The intervention was followed by a die-in on the atrium floor as well as a march down Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile to the Metropolitan Museum, where a public protest had been organized. The protest, held on Feb. 9, was organized in retaliation of the Sackler Family, the owners of opioid-manufacturers Purdue Pharma. This has underscored the fraught and often contradictory roles- that of public forum, cultural bellwether and art institution, that the museum hold. Whether this trend is performative or not, it is undeniable that protest and its relationship with museums has created a mutually beneficial space for dialogue and progress in the reimagination of the museum. The beauty of art and thus art museums lies not in a shared value system but in the ability for various value systems to coexist.

Source: Daily Sun February 18, 2019 00:33 UTC