This page is regularly updated with links to and excerpts of media coverage.
Posted in reverse chronological order; most recent articles can be found at the top of this page.
October 2023
See articles from: May 2023, Jan. 2023, Nov. 2022, Oct. 2022, Sept. 2022, Aug. 2022
“‘I think any time you have a change in leadership, the organization is placed to analyze and self-reflect on the things it does and needs to do better, and certainly that will be a component of … this transition,’ [MMOCA board president Colin Good] said.”
“Exactly what the museum should do better ‘is a conversation that’s just started,’ he said.”
“After three years at the helm of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Christina Brungardt will step down as director. Brungardt is leaving for a new position at a cultural organization in Texas, MMoCA said in a press release.”
“Brungardt’s tenure weathered controversy last year, with artists demanding her to step down as director.”
May 2023
Tone Madison
“The Triennial closed—with a protest—in October [2022]. But the organized response never ended. Beyond the meltdown of one major exhibition, it’s about demanding accountability from Madison’s prominent arts institutions, and keeping up a sustained push for greater equity in the art world.”
January 2023
“It is bizarrely ironic that the first screening of “Riotsville, U.S.A.,” was held at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA.)”
“…In case anyone has forgotten, MMoCA was the site of controversy last year regarding its mistreatment of Black artists. If ever there was a case for protest, the showing of this film on Jan. 26 is it.”
“Might MMoCA learn anything from showing or viewing the film? Based on its lack of understanding of the issues involved in its treatment of Black artists, I highly doubt it.”
November 2022
Madison Commons
“Impacted artists are claiming a lack of ownership from the museum, known around Madison as MMoCA, following events of vandalism and theft that occurred during their Wisconsin Triennial “Ain’t I A Woman?” exhibition. In response, venues and artists forwent the traditional event and put their support behind an Alternative Artists’ Night instead.”
“‘It’s really important that MMoCA in general understands that whether or not they think they really did anything wrong, the impact harmed the artists,’ said Jennifer Bastian, the event’s main organizer. ‘Them not repairing this harm and being accountable has an impact across this whole city.'”
October 2022
The Badger Herald
“The Oct. 9 gathering outside of MMoCA was co-organized by Cobb and Communication Madison — a small arts organization on Madison’s east side. Communication Madison overseer Jennifer Bastian said her organization focuses on increasing equity in the arts community by building coalitions with like-minded artists and community members.”
“Bastian said she was astounded and concerned by the lack of accountability MMoCA showed Gee and other artists.”
“‘We’re not going to let Black women and femmes and gender nonconforming artists feel like no one’s listening,’ Bastian said.”
The Daily Cardinal
“Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Francesca Hong appeared in support at the protest outside MMoCA on Sunday, Oct. 9.”
“‘Our office is disappointed that instead of uplifting and honoring the power of Black artists, harm was done during the Triennial Exhibit,’ Hong said in a statement ‘We urge those accountable to internally and publically hold themselves to the right standards in ensuring BIPOC artists are protected with a strong sense of belonging, respect and proper compensation.'”
WORT 89.9FM
“For many years, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s Wisconsin Triennial has served as one of the state’s premiere art exhibits, with artists selected to, as the museum has boasted, “personify the scope of what’s going on in the state.” Perhaps unintentionally, the 2022 Triennial has lived up to that mission by embodying institutional racism.”
“After black woman artist Lilada Gee was barred from entering the building, her art vandalized and portions of it stolen, 17 Triennial artists withdrew their work in protest over Gee’s treatment and the museum’s response. The Triennial exhibit officially closed on October 9. In previous years, the Museum has held gala closing events – not this year. Triennial artists, through the collective FWD:truth , instead held their own event and protest outside the museum’s doors.”
Wisconsin State Journal
“‘When our show goes away, the problem shouldn’t be forgotten,’ said Milwaukee-based artist Portia Cobb, who organized Sunday’s event and was part of the Triennial. ‘We want accountability, we want transparency and we want amends.'”
