- The Extreme Unction by Nicolas Poussin (not a very inclusive artist) acquired in 2012 by the Fitzwilliam Museum
Photo: Fitzwilliam Museum - See the image in its page
This is a very curious position that the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has just opened, and it released the job description a few days ago. This one, which consists of running a programme entitled "Empowering Culture", is described in gibberish worthy of its objective: to set up in this English university museum what could be called a "woke manager", even though, of course, wokism does not exist, as those who dare to denounce it are appalling fascists.
Let’s be the judge of that. Firstly, in a very brave move of self-criticism, the Fitzwilliam acknowledges that while it is still very much focused on "develop[ing] and review[ing] [its] approaches to anti-racism, diversity, inclusion and equality" and has made "good progress", its "journey is ongoing". The new post therefore aims make it to become "a more diverse, inclusive, equitable and proactively (sic) anti-racist organisation". So the Fitzwilliam was not sufficiently "proactively anti-racist". This is objectively very naughty.
Should we be ’retroactively’ ashamed of a museum that is not inclusive and anti-racist enough, or even unequitable and not diverse enough? No doubt.
Fortunately, the "Empowering Culture Programme Manager" is there to remedy this. But how? At this point, a full description of this "new and pivotal" function should be given (but how did they do it before? One wonders...) as found on the museum website: "Working consultatively with staff at all levels of the organisation, you will identify, develop and manage a suite of Empowering Culture projects, including undertaking a comprehensive audit, assessing policies and processes, implementing training programmes, and identifying and creating a project plan with key milestones and KPIs, to help us to achieve our reviewed Vision, Mission and Values. The role holder will advise the Senior Leadership Team, and create, contribute to and draw upon relevant networks.
With a track record of embedded anti-racism and EDI across organisations, you will be committed to promoting and fostering inclusive practices. You will have excellent communication skills, and experience of engaging with stakeholders communities at all levels to engage, advocate and encourage buy-in.
You will share your expertise, as you keep up to date with contemporary research and sector-wide developments on critical and emerging issues and able to explain and facilitate a shared understanding of those issues.".
What exactly is this job about, if one tries to exegete it? (First of all, let’s note that for the moment, it is only a contract financed for one year, we have seen better in terms of "integration" and "inclusiveness").
He will therefore first have to carry out a diagnosis of the way the museum functions and is not sufficiently "anti-racist, diverse, inclusive and equitable" to be able to provide the necessary support for the work of the museum. One only has to look at its acquisition policy for ancient and 19th century art, which we try to report on regularly: we don’t find a single work by a woman! Of course, there are not many women painters before the 20th century, which is a historical fact, as it was difficult for them to make a career in this discipline, a regrettable fact, of course, but one that can only be noted. On the other hand, there are sometimes some beautiful works by women painters. Perhaps, with the money the museum will spend on this item, it could even have contributed to the purchase of one of them. Let’s face it, it’s a shame.
In order to help the Fitzwilliam become more anti-racist and less misogynistic than it would be today, the manager would have more credibility if she was "a woman [...] and/or [...] from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds". This is spelled out: these are qualities that would be: "particularly welcome [for] applications" as these categories are "currently under-represented at this level in our institution", which confirms that Fitzwilliam has so far been disreputable.
And if all this wasn’t enough to prove that the University of Cambridge is serious about change, the end of the advert states that: "The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.".
One would almost forget that a museum is first and foremost a place whose aims are to "acquire, conserve, researche, communicate, and exhibit, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of man and his environment".