Leslie-Lohman Museum Director Laura Raicovich on Why Art Is Never Neutral
This episode, we’re honored to be joined by curator, writer, and museum director Laura Raicovich. Laura is currently the interim director of New York’s Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, one of the world’s only museums dedicated to the presentation queer art. Prior to assuming this role, Laura was the President and Executive Director of the Queens Museum in New York, where she was instrumental in transforming the museum to better serve its community, as well as expanding its roster of world-class exhibitions. During her tenure, she oversaw exhibitions of Mel Chin, William Gropper, and a show called Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk, an exploration of the band's punk ethics of resistance and roots in Queens. Before the Queens Museum, Laura spent several years at Creative Time, the Dia: Art Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum, and many other incredible institutions. Laura has also authored and edited several books, including "At the Lightning Field" (Coffee House Press, 2017) and "A Diary of Mysterious Difficulties" (Publication Studio, 2014). This year, she will also be launching a book on museums and the myth of neutrality titled "Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest," published by Verso Books. Some artists (and others) discussed in this episode: Keith Haring Mel Chin Tracy Reese The Ramones William Gropper Rebecca Solnit Duke Riley Mariam Ghani Alfred Jensen Dan Graham Jorge Pardo Gerhard Richter Mierle Laderman Ukeles Elie Wiesel (who wrote, "we must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere") Michelle Alexander (author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness) For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram.