Baltimore's Museum Of Art Says 'Women Only' Collection For 2020
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A bold new decision for Baltimore's Museum of Art.
The museum announced it will only purchase works by women in 2020.
Christopher Bedford has been the director of the museum for three years. He said friends from high school and college contacted him when the change was announced.
"We have to do something big and radical," he said.
It's an attempt to correct the gender imbalance that exists in museums across the country.
This decision came after a collection analysis was made of the museum's entire inventory.
Out of the museum's 95,000 objects, only four percent of the collection is made by women.
"It's completely disproportionate to the contribution of women to world history," Bedford said.
Baltimore's Museum of Art is one of the nation's top art museums, but Bedford said they're not the only ones when it comes to the shockingly small amount of artwork from females.
"We aren't alone in committing the sin of negligence, but we do want to address it head on," he said.
It's why the museum invited female artists like Mickalene Thomas and Elissa Blount Moorehead to show their work.
Moorehead said the change is a win.
"I think Baltimore is a beacon for lots of things that have gone unrecognized for a while, so I'm really excited," Moorehead said.
Moorehead, however, questions how far museums will go.
"I think the real work is after these sorts of things starts to happen and how we're protecting and serving the artists - there are layers of discrimination and exclusion that have to be dealt with up and down the line," she said.
Moorehead said there are female security guards and curators and janitorial staff that also need to be taken into consideration.
The museum staff hopes other museusm will follow their lead.
"This story has gotten picked up all over the country," said one museum visitor Friday.
"I think it's amazing that Baltimore is leading in that regard," said another visitor.
Bedford said they have a budget of $2 million to spend on work from female artists in 2020, but stresses that this effort won't end after next year.
"We will keep pushing," he promised.
General admission is free for everyone at Baltimore's Museum of Art.
