Justified Anger’s Lean Into Allyship sessions have recently been featuring advocacy around seeking justice for Rev. Lilada Gee and other Black artists involved in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) Triennial exhibit “Ain’t I A Woman.” Lean Into Allyship is a collaborative partnership between Justified Anger and non-Black allies that formed out of a response to the racial violence and pushback during the incidents of 2020. A team of volunteer allies and Nehemiah staff work with Rev. Dr. Gee to create monthly conversations that help to educate, inspire, and activate non-Black allies in their anti-racist journey. You can hear from Rev. Lilada on the topic of art and racism at the August Lean Into Allyship session.

Some of those involved with Lean Into Allyship have moved toward collective action in several areas, including writing a letter to the MMoCA Board of Trustees. You can read the letter below that was written and supported by the list of individuals at the end of letter. Many of the artists involved in the exhibit have also organized around this situation, referring to themselves as “The Collective.” Learn more and follow their lead here: fwdtruth.com

You can contact AJ Kieler to get involved in supporting justice for the artists through Lean Into Allyship’s efforts: ashley.kieler@gmail.com

Other things you can do now in support of Reverend Lilada Gee:

• Listen to the Defending Black Girlhood podcast: https://lilada.org/defending-black-girlhood-podcast/
• Share Reverend Lilada’s mission and work with people you know
• Subscribe to Reverend Lilada’s e-newsletter: https://lilada.org/subscribe/
• Sign the petition to insist that Overture Center for the Arts issue a direct apology to Reverend Lilada and Ms. Annik Dupaty (MMoCA employee): https://www.change.org/p/overture-center-apologizes-to-lilada-gee-and-annik-dupaty
• Call or write to the Overture Center and/or MMoCA to let them know you’re not happy with their response to the incidents involving Reverend Lilada. See below for potential contact people.
• Buy art for yourself or to donate: https://lilada.org/liladas-art/
• Support Reverend Lilada on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Lilada
• Donate to Defending Black Girlhood: https://givebutter.com/DefendingBlackGirlhood

Here is some information to learn more about the incidents at MMoCA and the response so far:

• March incident with Overture Center
• June incident at MMoCA
• Response from a white arts administrator in Madison

• “Black Artists Pull Work from MMoCA, Demand Director’s Resignation”
• “MMoCA board backs staff amid accusations of racism”
• “Black Women Artists Accuse Wisconsin Museum of ‘Institutional Racist Violence”

LETTER FROM LEAN INTO ALLYSHIP GROUP:

September 12, 2022

Dear Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA),

We are a group of individuals who have been following the recent incidents at MMoCA and have joined together due to our concerns about the way MMoCA has addressed the “unfortunate” incident that occurred on June 24, 2022 during the Wisconsin Triennial presentation of “Ain’t I A Woman?”. Your maladroit statement issued on August 24, 2022 prompted us to write in response. MMoCA’s embarrassing actions represent the Madison arts community, and we expect better.

When will MMoCA address the concerns brought forth by the collective artists of the MMoCA 2022 Wisconsin Triennial? The calls to action from the artists are clear and thorough; we completely support the artists.  

We are puzzled as to why a statement of this magnitude would come from only the Executive Committee and not the full board. At the time of our letter, there have been four trustees who are no longer listed on your website, and three new trustees have been added. Were these planned departures from the board? If not planned, will the resignation letters of those who have recently resigned be made public? What are the conditions and considerations for appointing new board members? How is MMoCA working to incorporate greater diversity at the board level?

Who or what outside, third-party organization supported MMoCA’s Executive Committee to conclude that there were “unfounded accusations of institutional racism for [your] handling of this unique situation”?

You have stated that, “MMoCA will continue to provide a forum for people to be challenged by, reflect on, and make connections between art and the world around them…And we remain ready, willing and able to engage in the difficult exchanges that will help us create more social justice in our community and our world and better ways to elevate art as a means to achieving those outcomes.”

When will a forum for discussion and reflection be scheduled, especially considering the “Black Women Artists Speak: Supporting Wisconsin Creatives” panel originally planned for July 28th was canceled without explanation? Who on the MMoCA board will be responsible for organizing the first forum and how will it be advertised? We would like to mark our calendars. It is a conversation we don’t want to miss, and we have a lot to add.

We look forward to hearing from you shortly after your next Board meeting, as we are aware the next scheduled meeting is on October 1, or sooner. To avoid further harming the artists and community, scheduling an emergency meeting seems like a prudent action by the board.

Sincerely,

Amy Throndsen (Madison, Wisconsin) on behalf of the below individuals:

Lorna Aaronson (Madison, Wisconsin)

Joel Ballivian (Madison, Wisconsin)  

Sue Bartolutti (Middleton, Wisconsin)

Andrea Dearlove (Madison, Wisconsin)

Paul Dearlove (Madison, Wisconsin)

Julie Dresen (Lodi, Wisconsin)

Liz Godfrey ((Madison, Wisconsin)

Samantha Haas (Madison, Wisconsin)

Holly Harper (Washington, DC)

Scott Hartwell (Davis, California)

AJ Kieler (Madison, Wisconsin)

Kristin Mathews (Madison, Wisconsin)

Amelia McConnell (Madison, Wisconsin)

Linda Merrill (Madison, Wisconsin)

Amanda Miller (Milton, Wisconsin)

Kristen Nelson (Madison, Wisconsin)

Mary Rendall (Madison, Wisconsin)

Eli Steenlage (Madison, Wisconsin)

Susanne Treiber (Madison, Wisconsin)

Julie Verban (Madison, Wisconsin)

Mary Wichita (Madison, Wisconsin)

This article was compiled by Eli Steenlage.