Week 7 Reflection

 This week, we discussed artists whose work would be problematic when placed in a museum. There are a number of artists whose displayed work would raise ethical concerns, regardless of the nature of the work itself.One figure I briefly touched upon in my previous post was Bill Cosby, and while not a visual artist, was certainly considered by many of his peers and fans to be a comedic artist. While it was huge news as to what happened that made him controversial, the scope of how huge the case was is easy to forget. According to Slate.com, 58 women accused him of sexual assault (Filipa, Ioannou ). The reason this case matters so much in the museum discussion, is around the time the accusations began to rise, The Smithsonian Museum opened a Bill Cosby exhibit. While the timing was extremely unfortunate, the choice the museum decided was even more strange. Instead of closing the exhibit down and waiting for the news to die down, or better yet, closing it down permanently, the Smithsonian placed a sign outside of the Cosby exhibit, stating that they "do not condone this behavior". To some, it appeared as though the sole reason the exhibit was still open was to farm controversy and others might suspect the museum of supporting the Cosbys. The latter theory has some weight behind it, as the museum director, Johnnetta Cole, was a friend of the Cosbys (Controversy, thy name be Smithsonian). It may have been difficult for her to accept what was happening though, again, this is pure speculation. Perhaps the opening is the result of both of these things combined, who can really say?

Filipa Ioannou, L., 2020. A Complete List Of The Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby Of Sexual Assault. [online] Slate Magazine. Available at: <https://slate.com/culture/2018/04/bill-cosby-accusers-list-sexual-assault-rape-drugs-feature-in-women-s-stories.html> [Accessed 11 October 2020].

Controversy, thy name be Smithsonian. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2020, from https://www.press.jhu.edu/news/blog/controversy-thy-name-be-smithsonian

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