We will also offer exclusive access to two annual lectures presented at the museum. "My time at the Art Institute has been very special to me, and I am grateful to have worked with such highly committed, talented colleagues who are passionate about making an impact in . + '<\/div>' }; regex: { That letter itself, though, might give one pause. But to fire them because of their race? crossDomain: true, . Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. + '
' Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! addCss('https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css'); More by Rebecca Zorach. if (!found) { Pam Longobardis new book Ocean Gleaning features her plastic-based artworks as well as logs of ocean waste sourced by 75 contributors. var cookieSettings = { $form.find('.invalid-email').show().siblings().hide(); This mindset enforces mediocrity, which is the worst enemy of progress and prosperity. isnewsletter = pagetypeurl.includes("?page_1"); url: $form.attr('action'), Standard subscriptions can be purchased on the subscription page. Of course, as volunteers, they have no recourse or legal protections. Once the docents were essential; now, they were critics. It adopted a conciliatory tone. * There is probably no need to call this directly - use setNewsletterCookie(). 10:00am CDT. clearInterval(initOuibounce); The Docent Council complained about the decision in a letter to Art Institute President James Rondeau, which listed their members accomplishments and qualifications and further stated, We believe we were dismissed (1) because the museums perspective is that the current docent corps demographics do not meet the need of the strategic plan (2) the museum concluded that reengineering the docent program was a step towards achieving the museums important goal of creating a culture of diversity and inclusion., And thats what you get, ladies, when you accept the dubious proposition of diversity for diversitys sake, where merit takes a back seat to quotas. The ax fell in the third paragraph. All rights reserved. var $modal = $('#ouibounce-modal'); As a leader in our field, we continue to evolve our systems to better meet the needs of our visitors, supporters, and staff. Quickly: Readers sound off on issues of the day, Speak Out reader opinion: We need Poker Face character in political debates, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The Institute will make do without volunteers for three years while they train a more diverse squad. This means the programs current iteration will come to an end. //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' The Art Institute used to have more than 100 docents, 82 of whom were active, until an executive director of learning and engagement, Veronica Stein, sent an email on Sept. 3 firing them all, the Wall Street Journal reported. That work of art hangs today in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Thus, in September, Veronica Stein, the executive director of learning and public engagement at AICs Womens Board, fired all 82 docents and abruptly ended the 60-year-old docent program. From now until December 2021, we will transition to a ratio of 80% in-gallery tours and programming to 20% virtual tours and programming. The current docentswhich trended toward older white women with free timewould be replaced by part-time paid employees in the hopes of attracting those for whom volunteer labor was not financially feasible. Corporate media largely neglected to report the story, probably because it doesnt fit a particular woke narrative. One of my all-time favorites, right up there with the Nantucket/Pawtucket pair and Edward Gorys, including, The first child of Mrs. Keats-Shelley Volunteers are not covered by federal employment laws, so the wealthy white women who chose to serve the community for free out of their civic pride and generosity will be replaced with a new diverse group of non-volunteers, who will be paid $25 an hour to do be less trained and experienced than the docents just released. + '