and the culture surrounding them? I doubt anyone could.
The shared experience of having their art looted by conquerors and spread out among the world's museums and private collections? Yes, someone could very much become an expert in that and particularly the negotiations to help return them to their original owners and then immediately turn around and ask to borrow them.
That person is also going to have to consult or hire experts from various indigenous cultures and I suspect that someone who grew up in one would have a lot more credibility.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:08 PM on July 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Aside from what others have mentioned, reading the article, I get a sense that this person is someone who understands that they need to facilitate and be in conversation with communities in order to curate different projects well. Which is an important aspect to decolonizing and re-indeginizing the art world. You have to get folks on board from the communities rather than the colonial model of curating which was just a top down, paternalistic approach.
And as others have said, there are numerous barriers in place to even become qualified for this position. That would take completely changing the art world as the colonial system it is. Of course they didn't just hire a local elder from a local tribe. Sad but true.
This person sounds qualified, though, so I don't know exactly what you are getting at?
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 12:59 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
And as others have said, there are numerous barriers in place to even become qualified for this position. That would take completely changing the art world as the colonial system it is. Of course they didn't just hire a local elder from a local tribe. Sad but true.
This person sounds qualified, though, so I don't know exactly what you are getting at?
posted by AnyUsernameWillDo at 12:59 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you for all your answers! As I mentioned, I was not trying to make any statement with this question, so I wasn't trying to "get at anything".
One thing that can explain my confusion is that in the article headline, it says the MBAM hired an "Indigenous Arts Curator".
I took that to mean they hired an arts curator who is Indigenous, and as Indigenous means "originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native," I took that to mean they were hiring someone Indigenous to Montréal (Tiohtià:ke) or at least ''Turtle Island" and that this would give a platform or higher visibility to a creator/ curator with expertise in indigeneity in the region in which this whole thing is taking place.
I now understand they hired a curator of Indigenous Arts, who is not Indigenous to Tiohtià:ke but is a worldwide expert on global Indigenous art. And like I mentioned, I am extremely stoked to see what Léuli Eshrāghi is going to accomplish, and in no way was I trying to suggest they are not qualified.
I think Leuli hinted at the paradox in the comment that zamboni mentioned, in the fact that they are creating a mentorship pathway for Canadian Indigenous curators. (hopefully it will have mechanisms to verify the claims to Indigenous identity)
From what I understand Pan-Indigeneity is not a universally accepted concept across Indigenous cultures of the world , and could be seen as a colonial concept. (ie: not all Indigenous cultures accept this mandate that because they're Indigenous, they all have something in common by virtue of being victims of colonialism).
I'm not the right person to make that critique, it's just something I'm aware of. and we can all acknowledge that this is a colonial museum, collecting pieces of art from around the world, and that curatorship in itself is a vestige of colonialism. And it's fascinating to see this vestige try to transform itself, while also knowing that the only true decolonization would be to give back the land to the Indigenous people. This is all very heady stuff but I'm truly fascinated by this exceptionally talented person.
posted by winterportage at 6:08 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
One thing that can explain my confusion is that in the article headline, it says the MBAM hired an "Indigenous Arts Curator".
I took that to mean they hired an arts curator who is Indigenous, and as Indigenous means "originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native," I took that to mean they were hiring someone Indigenous to Montréal (Tiohtià:ke) or at least ''Turtle Island" and that this would give a platform or higher visibility to a creator/ curator with expertise in indigeneity in the region in which this whole thing is taking place.
I now understand they hired a curator of Indigenous Arts, who is not Indigenous to Tiohtià:ke but is a worldwide expert on global Indigenous art. And like I mentioned, I am extremely stoked to see what Léuli Eshrāghi is going to accomplish, and in no way was I trying to suggest they are not qualified.
I think Leuli hinted at the paradox in the comment that zamboni mentioned, in the fact that they are creating a mentorship pathway for Canadian Indigenous curators. (hopefully it will have mechanisms to verify the claims to Indigenous identity)
From what I understand Pan-Indigeneity is not a universally accepted concept across Indigenous cultures of the world , and could be seen as a colonial concept. (ie: not all Indigenous cultures accept this mandate that because they're Indigenous, they all have something in common by virtue of being victims of colonialism).
I'm not the right person to make that critique, it's just something I'm aware of. and we can all acknowledge that this is a colonial museum, collecting pieces of art from around the world, and that curatorship in itself is a vestige of colonialism. And it's fascinating to see this vestige try to transform itself, while also knowing that the only true decolonization would be to give back the land to the Indigenous people. This is all very heady stuff but I'm truly fascinated by this exceptionally talented person.
posted by winterportage at 6:08 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: My comment got cut off...