“Fatima Laster, the guest curator of “Ain’t I a Woman?,” said she came to Sunday’s action to lift up the artists and spur organizational change. Laster recalled communicating her concerns to the museum at the start of the exhibition process.”
“‘I had very candid conversations with them early on saying, ‘People talk about being anti-racist and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), but we’ll see what happens if something really happens,’ she said. ‘And something really happened.'”
“‘I was honored to have been among 23 remarkable artists — black women, femmes & GNC (gender-nonconforming) in this year’s Triennial, curated by Fatima Laster,’ [Portia] Cobb wrote. ‘I am distressed about its undoing in the face of inept direction,’ as well as inadequate communication, poor care, and a lack of programming around the exhibition.”
“Sunday’s action is a precursor to another event, “Artist’s Night” on Oct. 28, billed as an alternative to MMoCA’s Gallery Night on Nov. 4. Communication, an art space on Madison’s east side, is boycotting Gallery Night in solidarity with the artists of the Wisconsin Triennial.”
The Badger Herald
“[Grace] Ruo called out the directors of MMoCA for refusing to display any empathy toward the artists involved in the exhibit. Since the original incident in June, there has been no dialogue between MMoCA leadership and the artists, according to Ruo.”
“Ruo said MMoCA was quick to make a list of demands to the Overture Center when a previous racist event occurred there. But when MMoCA was forced to face racism on its own property, the leadership’s response fell short, Ruo said.”
“‘They failed, and they are continuing to fail,’ Ruo said.”
“The original plan was to hold the panel at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) auditorium to highlight the wonderful exhibition, “Ain’t I A Woman?”: Wisconsin Triannual 2022, curated by Fatima Laster and due to close on Oct. 6, as well as to acknowledge the wonderful Charlotte Cummins and Annik Dupaty, who are Black women artists, as well as educators and MMoCA staff.”
“The MMoCA director no longer wanted MMoCA (the board president supported her) to host. MMoCA’s mistreatment of the Black woman artist Lilada Gee and her artwork has still not been resolved. Overture began the offense and MMoCA continued it, with both events widely reported in local media.”
Wisconsin State Journal
“Ten artists pulled their work from the show in protest and demanded that museum director Christina Brungardt be fired over the treatment of Gee and other artists. The museum’s board has supported Brungardt.”
“While ‘struggling’ and ‘artist’ have always gone together, Black women artists said they feel particularly invisible when it comes to getting commissions or finding places to display their work.”
September 2022
Op-Ed: Wisconsin State Journal
“MMoCA, whether through an oversight or a misreading of Gee’s wishes, failed to protect her work either with signage or by roping it off. The family misunderstood the function of the exhibit and proceeded to paint and cut without verifying it… There seems to have been a perfect storm of misreadings, misunderstandings, and, most corrosive of all, both perceived and actual disrespect.”
“What a sad ending for a show that began with the most idealistic intentions.”
Wisconsin Public Radio
“Gee said these incidents have prompted important conversations. But they’ve also hammered home the realities of working as a Black woman artist as they fight for more creative, economic and artistic opportunities.”
“‘When we talk about equity and art, it’s not just wall space. It’s every other opportunity that goes along with the American Dream that Black artists are left out of,’ Gee said.”
“…[Catrina Sparkman] said conversations about making Madison a more inclusive space for artists of color needs to happen outside of controversial events.”
“‘I would like to see more dialogue come with less emotional baggage attached to it,’ she said Tuesday. ‘You don’t have to wait til something horrible happens.'”
“A central theme “was the climate of racism and insensitivity surrounding the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art over the past several months, as well as other incidents the artists have personally faced in Madison. ‘I think what brought me out was the fact that there are other Black women who are here who are gonna be expressing their experiences and I wanted to be a part of that supportive community,’ Gee said.”
“Critics believe MMoCA has largely refused to take responsibility for its mishandling of a June incident where Gee’s artwork was stolen, defaced and disrespected by a woman and her young children. MMoCA described sixteen minutes where security was not watching over exhibits as ‘a brief lapse.’”
