Diversity in Art Institutions: Seattle Museums Prioritize Inclusivity and Representation

The Seattle area is home to an excellent collection of art, history, maritime, and specialty museums. Admire fantastic exhibits of world and contemporary art at Seattle museums. Learn about the history of Nirvana, view stunning glass art by Washington’s Dale Chihuly, explore the contributions of indigenous tribes, and admire the events and industries that made Seattle what it is today.

Seattle Museums reflect the influences of the region and the city. From music and the aviation industry to Asian American immigration and indigenous culture.

We would like to dedicate this post to the Burke Museum. This museum’s mission is to care for and share its natural and cultural collections so that all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and be healed. Its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity underpins efforts to achieve each of these goals.

Diversity in art has many aspects. The true fulfillment of the mission of this museum requires accessible pathways of participation and interaction for all members of our community, regardless of and inclusive of age, background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, and ability.

Inclusivity is critical to the operation of this art institution. Unfortunately, many museums have long been isolated from the people they serve. Systemic exclusion, rooted in the failure to understand and recognize multiple types of expertise, serves as a barrier to the full participation of historically underrepresented groups.

The Burke Museum strives to remove these barriers through regular consultation—asking questions, actively listening to answers—with people and groups bringing a variety of voices and perspectives to add new layers of meaning to its inclusive art programs and increase their relevance to the broader community.

 Greater inclusivity lays the foundation for a more equitable and representative future. When all people have the opportunity to see themselves and others like them, both in the museum and participating in its work, new opportunities open up.

The Burke is one of the few art institutions that foster the imagination of the next generation of museum professionals and diversify life choices overall, showing that careers in art, history, science, and other fields are available to everyone.

The Burke Museum has much to offer thanks to its collections and years of accumulated research and experience. The museum stands in solidarity with organizations fighting for racial, social, and environmental justice.

Using the cultural and scientific collections under its care, the Burke Museum is actively engaged in education, outreach, and activism that will support and uplift all unheard and marginalized communities.

Diversity, equity, and inclusivity have the power to heal. These values ​​are a way to help repair the damage done to communities by the colonial museum model, which for decades prioritized collections, preservation, and research over cultural autonomy and community survival.

Interacting with museum collections and exhibits can evoke strong, sometimes harsh emotions, especially for those whose relationship with the museum is one of trauma and displacement. Therefore, Burke proposes cultural safety practices that prepare people for what they will see in Burke, acknowledge the complexity of experience, and create space for efforts to integrate those feelings.