An initiative that highlights Black, Indigenous, People of Color at the Freeport Art Museum is approaching its end.
Four years ago, the museum made a five-year commitment to give BIPOC artists a place to showcase their works.
Jessica Modica is the executive director of FAM. She said there were some key things learned, starting with the decision to create an 80 percent BIPOC exhibition committee.
“And just in moving forward, you know, whether it's whatever we're doing in our exhibitions,” she said, “this exhibition committee, this group of individuals, will be involved in not only helping to select artists, but also seek out artists that we could have.”
Another was to realize they couldn’t support artists across the US because of the museum’s budget. She said midway through the initiative they narrowed the search to about a 150-mile radius.
“It didn't work as well to bring in an artist from, you know, a far distance, because we really couldn't make that,” she explained. “We couldn't pay the artist enough for really to be worth all of their time and travel expense and so it ended up being counterproductive.”
She said although the initiative is ending, the museum wants to do more of this type of work.
“And honestly, we don't know right now,” Modica said. “We just know that we want to take some next steps, and so we have to identify what those next steps might be.”
Modica said whatever they do going forward the BIPOC committee will be involved.
Peoria artist Hattie Lee Mendoza, who is a member of the Cherokee nation, will be one of the last artists featured as part of the initiative. Mendoza will select the other BIPOC artist. The exhibition will open this fall.
