Responding to the call for racial equality

Watching the news from around the country, including the uprisings here in Columbus, Ohio, has meant we’ve been thinking deeply and heavily about the state of our nation, the center’s role as a cultural institution, and how, both as individuals and as collective entities, we can respond most effectively to current events through the work we do and the space we hold. 

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police was brutal and unnecessary, just like so many racially based murders and abuses that have come before. At this moment, and in the context of continuing protests throughout the world, we can see clearly the stakes for our rallying—as a matter of personal and civic responsibility—to the work of producing and supporting essential, fundamental change.

As a safe, inclusive space intended for cultural exploration and understanding, the Wexner Center for the Arts stands in solidarity with those fighting for this change: seeking justice for these acts of police violence against people of color; working more broadly toward dismantling systemic racism in favor of a society that values diversity and equity; and recognizing that Black Lives Matter. We are dedicating ourselves again and anew to supporting such work institutionally. We recognize how this endeavor starts with each one of us and articulates itself in the institutions we choose to build and sustain, and which we must constantly test. Time and again, people, and particularly those in long-standing positions of privilege, must recognize and continually reevaluate their assumptions and actions if society is to serve all who are part of it. 

You’ll also find here a list of sites we care about, look often to, and support.