Chaédria LaBouvier

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Chaédria LaBouvier
Born1984/1985 (age 36–37)
U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationCurator
journalist
Years active2007–present

Chaédria LaBouvier (born July 5)[1][2] is an American curator and journalist. In 2019, LaBouvier became the first black curator, the first black woman and the first person of Cuban descent to curate an exhibition in the Guggenheim's 80-year history, as well as the first black author of a Guggenheim catalogue, for the exhibition, "Basquiat's Defacement: The Untold Story". Her criticism of her treatment by the museum led to the Guggenheim hiring its first staff black curator in that year.

Early life and education[]

In 2007, LaBouvier received a B.A. in history from Williams College.[3] In 2014, she earned a masters of fine arts degree in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[4]

Career[]

In 2019, LaBouvier was hired by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as the first black curator and the first black woman in the history of the Guggenheim to organize an exhibition.[2] LaBouvier is also the first black author to write a Guggenheim catalogue.[5]

The exhibition, "Basquiat's Defacement: The Untold Story," opened in June 2019 and covered not only Basquiat's work, but also the history of Michael Stewart, whose death from police brutality inspired the painting, The Death of Michael Stewart.[6] Other paintings by Basquiat on the theme of police brutality and art featuring Stewart by Keith Haring, George Condo and Lyle Ashton Harris were also included in the exhibition.[7] The focus of the show on Stewart and the struggle of black men living in the United States set the show apart from other exhibitions on Basquiat according to WNYC.[8] The show ran for five months with hundreds of thousands of visitors.[9]

On February 25, 2021, LaBouvier received a Bicentennial Medal from Williams College,[10] becoming the youngest medalist in the award's history so far.[11]

Cultural influence[]

LaBouvier called her experience with the Guggenheim as shaped by artistic director Nancy Spector and other leadership as "the most racist professional experience of my life."[12] She first made parts of her treatment public at a final discussion panel for the show, which she alleges she was intentionally left out of as a final retaliatory effort from Spector.[13] LaBouvier described additional specific instances of her treatment on her personal Twitter account and in news articles.[14]

After criticism from LaBouvier, the Guggenheim hired an external firm to investigate her claims. It ultimately found "no evidence that Ms. LaBouvier was subject to adverse treatment on the basis of her race."[15] However, while the investigation was under way, museum employees submitted a public letter to the board, calling for them to "replace those members of the executive cabinet who have repeatedly proven that they are not committed to decisive, anti-racist action and do not act in good faith with BIPOC leaders."[16] After the investigation's conclusion, Spector voluntarily parted ways with the museum.[17]

Because of her public statements and actions, LaBouvier has been recognized as a catalyst for the "Change the Museum" movement,[18] a worker-led campaign to push museums to take active steps toward equity and justice.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ LaBouvier, Chaédria (July 7, 2016). "For Black Women, For Mourning and Expecting More From Whiteness". Medium.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Mitter, Siddhartha (July 30, 2019). "Behind Basquiat's 'Defacement': Reframing a Tragedy". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Getting a Read On: Basquiat and Black Lives Matter". Williams College Museum of Art. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "Chaédria LaBouvier". Duke Forum for Scholars and Publics. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. ^ "Chaédria LaBouvier". The Root. 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ^ McDonald, John (August 31, 2019). "Death of an Artist". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 3, 2020 – via EBSCOhost.
  7. ^ McClinton, Dream (June 2, 2019). "Defacement: The Tragic Story of Basquiat's Most Personal Painting". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Solomon, Deborah (June 28, 2019). "Review: A Better Basquiat Show". WNYC. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Greig, Jonathan (November 19, 2019). "Blavity News & Politics". Blavity News & Politics. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Chaédria LaBouvier '07: Williams Bicentennial Medalist 2021 (Virtual Event), retrieved March 20, 2021
  11. ^ LaBouvier, Chaédria (February 26, 2020). "Personal Twitter account". Twitter. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. ^ LaBouvier, Chaédria (June 3, 2020). "Personal Twitter account".
  13. ^ Bad News Women, Twitter user (November 5, 2019). "It went down at the Guggenheim!". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "The Guggenheim Tried To Erase Chaédria LaBouvier's Work But She Won't Let Them". Essence. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  15. ^ Liscia, Valentina Di (October 8, 2020). "Amid Controversy, Nancy Spector Steps Down From the Guggenheim Museum". Hyperallergic. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  16. ^ "Letter to the Board". A Better Guggenheim. July 4, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (October 8, 2020). "Guggenheim's Top Curator Is Out as Inquiry Into Basquiat Show Ends". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Collins, Bianca (November 11, 2020). "Chaédria LaBouvier". Artillery Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Anonymous. "Change the Museum Instagram account". Instagram. Retrieved March 21, 2021.

External links[]

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