Human Interest:

Portraits from
the Whitney’s
Collection
Mayumi Tan
Tenet 1: Contextual/historical analysis is necessary
We see structural racism
through the wealth gap,
unemployment, housing
discrimination, government
surveillance, and incarceration.
Tenet 2: Racism is endemic to American Life
The panels that belong to
the Whitney represent the
skin colors of forty artists
with work in the Whitney’s
collection, including Kim
himself. This work
questions how that idea
applies to individual
identity—specifically, the
notion that skin color might
represent the whole of an
individual.
Art is White Property
 Tenet 3: The experiential knowledge of people of color and our
communities' origin should be integrated into discourse across all
disciplines and fields of knowledge

Byron Kim Gary Simmons

Njideka Akunyili Crosby

Recommendations for changes
1) There needs to be a greater effort
to include a more diverse group of
artists, including indigenous artists
2) Add people of color to the School
and Educator Programs team at
the Whitney Museum of American
Art.