Strike MoMA is a movement to strike the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, targeting what its organizers describe as the "toxic philanthropy" of the museum's leadership. It has consisted of a series of 10 demonstrations organized over ten weeks, from April 9, 2021, through June 11.

History

The movement, led by a collective calling itself the International Imagination of Anti-National Anti-Imperialist Feelings (IIAAF), grew as an escalation of pressure against the institution following reports that MoMA chairman

Leon Black Leon David Black (born July 31, 1951) is an American private equity investor. He is the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, which he co-founded in 1990 with Marc Rowan and Josh Harris. Black was the chairman of the Museum of Modern Art ...

had paid the convicted sex offender

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein ( , ; January 20, 1953August 10, 2019) was an American financier and child sex offender. Born and raised in New York City, Epstein began his professional career as a teacher at the Dalton School, despite lacking a col ...

charged with sex trafficking $158 million. A successful open letter campaign endorsed by over 150 artists led to his resignation as chairman of the museum, although questions remained as to how his role at the museum would continue.

Michael Rakowitz Michael Rakowitz (; born 22 October 1973 in Long Island, New York) is an Iraqi-American artist living and working in Chicago. He is best known for his conceptual art shown in non-gallery contexts. Rakowitz is Professor of Art Theory and Practice ...

, one of the signing artists, noted that "MoMA has refused comment on every story that has emerged about Leon Black." He continued, "The museum stays silent while we as artists are asked to speak. Beyond speaking, I look forward to collectively imagining an ecosystem that does not enlist our content to go on display in institutions whose board members create the very conditions in the world that many of us are devoted to dismantling.” The museum's director, Glenn D. Lowry, whose contract Black had extended through 2025, has also been identified as conspicuously silent on the subject. In a statement on March 23, the IIAAF collective announced a 10-week strike against the MoMA starting April 9. On April 30, activists planning to demonstrate inside the museum were denied entry. Among the organizers was

Amin Husain Amin Husain is a Palestinian-American activist and adjunct professor at New York University, though he has been suspended from that position. Academic career He has a B.A. in philosophy and political science from Valparaiso University in 1998, ...

Decolonize This Place Decolonize This Place is an art collective based in New York City that organizes around Indigenous rights, Black nationalism, Palestinian nationalism, de-gentrification, and economic inequality. Their actions often take place at museums and c ...

, who had previously organized protests against the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

that led to the resignation of the vice-chairman

Warren Kanders Warren Beatty Kanders (born 1957 or 1958) is an American businessman and investor. From 1996 to 2007, he was chairman of Armor Holdings, a company involved in the defense and law enforcement industries. He has been chairman and CEO of Cadre Hold ...

whose company

Safariland Safariland, LLC is a United States–based manufacturer of personal, and other equipment focused on the law enforcement, public safety, military, and recreational markets. It was formerly a division of the United Kingdom–based defense and aeros ...

produces

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

grenades used on protesters. On May 26, 2021, the ''Times of Israel'' reported that activists associated with the movement accused board members of the MoMA—

Ron Lauder Ronald Steven Lauder (born February 26, 1944) is an American businessman and pro-Israel political activist. He and his brother, Leonard Lauder, are the sole heirs to the Estée Lauder cosmetics company, founded by their parents, Estée Lauder ...

, and Steven Tananbaum—of "supporting apartheid rule" and "

artwashing Artwashing is the use of art and artists in a positive way to distract from or legitimize negative actions by an individual, organization, country, or government—especially in reference to gentrification. Etymology With a structure similar to ...

" the "occupation of Palestine".{{Cite web, last=staff, first=T. O. I., title=Hundreds protest New York's Museum of Modern Art board's Israel ties, url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-protest-new-yorks-museum-of-modern-art-boards-israel-ties/, access-date=2021-06-13, website=www.timesofisrael.com, language=en-US

References

2020s strikes in the United States 2021 protests Anti-capitalism Protests in New York (state) Museum of Modern Art (New York City) 2021 in New York City