Luis Hernandez: I wanted to get a sense from you, as you start this new role, what’s your strategy?
Tsugumi Maki: I believe in strategy being a collaborative process. So I have a vision for the museum. But I would say strategy wise, I really want to work with the staff, and develop that together. I haven’t been here long enough to really know what the strategy should be. The staff has been here a very long time, they are passionate about this institution. And I need to look to them to help me guide that strategy.
Hernandez: You talked about a vision, though, so let’s talk about the vision. What’s the vision? What do you see?
Maki: The vision is kind of an overall vision for museums in general. Museums are at a crossroads. There are so many museums that are becoming less and less relevant to people and audiences. And what we need to do as institutions is to create opportunities for people to come where they feel like they belong in a museum right now. In the past, museums have been places where we are the tastemakers, we tell people what they should like and what’s important. And I think, especially with a younger generation of millennials, Gen Zers, they want to see things that they’re interested in, that they care about, that they’re inspired by. And so we need to look at them to get an idea of what we should be thinking about and doing, but then also creating content in a way that they’re going to enjoy. And make them want to come to museums, right? So that’s kind of my vision for museums in general. And that’s what I want to see happen at RISD.
Hernandez: You were just saying, and I’m wondering, that you’re at a crossroads, that museums are at a crossroads. Is it because people see museums differently? Or is it just the content? You were talking about content. What’s the crossroads?
Maki: When I tell people that I work in museums, sometimes they’re like, really excited, and sometimes they’re like, oh, I don’t go to museums, I, you know, museums kind of freak me out. I don’t really understand art. You know, some people think they need to dress up to go to a museum. You know, there are all these misconceptions about museums. And it’s because of the way that museums have traditionally been there. They’re kind of old and stodgy. They don’t necessarily speak to all of the relevant things that are happening in our society. And the thing is, the content that’s in there is actually relevant to what we’re doing in the world, right? Like we need to look to history to be able to think about the future. And how do we have those conversations in a way that can really inspire people that they see their own selves themselves in the work that exists in museums. So I think in that sense, museums are definitely at a crossroads. They have to think about engaging their audiences thinking about community in ways that they didn’t have to in the past. I started in the museums in about 1995. And I think that we told people what to do and what to see. It’s kind of this top down mentality. And that’s what younger people are kind of rebelling against at this point. They don’t want the top down mentality. They want to be part of the conversation. And I think museums need to be places where you can have those kinds of conversations.
Hernandez: Are there any plans to build stronger relationships and collaborate more with the local community?
Maki: Yes. And I think that the museum has been doing that. Our attendance has grown astronomically, like we have actually rebounded from pre pandemic, the museum. There are very few museums out there that have actually gained more attendance. We’re looking at our attendance records right now. People are coming. We’re creating relevant content already. And what we need to do is amplify that and more. … It’s about expanding that further, so that even more people feel that it’s relevant to their lives. I mean, RISD Museum is a very unique place. It’s an academic art museum on an art school campus, right. So we’re really important to the faculty, to the students. It’s the way in which faculty teach, it’s the way that students learn. But also, the RISD Museum is the largest art museum in the state of Rhode Island. It is the Civic museum of the state of Rhode Island and Providence. And so we play a different kind of role. And that is really, really important.
Hernandez: How much of that role is to help these young artists to find their voice as artists to build their career to become artists of the world?
Maki: Oh, it’s absolutely a large portion of this. But it’s not just teaching the students here. It’s about making sure that younger generations, I mean, there’s less and less arts in schools these days, right. So few schools have art, even one day a week, maybe they have it every other week, museums are a place where students can come and learn. We have so many programs here all the way from infants all the way through, you know, college students, adults, we try to educate everyone about art. And I think the less and less that arts plays a role in public schools, the more in which art museums become important. And the less and less people become attached, but like engaged with art, the less they’re going to be in touch with their own humanity. So we have a really important role to play in that way.
Hernandez: The art world and museums haven’t always been the most accessible or more inclusive spaces in terms of the work that’s on the walls. As you begin this role, I’m wondering, how do you see the RISD Museum becoming more inclusive of artists and groups that have, again, historically been underrepresented in the art world?
Maki: I think museums are starting to do that work. I think all museums are trying that. I think especially post 20-, post-COVID, post racial reckoning, all of those things, I think museums have really been thinking about that RISD Museum has done a fantastic job. They’ve been thinking about it deeply. … But there’s a lot more to do, you know, and I think inclusion is about not just welcoming people, but having them be participating and active in our society in our in our museum. So I’m not sure like I honestly don’t know all of the things that need to happen. I haven’t been here long enough to be able to, like really say, but I think that the work that we’re doing now is what we want to expand on.
Hernandez: In other jobs, have you seen that?
Maki: I think in other places, I’ve seen, it’s about acquiring artwork, and showing more, showing more artists of color. But what’s actually important is also inclusivity within the workplace, right within the museum itself. And it’s important to have diverse staff all throughout the museum so that they can tell all different kinds of stories at any given time. So I think that there’s opportunities in lots of ways, beyond just buying art by diverse artists and representing diverse artists, it’s about creating an inclusive workplace, it’s about creating inclusive programming for our audiences, it’s about bringing in diverse audiences, it’s like so many different things. It’s a lot of work, it’s really hard to do. But I think that this place has started that. They want to be an inclusive place where everybody is welcome and here because we want them to be here, not because we’re forcing them to be here, or anything like that. It’s already got a good start. I have worked at a lot of different places and every institution looks at diversity very differently. So I’d love the opportunity of being able to help develop that vision toward a more inclusive place.
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