“Balloon Dog” by artist Jeff Koons is among the pieces that have made the Broad Museum in Los Angeles a tourist destination. Eight months after the pandemic began, the museum remains closed.
Photo: Santi Visalli/Getty Images
America’s museums are at a crossroads.
This summer, outrage swirled and controversies piled up around postponing exhibitions for political reasons; cultivating diverse and inclusive collections; deaccessioning artifacts and treasures; and layoffs of people of color. All the while, museums sat shuttered, their futures imperiled by economic struggles brought on by a pandemic.