Petition Seeks Removal of Newfields CEO

(photo courtesy of our partners at WFYI)

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An online petition is calling for the immediate removal of Newfields Chief Executive Officer Charles Venable after the Indianapolis museum posted a job listing that included “maintaining the Museum’s traditional, core, white art audience” as part of the position’s duties. The museum issued an apology Saturday for the posting, which has since been changed to remove the word “white.”

In addition to the Venable’s removal, the petition calls for a change to the makeup of the museum’s board of trustees “with inclusive representation of the community in which the museum resides,” as well as a change to the museum’s fee structure, expanded curatorial representation, and anti-racist training for museum staff.

Additionally, the petitioners are asking Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. and other funding groups to hold pending or future funding until changes are made. The petition also calls for the city to hold funding from the Arts Council of Indianapolis until a third-party audit.

Newfields issued a statement after news of the posting came to light:

“Our audience – and most museums’ audiences – have historically been, and currently are, too homogeneous, and we are committed to changing that and intentionally diversifying our audiences. We deeply regret that in our job description, in our attempt to focus on building and diversifying our core audience, our wording was divisive rather than inclusive. Our intention is to continue to build an institution that is truly inclusive. It will be our challenge for years to come to continue building our diversity, equity and inclusion in our hiring, programs, artwork, exhibitions and more, and we are committed to doing so.”

The petition had nearly 500 signatures as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, which includes several former Newfields employees.

You can view the petition in full by clicking here.