On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Curator and Director of Curatorial Initiatives Ashley Holland visited DePauw to represent Art Bridges and deliver an hour-long talk in the Peeler Auditorium that went over the purpose of her institution.
Holland is a DePauw alum who majored in art history and went on to do her graduate degree in museum studies, then her PhD in Oklahoma. She described how she was unable to express her indigenous identity – from her mother’s side of the family – because she didn’t live in an environment that emphasized the significance of Native women. Only when she encountered a Cherokee artist, Kay Walkingstick, during her graduate degree program, she realized what she wanted to do: become a curator of Native art. Kay Walkingstick talked about how during her time living in New York, she felt unseen and unheard as a Native woman through the representation of art in museums. Deeply resonating with this feeling, Holland soon landed an internship in the Eiteljorg Museum, where she helped with the Indiana Market and Festival and later got employed as an Assistant Curator of Native Art. This initiated her journey as a curator of Native art, helping her show evoked thoughts about identity and representation.
Holland stated that the way we perceive Native people as well as art is a very powerful tool that can often be misused, and so she focused on how to represent that art in a valid, contemporary form. Holland used a book, Returns by James Clifford, to explain how Indigenous art can look very different today when compared to the past due to two focal points: colonization and the ever-changing nature of communities. Using this rhetoric, Holland emphasized representing both past and contemporary Native art because culture and history is deeply ingrained in the presentation and contrast of such temporal pieces. Holland went on to state that art today is divided into categories that fail to be inclusive and representative, and so her aim is to redefine American art. In museums, American art is typically defined in terms of a specific timeline and so often ends up only representing a very small portion of pieces. Holland believes that by redefining American art to something that is more inclusive, with more emphasis on emotions and experiences, museums can create a more accurate representational display for people to see – exactly what Art Bridges is doing.
Founded by Walmart heiress Alice Walton in 2017, Art Bridges was created to make museums and art more accessible to people around the country. Walton wished to address the lack of access to art, as people had to drive two to three hours just to visit a medium-sized museum. She also recognized art as a powerful tool, so she used her wealth to establish the institution of Art Bridges. Ashley was hired in 2018 as a curator and stated that Art Bridges was different from other institutions because it strived for diversity and inclusion, creating a space that gave room for new voices to have fresh conversations. Ashley stated that the institution doesn’t try to define American art, rather, she says, “We are much more interested in what American art can be, what it should be, what it has been, what it will be, and not so much this canon of American art since it has been exclusive and so they [Art Bridges] believe in an ever-changing, ever-evolving, ever-inclusive state of American art.” Art Bridges operationalizes their definition of American art by introducing the “American experience:” the incorporation of artists across different countries and cultures that come to America for different purposes. So far, the collection has accumulated 150 artworks that span from the 19th century to the present day.
Holland explained that Art Bridge’s primary function is to ensure that art is accessible throughout all of America, and they achieve this by collecting and distributing art, funding traveling exhibitions, funding lending and borrowing fees as well as pairing up museums to form partnerships so that they switch up their displays. By covering all expenses associated with loans, Art Bridges helps museums share works of art and bring in new audiences that otherwise may not have been willing to come to the museums. As a direct result of this, artworks that carry significant social meanings and represent societal issues are brought into different public spaces and can be used to have important discussions. One of the many things that this institution has done is introduce the “Access For All” initiative: sixty institutions across the country now provide free entry for at least one day of the month, meaning that people who aren’t able to afford admission fees into a museum can now access art without having to pay. The institution also ensures that more than 85% of its collection is always on display by making sure art that isn’t being used by one museum is transported to another so that exhibitions and displays are new and exciting for audiences.
Ashley animatedly stated that they were trying to get a few Indiana-based institutions on board. She also explained that all of what Art Bridges is doing not only benefits audiences and communities, but also helps artists - especially artists from minority groups - gain more recognition and have their work seen by audiences on a national scale. Ashley talked about the fellows program: a newly introduced program that focuses on reimagining the traditional museum pipeline so that working at a museum can be approached from an apprenticeship perspective – helping those who wish to work at museums gain experience as well as make it far more accessible. Ashley gave the example of how someone who specializes in economics could work within the finance department of the museum. By introducing more opportunities in more departments, the fellowship allows one working at a museum to use one’s own special skill sets. Art Bridges is a very impactful institution that strives for representation and inclusivity while now also providing the opportunity to experience working at a museum yourself.
Edited March 15, 2024, to clarify that Walmart heiress Alice Walton founded Art Bridges in 2017.