It's fascinating to see curatorship try to transform itself, while also knowing that the only true decolonization would be to give back the land to the Indigenous people, but as that seems impossible/unlikely/too hard, the powers that be are transforming the way that Indigenous cultures are represented in all sorts of media across the world, and allowing their existence, their life force, their resilience, their joy to be seen, understood, validated., Whereas in the past, these same powers attempted to culturally eradicate them.
Like I said, I'm truly stoked to see this exceptionally talented Léuli Eshrāghi take on this role, and hope that with the extremely tall order they've been given, that they will have all of the institution's support, and won't be expected to do all of this alone. (I have no idea how art curators function within museums and within this museum in particular, though I do know there has been lots of drama at this museum and other Canadian museums and that a lot of places seem to be picking up the pieces after toxic people have been ousted. I just hope that this new curator will be stepping into the supportive and flourishing environment that someone of their calibre deserves...
posted by winterportage at 6:18 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's fascinating to see curatorship try to transform itself, while also knowing that the only true decolonization would be to give back the land to the Indigenous people, but as that seems impossible/unlikely/too hard, the powers that be are transforming the way that Indigenous cultures are represented in all sorts of media across the world, and allowing their existence, their life force, their resilience, their joy to be seen, understood, validated., Whereas in the past, these same powers attempted to culturally eradicate them.
Like I said, I'm truly stoked to see this exceptionally talented Léuli Eshrāghi take on this role, and hope that with the extremely tall order they've been given, that they will have all of the institution's support, and won't be expected to do all of this alone. (I have no idea how art curators function within museums and within this museum in particular, though I do know there has been lots of drama at this museum and other Canadian museums and that a lot of places seem to be picking up the pieces after toxic people have been ousted. I just hope that this new curator will be stepping into the supportive and flourishing environment that someone of their calibre deserves...
posted by winterportage at 6:18 AM on July 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: So, to your question of “why not someone with local knowledge?” as an academic (in Australia), I can think if quite a few potential issues at play. In addition to the broader global Indigenous focus of the museum that people have mentioned, the goals of the institution may also be about growing the global reputation of the museum, hence hiring someone with a strong external network and access to best practice in other places may be highly desirable. Best practice is often a strong concern for the museum context.
Relatedly, in my academic context, we often have discussions about the concept of “inside candidate” as preferred vs the opposite, a bias against inside candidates. Different places have different preferences, but in the latter view, hiring someone that is too close to the existing network is seen as overly parochial and a black mark due to things like conflict of interest, eg. will they always be in the shadow of their advisor? This is, of course, not to say that should apply here in the same way that, say, hiring your own PhD students can create all sorts of problems in a university department, but only to point out the kind of thinking (insider = good vs problematic) that could be at play.*
Plus a third option, which I have seen many times: Eshrāghi simply saw the job advertised, applied, did an interview, and blew everyone on the hiring committee away with talent and vision. Thus, any inside/outside preference concerns were rendered null through sheer ability. Having seen the blurb, this could indeed be the case, although I suspect the global network, languages and status as a diverse Indigenous curator were almost certainly factors that helped seal the deal. In short, hiring is complicated to understand when you don’t know what factors were being prioritized by the hiring committee.
*I’m definitely not an Aboriginal studies expert, but it does also occur to me that the outside preference is a particularly Western view, in contrast to strong local knowledge and place-ness.
posted by ec2y at 1:57 PM on July 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Relatedly, in my academic context, we often have discussions about the concept of “inside candidate” as preferred vs the opposite, a bias against inside candidates. Different places have different preferences, but in the latter view, hiring someone that is too close to the existing network is seen as overly parochial and a black mark due to things like conflict of interest, eg. will they always be in the shadow of their advisor? This is, of course, not to say that should apply here in the same way that, say, hiring your own PhD students can create all sorts of problems in a university department, but only to point out the kind of thinking (insider = good vs problematic) that could be at play.*
Plus a third option, which I have seen many times: Eshrāghi simply saw the job advertised, applied, did an interview, and blew everyone on the hiring committee away with talent and vision. Thus, any inside/outside preference concerns were rendered null through sheer ability. Having seen the blurb, this could indeed be the case, although I suspect the global network, languages and status as a diverse Indigenous curator were almost certainly factors that helped seal the deal. In short, hiring is complicated to understand when you don’t know what factors were being prioritized by the hiring committee.
*I’m definitely not an Aboriginal studies expert, but it does also occur to me that the outside preference is a particularly Western view, in contrast to strong local knowledge and place-ness.
posted by ec2y at 1:57 PM on July 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by sagc at 7:03 AM on July 20, 2023 [8 favorites]