“MMoCA had a chance to be a leader, listening to the artists’ concerns, and initiating a restorative justice process to help understand and repair harm. But instead of believing the Wisconsin Triennial artists who spoke out about the June 24 incident where Gee’s art was vandalized, MMoCA’s Executive Committee doubled-down by backing the institution.”
“The Madison Arts Commission and Seein is Believin sponsored a panel at Madison College earlier this week with five artists who recently signed an open letter accusing the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art of ‘institutional racist violence.'”
“The discussion returned to MMoCA’s lack of support for the Triennial. Many commenters in the chat accompanying the Zoom livecast wanted more of a response from MMoCA than its Aug. 24 statement and noted representatives from the museum were present on the Zoom, but not participating.”
Madison365
“I think it’s so important to just be heard. There’s so much power in that and so much healing that comes from being able to be heard,” says Madison artist Lilada Gee. “But I think the other thing is the understanding that this is a community issue and the need for community response to what is going on is absolutely crucial. So I hope people leave the event with something in mind that they can do to make the Madison artistic community safer for Black women and girls to express themselves creatively.”
“The discussion will center on ways in which art institutions, funders and philanthropic communities can be supportive to help ensure equity and fairness in the Madison arts.”
NBC15
“The panel said they’ve been told to go to bigger cities or well-known places to be recognized for their work. Poet and columnist Fabu Carter said it’s time to educate others and use their voices. ‘Well, these five artists are saying we live and work and we want to thrive in Madison,” said Carter. “Here is where we create. Here’s where we interpret. Here is where we educate.'”
“Arts Administrator for the city of Madison, Karin Wolf, said it’s important to learn from the black women panelists. ‘I really hope that people that come take the opportunity to think about how they can decolonize sort of their own minds or their own institutions, because. That’s what we all need to be doing going forward,’ said Wolf.”
“The Madison art community continues to reel in the aftermath of a series of incidents involving black women artists at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. In March of 2022, a white employee of the Overture Center verbally accosted and refused entry to artist Lilada Gee and museum events director Anik Dupaty as Gee was working on her installation. Subsequently, Gee’s unfinished work was vandalized when museum staff left the work unattended.”
“Under the banner, “Forward Truth,” protesting artists published an open letter claiming that Gee’s experience is symptomatic of a deep-seated and longstanding institutional racism. On Tuesday, September 20, the Madison Arts Commission and Seein is Believin, LLC will host a panel discussion entitled Black Women Artists Speak.”
The Cap Times
“Meanwhile, in the lower level galleries, the 2022 Triennial ‘Ain’t I A Woman?’ remains on display through Oct. 9. That exhibition has been a fraught one, involving damaged artwork and open letters criticizing museum leadership. Many artists have removed their work from the show. On Thursday, a group from UW joined artists and others calling for the director’s resignation.”
“For its part, the museum released a statement earlier this week, saying it will hire a ‘visual anthropologist in residence’ to look into ‘incidents that occurred’ during the Triennial. That person, the museum wrote, will be ‘looking toward the future and exploring ways to address institutional racism within MMoCA and root causes of this particular conflict,’ including those that ‘predate a majority of members of the current board and staff.'”
“Marni McEntee, the museum’s director of communications, declined to elaborate further.”
“‘I felt really disappointed just knowing the caliber of artists that have come through here and witnessing a moment where these artists were treated differently,’ [Ben Orozco] said.”
“[MMoCA] also shared plans for a truth and reconciliation project, launched earlier this month, to address institutional racism within MMoCA and the root cause of the conflict.”
“It’s a move Orozco called a half step in the right direction calling on the museum to publicize its diversity equity inclusion policies.”
“’I want to see these changes playing out,” he said, “because saying one thing and doing another thing is a behavior they have demonstrated before.’”
WKOW
“‘This damages our reputation,’ Orozco said. ‘It may make more artists hesitant who want to come to Madison to either study artwork, to be an artist or to exhibit here. So, although many of the artists within the exhibition are directly impacted, this also impacts us as a community as a whole.'”
