Expanding a cultural heritage's reach

THE GETTY WORKS TO HELP PRESERVE THE BLACK COMMUNITY'S CREATIVE HISTORY AMID A PUSH AGAINST INCLUSION.

- BY JESSICA GELT

(The J. Paul Getty Museum)

THE WESTERN CANON of art history is dominated by white men. The canon itself is the product of centuries of scholarship also conducted by white men.

But the Getty, and many other art institutions across the country, are determined to change that. They're working to expand the canon to include women and artists of color who have contributed greatly to artistic heritage and cultural dialogue over the centuries but remain largely underrepresented. The ongoing interrogation of which artists and what work should be represented to fully capture the depth and breadth of the human experience is facing fierce pushback from the Trump administration. The sustained pressure campaign began in January with an executive order to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the federal government, which resulted in the Smithsonian Institution shuttering its office of diversity. Then in March, Trump issued another mandate targeting “divisive, race-centered ideology” at the Smithsonian and national parks. In this fraught cultural moment, the privately funded Getty — one of the world’s richest art institutions — stands apart. And where other museums might be feeling the chill of Trump's actions, the Getty is tirelessly moving forward with the implementation of an ever-increasing raft of initiatives, grants and educational and research programs aimed at supporting and preserving Black arts and cultural heritage in Los Angeles and across the country.