Preparing For Battle: Reflecting On the Election, NEMA, and the Upcoming Culture War

​Wednesday of last week, I found myself in Newport, Rhode Island for the New England Museum Association annual conference. The day before, as everyone is surely aware, Donald Trump was elected to a second term, and this fact truly hung over the conference like the Sword of Damocles. It was surreal to be in the US at this time, seeing the various ways that people were responding to the news and the implications that would bring. Some met it with a nervous laugh, taking the day as it comes; some cut their attendance short to process the news. Fears surrounding future funding were on the lips of the attendees. But one conversation I did not see much discussion around was that of the upcoming culture war. Now, it is very possible that I simply missed this conversation, having happened at one of the other lunch gatherings that I did not attend. But all the same, I believe it is gravely important that we consider what is approaching the field.
 
For the most part, museums have dodged the most ruthless elements of our current culture war. In previous culture wars, like those in the 1990s, museums often took centre stage and drew controversy for various exhibitions and programs. Nowadays, the battlefields have shifted to social media where anonymous accounts can spread their attacks far and wide. 

The protest outside the Corcoran Gallery after the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition "The Perfect Moment" was cancelled in 1990. Photo taken by Frank Herrera.

​In some ways, this shift has been beneficial for museums. By giving up the limelight, museums have been able to engage in a far wider breadth of conversations. Museums are grappling with the underexplored and oft-repressed narratives that have historically been excluded from the field. At NEMA, rooms were packed for talks on decolonization, racism, and other attempts to reassess the past. I consider my work to be part of that progressive push, seeking to show how the museum field can do better by its transgender visitors and employees. I strongly believe that this work would not have been possible had museums been the target of a widespread Conservative culture war, but we will not be spared forever. It is only a matter of time before our industry finds itself in the crosshairs. We must prepare accordingly.
 
For many months now, I have been researching one of the battles from the 1990s culture war; the 1990 Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit, The Perfect Moment. A retrospective show composed of 175 photographs, The Perfect Moment garnered controversy when it arrived in Washington, D.C. It, along with other provocative artworks like Serrano’s Piss Christ, kicked off a heated debate in which almost killed the National Endowment for the Arts. This is, in essence, how The Perfect Moment is remembered today; a battle between politicians like Jesse Helms for the lifeblood of museum funding.
 
But this is not where my focus has been. For as well known as the battle over the NEA is, I do not believe it is the pinnacle of that culture war. For that, the field must turn its attention away from Washington D.C. and towards Cincinnati.
 
In 1990, Cincinnati was a bastion of Conservative politics. As the home of many lobbying groups, it was the centre of anti-pornography campaigns. And it was at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center that The Perfect Moment was about to be displayed. When the CAC had accepted the show, it had not yet entered the spotlight but once it had, the museum began getting harassed. Despite taking precautions to try to soothe some of the outrage, such as separating the most contentious photographs in a separate room and forbidding children from visiting the exhibition, the police still arrived on the first day, shutting down the exhibit and charging the museum’s director with pandering obscenity. This was the only time in the US that a director of museum has been charged and stood trial for the art they displayed on their walls. And it is treated as a footnote in the story of the Mapplethorpe exhibition. 

This was the only time in the US that a director of museum has been charged and stood trial for the art they displayed on their walls. And it is treated as a footnote in the story of the Mapplethorpe exhibition. ​

This is just a brief overview of The Perfect Moment. There is much more to be written about the exhibit and what lessons can be learned from it. I started researching it because I found echoes between it and the current right-wing culture wars. The anti-trans movement that the Trump campaign picked up and amplified reflects the deeply homophobic attacks against the Mapplethorpe exhibit. It was only a matter of time before it became relevant for our field again.
 
And at the heart of The Perfect Moment, I see the dire error the field makes when it reflects on previous culture wars; it focuses on a top-down hierarchy, on what the politicians at the very top are doing. The NEA gets the focus, while a man almost had his life ruined, almost served jail time, because that culture war turned its attention towards him. The funding arms are important, but so too are the lives of the people working at these institutions. Social media based culture wars are highly decentralized and will not wait for a politician to give the word before sending death and bomb threats. 

I get the sense that museums are not prepared for what this may look like. In a talk on the final day of the conference, one panel discussed their role in social activism and advocacy, especially as it pertained to immigration. When asked if they plan to take a harder or softer voice as a result of the election, they seemingly did not feel a change was necessary even though they work closely with one of the groups most often scapegoated by the incoming administration. For an institution that prides itself on social advocacy, it felt hollow to not rise to the occasion to try to combat the upcoming wave of hate. Granted, this was only a few days after the election, and conferences are not necessarily an easy place to come to terms with a starkly different future, so their policy may change with further considerations.
 
Everyone is still processing what the election means for the future. This is just another way of trying to make sense of what is to come. The NEMA conference made me realize that the research I had been doing was more important than ever. The invaluable conversations I got to be a part of helped to form some understanding of the years to come. For now, we find ourselves on a collision course. Our field has taken on a distinctly progressive slant that seeks to elevate and highlight underrepresented stories from marginalized groups. Meanwhile, we are up against a movement that is incredibly hostile to anything they consider DEI, queer or vaguely progressive. A clash will happen. And with plans already underway for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence fast approaching, the question is not when but who will be the first under attack. Anyone who has ever discussed the Enola Gay in a museum context should already be well aware of what that will look like.