A group of demonstrators organized a demonstration in the lobby of the Whitney Museum of American Art last Friday evening, 23 May, aimed at board members “Bound to Genocide, Militarism and Apartheid” and accused the Museum of Censorship after it had a performance about Palestinian Mourning in the Independent Study Program (ISP) earlier this month. The protest lasted about an hour, with around 50 activists in participation, including various alumni of the ISP, a program funded by the Whitney.
The action came two weeks after the museum had canceled the staging of 14 May of ‘no aesthetics outside of my freedom: mourning, militance and execution’, a performance piece by artists Noel Maghathe, Fadl Fakhourri and Fargo Tbakhi that was organized by the current curatorial cohort of the ISP. Hyperallergic Reported that museum director Scott Rothkopf had the introduction of TBAKHI in the performance of an earlier staging last year, in which TBAKHI asks public members who supported Israel to leave.
Catalyzed by the museum’s decision, the protesters took over the lobby during the weekly Free Friday’s program, which are used painted banners and signs that accuse the museum of “Artwashing Genocide,” sponsoring war crimes “and” police artists “. The group handed out 600 mock museum pamphlets that identified specific board members and their ties with Zionist, militarized and surveillance-oriented entities.
The Tri-Folds called Nancy Carrington Crown, whose family members are large shareholders of General Dynamics, the company for weapons and information systems that has The Israeli army provided with bombs and ammunition; Estée Lauder heir Leonard Lauder, whose brother Ronald is the president of the Jewish World Congress and a chairman of the Jewish National Fund; And billionaire Laurie Tisch, whose cousin Jessica Tisch became the police commissioner of New York City last November.
The protesters remained in the lobby from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. before they go without violence. They sang outside for about 20 minutes to disappear. No arrests were made.
This is not the first time that the Whitney board is the target of Pro-Palestinian protests. A little more than a year ago, activists organized a sound and projection -based intervention during the Whitney Biennial to call Carrington Crown and museum sponsor Hyundai Motors for their ties with the Israeli army. In November 2023, activists closed the stairs of the museum with fake blood during a march for Gaza in Manhattan.
The museum is also no stranger to criticism and actions against its board members. Former vice chairman Warren Kanders was driven out of the Whitney in 2019 after persistent protests and withdrawals from the artist when it was revealed that his company, Safariland, produced and sold tear gas that was used at the border between the US and Mexico as well as Puerto Rico.
The Whitney did not respond immediately HyperallergicThe request for comments.
