Chaédria LaBouvier

Chaédria LaBouvier is an American curator and writer. In 2019, LaBouvier became the first black woman and the first person of Cuban descent to curate an exhibition in the Guggenheim's 80-year history, as well as the first black author of a Guggenheim catalogue, for the exhibition, "Basquiat's Defacement: The Untold Story". Her public allegations of racist treatment by the Guggenheim were not substantiated by an outside investigation, but were followed by the resignation of its chief curator and artistic director, as well as the hiring of its first full-time black curator.[1]

Chaédria LaBouvier
Born1984 or 1985 (age 38–39)
U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Activist
Writer
Curator
Years active2007–present

Education

In 2007, LaBouvier received a B.A. in history from Williams College.[2] In 2014, she earned a masters of fine arts degree in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[3]

Career

In 2019, LaBouvier was hired by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as the first black guest curator and the second black curator in the history of the Guggenheim (following Nigerian curator Okwui Enwezor, 1996)[1] to organize an exhibition.[4] She was the first black author to write a Guggenheim catalogue.[5]

The exhibition, "Basquiat's Defacement: The Untold Story," opened in June 2019 and covered not only Basquiat's work, but also the history of Michael Stewart, whose death from police brutality inspired the painting, The Death of Michael Stewart.[6] Other paintings by Basquiat on the theme of police brutality and art featuring Stewart by Keith Haring, George Condo and Lyle Ashton Harris were also included in the exhibition.[7] The focus of the show on Stewart and the struggle of black men living in the United States set the show apart from other exhibitions on Basquiat, according to WNYC.[8] The show ran for five months with hundreds of thousands of visitors.[9]

On February 25, 2021, LaBouvier received a Bicentennial Medal from Williams College,[10] becoming the youngest medalist in the award's history.[11]

Cultural influence

LaBouvier called her experience with the Guggenheim as shaped by artistic director Nancy Spector and other leadership as "the most racist professional experience of my life."[12] LaBouvier described additional specific instances of her treatment on her personal Twitter account and in news articles.[13]

After criticism from LaBouvier, the Guggenheim hired an external firm to investigate her claims. It ultimately found "no evidence that Ms. LaBouvier was subject to adverse treatment on the basis of her race."[14] However, while the investigation was under way, museum employees submitted a public letter to the board, calling for them to "replace those members of the executive cabinet who have repeatedly proven that they are not committed to decisive, anti-racist action and do not act in good faith with BIPOC leaders."[15] After the investigation's conclusion, Spector voluntarily parted ways with the museum.[16][1]

Because of her public statements and actions, LaBouvier has been recognized as a catalyst for the "Change the Museum" movement.[17]

References
  1. Lewis, Helen (October 3, 2022). "The Guggenheim's Scapegoat". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. "Getting a Read On: Basquiat and Black Lives Matter". Williams College Museum of Art. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. "Chaédria LaBouvier". Duke Forum for Scholars and Publics. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. Mitter, Siddhartha (July 30, 2019). "Behind Basquiat's 'Defacement': Reframing a Tragedy". The New York Times.
  5. "Chaédria LaBouvier". The Root. 2019. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. McDonald, John (August 31, 2019). "Death of an Artist". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved June 3, 2020 – via EBSCOhost.
  7. McClinton, Dream (June 2, 2019). "Defacement: The Tragic Story of Basquiat's Most Personal Painting". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. Solomon, Deborah (June 28, 2019). "Review: A Better Basquiat Show". WNYC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. Greig, Jonathan (November 19, 2019). "Blavity News & Politics". Blavity News & Politics. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. Chaédria LaBouvier '07: Williams Bicentennial Medalist 2021 (Virtual Event), retrieved March 20, 2021
  11. LaBouvier, Chaédria (February 26, 2020). "Personal Twitter account". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. LaBouvier, Chaédria (June 3, 2020). "Personal Twitter account". Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  13. "The Guggenheim Tried To Erase Chaédria LaBouvier's Work But She Won't Let Them". Essence. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  14. Liscia, Valentina Di (October 8, 2020). "Amid Controversy, Nancy Spector Steps Down From the Guggenheim Museum". Hyperallergic. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  15. "Letter to the Board". A Better Guggenheim. July 4, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  16. Pogrebin, Robin (October 8, 2020). "Guggenheim's Top Curator Is Out as Inquiry Into Basquiat Show Ends". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. Collins, Bianca (November 11, 2020). "Chaédria LaBouvier". Artillery Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
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