“‘Their response is lackluster and definitely not enough for [FWD: Truth] Collective,’ Rousso said. ‘[They] clearly lay out a path forward to make amends and restitution to the artists, both Lilada Gee and the Wisconsin Triennial artists. I think following the list of demands and abiding by what Forward Collective lays out… is the first step.'”
WORT 89.9FM
“’I received a call from Christina [Brungardt], the executive director [of MMoCA]. She started the conversation by saying ‘Lilada, there’s been an incident at the museum, and I wanted to let you know that a parent and her children misunderstood and thought they could interact with your exhibit. They have painted on some of the canvases, and they wanted to know if they could take the canvases home with them that they painted.’”
“‘I said ‘Wait, you’re telling me someone came to the museum, vandalized my exhibit, and you’re now calling to ask me if they can take it home with them? Why are you calling me and asking me this?’ She said ‘Well, I promised them I would ask.’ I said ‘this is so utterly disrespectful, I’m not going to continue my conversation with you’ and got off the phone,’ said Gee.”
“‘MMoCA may want (the situation) to go away without any meaningful change, or any acknowledgement of these artists’ demands,’ Roussos said. ‘But we are still here and we still remember and we want something done.’
“’Instead of apologizing, you made a defensive argument in favor of your white Director,’ the letter reads, ‘one that drew its strength from racist stereotypes about Black women, femmes and GNC (gender nonconforming) people.'”
The Cap Times
“‘Madison is a community that appreciates civil public discourse,’ said city arts administrator Karin Wolf. ‘One of the things I’ve been hearing from people is there hasn’t been an opportunity to get together and talk about what’s happened.'”
“The events at MMoCA lately have been traumatic for the arts community, Wolf said. ‘Racialized harm has a negative impact on the arts ecology in Madison. We want to explore how we can heal, how we can go forward from here.'”
“MMoCA had a chance to be a leader, listening to the artists’ concerns, and initiating a restorative justice process to help understand and repair harm. But instead of believing the Wisconsin Triennial artists who spoke out about the June 24, 2022, incident where Gee’s art was vandalized, MMoCA’s Executive Committee doubled down by backing the institution.”
“…Madison tops “best of” lists for quality of life across the country, but we need to ask ourselves, “best” for whom? It is time for all Madisonians to take a hard look at the institutions, businesses, and organizations here, ensuring we are on a path to becoming a city worthy of the title ‘Best for all people.'”
The Daily Cardinal
“[Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes] added, ‘[MMoCA] allowed us in this space, but didn’t really want us there … I’m staying because we have a right to be there. We shouldn’t have to continuously fight to have a presence.’
‘All you had to say was ‘we apologize’ [in a public manner],’ Gatlin-Hayes emphasized. ‘I’ve been Black my whole life. I know what it feels like to be discriminated against.'”
Paper Magazine
“MMoCA’s director, Christina Brungardt, moved in July to take down the installation and close the gallery where it and other works were housed in. Per the open letter, neither Gee nor any of the other triennial participants that withdrew have received support from the institution. Throughout the exhibit’s lifetime, they allege that the museum failed to adequately promote it across their social media channels and neglected to organize any additional programming surrounding the triennial.”
August 2022
“We as white people do not decide if our actions are racist. The party that has been maligned does.”
“I’m ashamed of MMoCA in that they are a symbol of Madison’s culture, which in this case was full of microaggressions and blatant racism.”
Art Insider
“In an open letter, first published on August 19, the artists accused MMoCA of ‘shameful mistreatment of the Black artists, contractors, and staffers throughout the exhibition.’ It was signed by the collective artists participating in the Wisconsin Triennial 2022. Since then, about half of the 23 artists participating in the exhibition have already withdrawn their works. Meanwhile, the museum has denied the allegations and called them ‘unfounded’.”
Hyperallergic
“[T]he leadership’s response also called the collective’s accusations of institutional racism ‘inappropriate and unfounded,’ and reaffirmed its support of MMoCA Director Christina Brungardt.”
