Identity politics is a divisive term today. It’s been tied to this idea of diversity, equity and inclusion, to critical race theory and culture war issues.
But, our next guest says, it’s an idea that started a long time ago in American history. It was first popularized by an organization of queer, Black feminists in 1977. But, from the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s to abolitionism and women’s suffrage 200 years ago, identity politics has been a part of the American psyche for generations.
Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, Ph.D., teaches museum studies and art history in Arizona State University's School of Art. In her Identity Politics and Exhibition course, she dives deep into how identity politics have intersected with museums throughout history.
She spoke more about it with The Show, beginning with the Whitney Biennial in 1993, which went down in history as one of the most political — and controversial, of all time.
Full conversation
CECILIA FAJARDO-HILL: The Whitney Biennial is an exhibition that defines in a way every two years what American art is at the time and he had always been primarily an exhibition of white artists and prominently men.
So for the first time in his whole history, the Whitney Biennial was actually primarily diverse artists and because it was so contentious, it was very political. There was even a video of the Rodney King beating in LA. So it was really violently criticized as a biennial that was being so political that the art was being left behind.
And as a result of that, I mean, it was an important moment in the history. And today we remember it as one of the most important exhibition of the Whitney Biennial. Now they're much more political.
But the following Biennial, all the numbers, the women's participation, you know, participation of diversity completely was again flattened out. Because that's what happens after when museums decide to change or be more political, then there is a reaction against it in the museum thinks, then the public doesn't want to see these things. Therefore, we are not going to do it.
LAUREN GILGER: Let's talk about what this looks like today. I mean, like museums, I think at least from what I can tell, like often try very hard, it seems like to represent artists of color, artists from different backgrounds, from different identities. They seem like they're often trying to grapple with colonialism, especially here in Arizona. But is that, the reality is that just a small piece of what museums are doing around the country? Like, is diversity still suffering in these institutions?
FAJARDO-HILL: Well, yes. I mean, the reality is museums normally state that diversity is really important to them. But usually how does that look? It looks in, like let's celebrate Cinco de Mayo, let's do Hispanic month, let's do performances and whatever. But it doesn't necessarily transform the institution. For institutions to transform in reality, really, really permanently, the need to have diverse staff working in the museum to have knowledge about Latinx art or queer art or African American artist or feminist or whatever.
So the problem is normally that's not the case, you know, diversity. If you look at any statistics today about participation of diversity in museums, women's participation, you will see how that looks, does not look good. It really doesn't.
There was a very specific moment during the [George] Floyd marches during the pandemic when museum had no choice but somehow to participate because there was an enormous amount of criticism online and on the press about how museums were not really defending the rights, the human rights of Black and brown people.
GILGER: So I mean, this gets to the heart of, of like the role of museums in society, right? Like there's a, there's a very obvious argument about representation, right? Like about who you put on the walls, what kinds of art you're showing, right? In the sense that you know, it'll help people follow in their footsteps. It's representation is important, but it sounds like you're going beyond that here to talk about the importance of what these institutions mean in our society, the power they hold.
FAJARDO-HILL: Yes, museums are very important. In polls about people's trust of the museum, museums are much higher than even political institutions or other types of institutions. People think that museums are places that actually provide information that is good for society, that is trustworthy, that you know the values that you see.
But what happens if you are an African American person, and the museum in your community only exhibits art that is not representing the history and the culture that you actually pertain? So that's why in the end, a lot of people feel alienated by museums because they say, well, I'm a woman and there is no exhibition, so there are not enough women in this show.
But I do, you know, even though I'm critical of, I think, the slowness of institutions in changing in a more permanent way, which again, I repeat, it needs to happen by including the voices for the community to be included. You need to have people that are knowledgeable and that are knowledgeable people, Native American, African American, a very high level everywhere in society that studied. So they just need the opportunity to be part of this. But there is change, there is the diversity being represented in museums. I think it just needs to continue to increase.
GILGER: Yeah, let me ask you lastly, what you make of what's happening in these institutions here in Arizona. I know you're relatively new to the Valley. What does it look like in Arizona museums to you?
FAJARDO-HILL: I think it, it's positive. You know, for example, if you look at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, they are actually doing a diverse programming in the, in the institution. Then of course, you have the Heart Museum, which is a museum of Native American Art. You have the ASU Art Museum, which has a Latina and, you know, they have curators and they have diversity very much at the center. Or Scottsdale SMOCA is also they do and they have a diverse staff, you know, they have … Tucson MOCA also is an interesting institution led by a Latinx person and Tempe, too.
There is a strangely an integration of this sort of more diverse kind of conversations in society I found because I lived in California for many years. In California, strangely enough, is less diverse. And California seems to be a more liberal, you know, place. It's really a, a wonderful thing that in Arizona there is this, this intent of representing, well, we want to call it identity politics, but identity politics is a, embedded in the very notion of diversity.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Cecilia Fajardo-Hill's name.
