NYC museum under fire for hiring white curator for African art collection

What’s going on?

People are upset at the Brooklyn Museum for hiring a new curator for its African art collection, the New York Post reported. Why? Because Kristen Windmuller-Luna, who has a Ph.D. in African art history from Princeton University and extensive experience in art history lectures and education, happens to be white.

What are they saying?

“People from the African Diaspora are frustrated w/white people being gatekeepers of our narrative,” New Yorker Kimberly Selden tweeted in response to the hire.

“Seriously, @brooklynmuseum? There goes the neighborhood for good,” Philadelphia journalist Ernest Owens said.

How is the museum responding?

In statements, the museum said that it was “listening closely” to the reactions on social media but defended Windmuller-Luna based on her credentials.

“Kristen is the perfect choice to build upon the Brooklyn Museum’s track record as an innovator in the collection and exhibition of the arts of Africa,” chief curator Jennifer Chi said in a statement.

Doc’s take:

On today’s show, Doc wanted to know who’s allowed to work for what museum now. Can a museum about the history of women’s suffrage hire any men? And are children’s museums expected to hire children?

To see more from Doc, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” weekdays 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.