Photo by Jelani Morgan.
Last fall, AAEP and the Wexner Center for the Arts welcomed Syrus Marcus Ware to present “Building an Abolitionist Future: Collectivity and Activism in Art Museums” as part of a lecture series for the Museum Education and Administration specialization. Ware is a core team member of Black Lives Matter-Toronto, a co-curator of Blackness Yes!/Blockorama, and Assistant
professor at McMaster University’s School of the Arts. He worked for many years at the Art Gallery of Ontarioand the Banff Center and has written extensively on the field and practices of art museum education.
In the introduction to his talk, Dana Carlisle Kletchka noted an appreciation for “Dr. Ware’s academic, curatorial, and creative work as he explores social justice frameworks and Black activist culture in Canada as well as the United States. His work in museum education and critical disability studies has influenced both fields in important and provocative ways, bringing them together and opening a space for change and growth. His resistance to heteronormative dichotomies in life and work is a powerful, liberatory example of resistance and his commitment to care and love in the face of overwhelming circumstances is inspiring to me and so many others who engage in the work of world building.”
Ware’s virtual visit included a robust discussion with members of the ARTEDUC 7748: Art Museum Education and Administration Practicum course. The practicum is the third and final course offering for graduate students enrolled in the museum specialization.
