Public Art

The Public Art workstream released its final report in February 2021.

Workstream:

Public Art

Goal:

The Public Art workstream approached its work through the Public Art Committee (PAC), which was formed last year as part of the decision to remove the murals from Alumnae Lounge. The committee was charged with thinking critically about whose history and images are displayed throughout our campuses.

Charge and Approach:

The PAC embarked on a Public Art Audit that considered the impact of artwork in our public spaces. The objective of this initiative was to ensure that our public spaces reflect present values of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it conveys the rich history of Tufts University. Decisions made by the Public Art Committee and therefore any proposed action(s) by the committee ensured transparency in process, narrative, and representation. We approached this by:

• Examining the history and impact of the Tufts community as represented through works of art across campus and working to understand the psychological impact of those images in our public spaces.
• Ensuring equity in multiple ways within the content of works of art, with a focus on diverse expressions of gender, race, and ethnicity. This included ensuring that equity exists not only within the subjects of art works but also within the artists that create them and across different levels of employment, engagement, and service at Tufts.
• Determining new ways for recognizing BIPOC faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees through works of art.
• Developing a strategic plan for future acquisitions, commissions, and solicitations of gifts that will diversify the collection and expand the narratives represented.

Leaders:

Marty Ray, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Dina Deitsch, Director and Chief Curator, Tufts University Art Galleries

Committee Structure:

The public art committee is made up of the following individuals:

• Chair: Dina Deitsch, Director and Chief Curator, University Art Galleries
• Nancy Bauer, Dean of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts; Academic Dean
• Abbie Connors, Associate Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations
• Amin Fahimi Moghadam, G21
• Maren Greathouse, Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion Education, Medford/SMFA Campuses
• Daniel Jay, Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
• Corey Loftus, G21
• Diana Martinez, Assistant Professor Director of Architectural Studies, Department of Art and Art History
• Rachelle Mozman Solano, Professor of the Practice, SMFA at Tufts
• Alonso Nichols, Chief of Photography, University Communications & Marketing
• Marty Ray, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
• Dan Santamaria, Director of Digital Collections and Archives
• Jared Smith, Associate Director of the FIRST Resource Center
• Barbara Stein, Vice President, Operations
• Kimberly Theidon, Henry J. Leir Professor of International Humanitarian Studies, Fletcher School

In addition, we had representation from Alison LaRosa, Associate Director of Donor Relations at the School of Medicine and Nancy Meyer, Library Assistant at the Cummings School, who represented the work happening within committees focusing on this work in their own schools.