Good morning. 🌤️ Adam Weinberg, director of the Whitney Museum in New York City, is stepping down after 20 years in the job. His legacy is a mixed bag. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

March 9, 2023

Good morning. 🌤️ Adam Weinberg, director of the Whitney Museum in New York City, is stepping down after 20 years in the job. His legacy is a mixed bag: He was known as a director who cares for his artists but he failed to show leadership in several crucial moments, especially when activists and more than 100 members of his staff demanded the removal of war profiteer Warren Kanders from the museum's board in 2018-19. He also dragged union negations with his workers for over 16 months. Weinberg once described the Whitney as a "safe space for unsafe ideas," but for many communities, the museum under his leadership did not feel safe at all.

Also today, a list of must-see shows in New York City this month, hilariously botched wax figures of Kate and Prince William at a Polish museum, the discovery of a mini-sphinx in Egypt, the story of a rare Courbet than was found in the basement of a dental school, and more.

Finally, we're pleased to present the first article by Hyperallergic fellow Dr. Kelli Morgan, a professor, curator, social justice activist, and the inaugural director of Curatorial Studies at Tufts University. In her article today, Morgan describes what fundamental changes need to occur for museums to become truly equitable organizations. As she explains, representation alone won't cut it.

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

How Can Museums Truly Shake Off Their Colonial Legacy?

Representation alone will not end inequity in art museums. | Kelli Morgan

National Public Housing Museum Names Tiff Beatty Associate Director, Welcomes Three New Leaders

The four bring expertise to support the Chicago museum’s mission to promote and propel the right of all people to a place where they can live and prosper. Learn more.

IN THE NEWS

The small sphinx statue unearthed from a limestone ruin beside the Dendera Temple in Qena, Egypt (all images via Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

A small Roman-era sphinx was discovered beside the Dendera Temple in Qena, Egypt.
The Whitney Museum announces that longtime director Adam Weinberg will be stepping down from his position this fall.
A bitter dispute between the owners of NYC’s iconicFlatiron Building is set to be settled in a last-resort auction later this month.
Incredibly creepy wax figures of Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Krakow Wax Museum go viral on Tiktok.