On Valentine’s Day, the art project Radical Matriarchy and its leader, Sister Leona, have a message for the National Gallery of Art: “We love you, but time to change now.”
Leona, whose given name is Michelle Sutherland, and her group are staging events inside and outside the NGA until 5 p.m. in protest of the museum’s lack of diversity. According to Radical Matriarchy, 90 percent of the NGA’s pieces are created by white men, and less than 3 percent of the works were created by people of color. A study of museum catalogs conducted in 2018 confirms that statistic. The NGA’s first female director, Kaywin Feldman, is set to take the reins at the museum in March.
Today’s event is a second iteration of an event Radical Matriarchy staged last Valentine’s Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Leona took 21 pieces of art created by women to the New York museum, saying that they were protesting the fact that only 4 percent of the artists on display at the museum are women. (Last year’s study puts that number at 7.3 percent.) That day included live performances including spoken word, dance, and music.
Leona, who is based in New York, began putting today’s NGA protest together just 7 days ago when she arrived in D.C., she says, by making flyers and organizing. “The goal was to meet all of the artists I could meet and then bring them all out there,” she says.
Fellow protestors can expect a day full of psychedelic entertainment and—if Radical Matriarchy’s website is any indication—possible nudity. Leona says the day will include political speeches, paintings, spoken word poetry, multiple gongs, and rap and dance performances conducted inside and outside the museum. One thing onlookers won’t find is any performances or pieces from white men, but Leona says she hopes they’ll offer some support during the day.
Spacey Lounge in Adams Morgan is hosting an afterparty, set to include an open mic and fashion show.
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