2022 Culturefix – Morning Conversations
SUMMARY
Meridian proudly presents Culturefix, its second annual cultural diplomacy celebration to honor the power of the arts and culture to help fix global challenges faced by people, communities and the planet. The virtual program was held on June 7, 2022 featuring conversations at the intersection of diplomacy, culture, and the arts, the announcement of the Meridian Cultural Diplomacy Awards, and special performances. The Meridian Cultural Diplomacy Awards will be bestowed on artists or cultural leaders who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to using the arts and culture to unite people in the United States and around the world and contribute to greater international cooperation on shared global challenges. The event will also include a special in-person evening reception with live performances at the historic Meridian House in Washington, D.C. Culturefix is chaired by Soledad and Bob Hurst with Netflix as the Corporate Chair and Artistic Co-Chairs Luke Frazier and Robert Pullen.
See more on social: #Culturefix
Forum Agenda
Repatriation: Ethical Collections Practice and Museum Transparency
watch Repatriation Takeaways
Museums in the United States and across the world have in recent years faced increased scrutiny and pressure, both public and internal, to implement more ethical and transparent practices related to their permanent collections---not only in how new acquisitions are selected and vetted for, but also in repatriating looted or stolen art, cultural artifacts, and ancestral remains. This panel will discuss the ethical and moral obligations of the public sector, museums, and other cultural institutions, as well as their role in the greater public discussion surrounding their controversial origins rooted in Western colonization.
Speakers:
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Dr. Jami Powell, Curator of Indigenous Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth - Moderator
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Ngaire Blankenberg, Director, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian
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Faridah Mohammed, Representative, Embassy of Nigeria
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Mark Vlasic, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
What the NFT is this? watch NFT Takeaways
In March 2021, Christie's sold its first digital artwork. The $69.3 million piece by Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, may be relatively unknown in the traditional art market, but that price placed him amongst Jeff Koons and David Hockney as one of the most valuable living artists at auction to date. The growing popularity of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have caused artists and museums to grapple with this newfound market/medium. While NFTs can be seen as a way for artists to gain control over their pieces in the digital space, they also raise questions on ownership, storage, and digital reproduction. For museums, NFTs represent a possible future in the collections space, but are there further considerations in place before museums invest in these pieces? This panel will look to clarify how NFTs fit into the art world and debate whether or not they have a permanent place within museum collections.
Speakers:
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Kate Knibbs, Senior Writer, WIRED – Moderator
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Krista Kim, Artist and Founder, Techism Movement
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Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle, Global Director of Online Sales, Pace Gallery, NYC
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Laura Ballman, Founder, Capital Art Strategies
Represent: Indigeous Stories and Voices
watch Indigenous Voices Takeaways
Diversity and representation in museums have long been an issue acknowledged by the field, particularly in regards to Native and Indigenous representation. This is not only true in staffing, but also in collections and how those collections are presented to the public. In the United States, the past decade has seen the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC---a process that took decades---dedicated to presenting Native art, culture, and objects from throughout the Western Hemisphere. Indigenous cultures have often been relegated to disjointed exhibitions in natural history museums, misconceptualizing these cultures and people as relics of the past. The Portland Museum of Art, along with a growing number of other museums, are providing an overdue platform for Native artists to showcase their thriving cultures and traditions. This panel will explore the progress made in the field, as well as the hurdles and issues still facing Native artists and curators.
Speakers:
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Dr. Jami Powell, Curator of Indigenous Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth - Moderator
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Dr. David Breslin, Director of Curatorial Initiatives, Whitney Museum
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Courtney M. Leonard, Artist and Filmmaker
