Join us for a talk by Dr. Kelli Morgan, Professor of the Practice and inaugural Director of Curatorial Studies at Tufts University, presented as part of the Black on Black on Black on Black exhibition.
In this lecture, Dr. Kelli Morgan examines the history of art collecting and the art museum by centering both squarely within the dynamics and functionality of European colonization and imperialism. Through this lens, Dr. Morgan demonstrates how and why art museums are currently struggling so badly with diversity, repatriation, restitution, and attempts to create genuine cultures of institutional equity.
About the artist
Dr. Kelli Morgan is a Professor of the Practice and the inaugural Director of Curatorial Studies at Tufts University. A curator, educator, and social justice activist who specializes in American art and visual culture, her scholarly commitment to the investigation of anti-blackness within those fields has demonstrated how traditional art history and museum practice work specifically to uphold white supremacy.
Besides her own curatorial experience, Dr. Morgan mentors emerging curators and regularly trains staff at various museums to foster anti-racist approaches in collection building, exhibitions, community engagement, and fundraising.
Over the past year, Dr. Morgan has become a leading and influential voice in bolstering anti-racist work in art museums. She has held curatorial positions at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and teaching positions at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the Tyler School of Art at Temple University
Dr. Morgan earned her PhD in Afro-American studies and a graduate certificate in public history–museum studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017.
Accessibility
This in-person program will be conducted in English. The KAM Auditorium is equipped with wheelchair-accessible seating and voice amplification.
The Art & Design Visitors Series endeavors to be accessible to all. If you have questions or would like to request and accommodation, please email art@illinois.edu.