“’Trying to give us receipts on why they weren’t being racist is perhaps not the way to persuade us you’re not racist,’ Sproles said. She added that ‘just because this happened to one individual, doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect everybody else. Everybody is disappointed and concerned about the safety of their own work.’”
“[Lilada] Gee bristled at the explanation, saying it was not her job to defuse the situation. ‘This underscores Black women being the workhorse,’ she said Tuesday. ‘I don’t get to be the person harmed.'”
ARTNews
“Around half of the 23 artists featured in the show have withdrawn their works in protest. The allegations were published in an open letter that was signed by “the collective artists of the MMoCA 2022 Wisconsin Triennial.” The show opened in April and is expected to run through late October.”
“Hostility and abuse directed toward Gee from Overture staff and the negligence and disrespect shown by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) for her exhibit as part of the 2022 Wisconsin Triennial are well documented.'”
“[T]he museum has sidestepped responsibility as much as possible, apparently hoping that the controversy will go away. If MMoCA refuses to take meaningful steps, all that will be left will be lasting bitterness at how it ended, and regret for what it might have been.”
“On Wednesday, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at MMoCA said in a statement that the situation was ‘unacceptable and we know the situation has caused her pain.'”
“The statement from the committee said that it fully supported Executive Director Christina Brungardt and her staff, saying it believed the actions she took to address the incident were necessary.”
WKOW
“The MMoCA issued a lengthy statement in response to the allegations, apologizing once again for the incidents involving Gee, but repudiating claims of institutional racism.”
“The MMoCA’s executive committee, which has remained out of the spotlight until now, admits its silence may have been seen as ‘disrespectful,’ but was meant to respect the privacy of those involved. The committee admits the silence ‘did not bear the collaborative fruit that we had hoped.'”
The Cap Times
“[T]he number of artists withdrawing from the Triennial continues to grow. ‘This response will not go unchallenged,’ the artists added in response to the museum. ‘This is a moment to meaningfully set precedent for the city of Madison, the state of Wisconsin, and museums writ large. To have failed to have met that moment, pro-actively and with dignity, is offensive.'”
Wisconsin State Journal
“The statement said the board has ‘not interfered with the public narrative’ until now in an effort ‘to work privately, outside of public view, with those directly impacted to resolve the issue’ — which the statement acknowledges ‘did not bear the collaborative fruit that we had hoped.'”
Op-Ed: The Cap Times
“Gee deserves proper acknowledgement, financial restitution and a very public apology from MMoCA for the way she and her art have been treated, at the very least. Instead, the museum has sidestepped responsibility as much as possible, apparently hoping that the controversy will go away.”
“If MMoCA refuses to take meaningful steps, all that will be left will be lasting bitterness at how it ended, and regret for what it might have been.”
ArtReview
“Nearly half the participating artists of this year’s Wisconsin Triennial, held at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Arts, have pulled their work from the show. They have called for the director Christina Brungardt’s resignation in an open letter that alleges the ‘shameful mistreatment of the Black artists, contractors, and staffers throughout the exhibition’.”
Hyperallergic
“Some of the work was unprofessionally installed at risk to viewers; other work was damaged upon installation. MMoCA did not produce a virtual tour for the triennial, even though it has done so for many other exhibitions since 2020, such as a retrospective of artist Mel Chin’s work which was on view concurrent to the triennial until the end of July. And, according to artists, MMoCA did not provide high-resolution downloadable images of exhibited works for the press, even though they posted similar images online for the 2019 edition.”
Wisconsin State Journal
“…The artists outline what they contend is a broader mistreatment of traditionally marginalized artists since the start of the show, which for the first time in the Triennial’s 43-year history was organized by a guest curator, Milwaukee gallery owner Fatima Laster. “
The Cap Times
“‘I was raised to trust Black women,’ said [Hedi Rudd.] ‘That’s not a catchphrase. You have the privilege of having two Black women on your staff telling you what you’ve done isn’t enough. You had staff people who told you this was coming.'”
“‘You [Christina Brungardt] alone have ruined and brought disgrace to the Triennial and have heightened the community’s existing mistrust and distaste for MMoCA,’ Laster wrote.”