Joslyn Art Museum embraces diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and is committed to integrating these principles across every major function of the organization. Museums are not neutral. We choose our exhibitions, our acquisitions, our programs, and our practices. These choices matter.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Plan

As we seek to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at the Joslyn Art Museum, we recognize the need for a strategic and sustained approach. We are committed to exhibitions and acquisitions of work by Black and Indigenous artists, artists of color, and artists who identify as women. Our collaborations, both seen and unseen, with community partners continue to bring together people of all backgrounds. Our admission is free for everyone who comes to our door, as is our outreach to those who are not able to visit. We will continue our work to build staff and leadership that better reflect the diversity of our communities. The Joslyn will allocate staff, time, and resources to these efforts so that the Museum may be a leader in Omaha and among arts institutions nationwide in creating opportunities for all to feel welcomed, acknowledged, and celebrated. Our DEIA Staff Committee ensures accountability, evaluates progress, and provides a forum for discussion about improvement.

We prioritize inclusion and accessibility to better engage visitors on- and off-site and online. The Joslyn creates safe and welcoming experiences, shaped by equity, and built through sustaining reciprocal relationships with diverse communities in the Omaha metropolitan area and beyond. Established in 2013, free admission to the permanent collection helped to remove financial barriers to accessing world-class artworks. Participating in festivals, providing outreach to libraries and community centers, and collaborating with individuals, schools, and other non-profits bolsters public engagement. Advisory groups provide opportunities to hear directly from community members that reflect the diversity of Omaha and inform all aspects of The Joslyn’s decisions and actions.

Current and forthcoming initiatives include incorporating additional translations for written content in The Joslyn’s galleries and on the website, developing a “Commitments to Indigenous Communities” statement, providing expanded dining options, and revising Museum protocols to support visitor safety and comfort.

The Joslyn strives to offer visitors an opportunity to connect with art and communities through its permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and related programming. Recent efforts to better represent Omaha’s diverse communities include convening an advisory committee for the exhibition 30 Americans (2019), inviting local leaders who identify as BIPOC to write narrative wall labels for objects across the Museum’s collections for Omaha Speaks (2020), and centering Indigenous voices in the didactic and interpretive materials for the exhibition Faces from the Interior: The North American Portraits of Karl Bodmer (2021). The Joslyn has grown and stewarded its permanent collection through a social justice lens by elevating and amplifying perspectives that were previously underrepresented and by improving access to collections for Native American communities.

Current and forthcoming initiatives include working with American Indian tribes on collection assessment and management in accordance with federal law, implementing American Association of Museum Curators (AAMC) best practices for demographic data collection on artists in the collection, and increasing the online presence of the permanent collection to allow for greater accessibility.

The Joslyn continues to incorporate DEIA values throughout the organizational structure and at every stage of employment, from recruitment to onboarding and beyond. Museum leadership is committed to honoring employees as they progress in their careers and providing opportunities for growth. To that end, the Museum instituted wage enhancements for entry-level employees, created new staff positions for junior museum professionals, and created two new curatorial positions for Native American art. The Joslyn contracted with an outside consultant to execute an equity audit and collaborated with other facilitators to conduct formal DEIA training sessions.

Current and forthcoming initiatives include developing benchmarks and accountability mechanisms to track progress on the actions outlined in The Joslyn’s new DEIA plan, establishing consistency in position titles across departments, and instituting relationship and cultural sensitivity training for all staff.