Why DEAI?

Yuma I. Tomes, Horning Chair for Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion, on the importance of DEAI.

Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) should never be an afterthought, but the prelude in advancing all initiatives at The Phillips Collection.

The Phillips Collection. Photo: Carl Nard

The horrific and tragic events of 2020 exposed old, unhealed racial wounds and highlighted glaring inequities across various cultures and genders. It has been said many times, if we fail to understand our history, we are doomed to repeat it. DEAI work focuses all of us on doing the “work” so that we learn, grow, and forge new paths for equal representation. One of the first steps in doing the “work” is to analyze class, power, and institutional/individual relationships to and within communities. As power is analyzed, it becomes clearer how we play a role in maintaining the current disparate racial outcomes that every system and institution produces.

Museums are microcosms of the larger society, in that they tell the stories of who we are, where we have been, how we have evolved, and where were going. They are a portal into our cultural heritage and yet a teaching tool in acknowledging differences and similarities, at the same time. Reflecting on the rich diversity of our heritage is a must for museums.

We, at The Phillips Collection, aspire to permeate every area with principles of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. DEAI initiatives to address systemic issues such as the lack of museum directors of color or from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds is everybody’s “work.” The Phillips Collection has begun the work to advance these and other initiatives through recruiting talented and diverse interns and fellows, staff, and directors. Further, in 2021 the DEAI department along with dedicated staff initiated an Anti-Racism Series for The Phillips Collection. These are positive advances that must be connected to strategic planning and infrastructure. Over the next several months we will begin to implement Diversity Intergroup Dialogue Sessions (DIDS) to build on the momentum established last year. This series will commence in September and will be a combination of professional presentations and staff-led group discussions. DEAI is only productive when fully embraced by all its members.

Archives 101: What is an Archival Collection?

In this series, Phillips Manager, Archives and Library Resources Juli Folk and Digital Assets Librarian Rachel Jacobson explain the ins and outs of how archives work.

It’s usually fair to say that the average person is more familiar with libraries than archives. If that is the case for you, here are some helpful distinctions aimed at enhancing your next visit to The Phillips Collection Library & Archives.

Libraries hold published books and materials, which are secondary sources that were consciously created and intended to be distributed for review. Books are collected and circulated through libraries as individual items and are cataloged and organized according to standards that have been well-established for hundreds of years.

Archives are different in that they are made up of primary-source materials that were created over the course of normal daily business and life. Archival materials can include receipts, correspondence, photographs, ledgers, digital media, and related ephemera. In order to maintain their context, archival items are classified in aggregate as “collections,” instead of as standalone items.

The Phillips Collection Library & Archives holds numerous collections that include materials documenting the inner workings of the museum. Some items that may have seemed run of the mill at the time have since become treasures. For example, this undated handwritten note was left for Duncan Phillips at the front desk of the museum by Georgia O’Keeffe during one of her visits.

There are a variety of different kinds of archival collections. For example, institutional departmental collections manage and preserve the records of the business or institution. These collections exist to serve the needs of researchers and staff members, to document historical discussion and decisions over time, and to support strategic institutional goals. Two examples of these types of collections in our archive are the Records of the Music Department and the Exhibition History Records.

The Records of the Music Department consist of materials dated from 1925 and include correspondence, press clippings and reviews, photographs, concert programs, serial publications, pamphlets, press releases, and other ephemera pertaining to concerts and performers.

Archival boxes housing the Music Department records are organized chronologically, ready for research. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Exhibition History records are dated from the early 1900s and contain material that was created and collected by the Curatorial Department to support activities related to the research, planning, preparation, logistics, and catalogue for individual shows. The collections include articles, brochures, catalogues, checklists, correspondence, and reviews.

Photograph collections are compiled or created by individuals, families, or organizations and are preserved for their enduring evidentiary value and context. Our recently digitized Historic Photographs Collection is arranged chronologically with items that date from the late 1800s. The collection includes images of the museum building interior and exterior, the immediate and extended families of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, art exhibitions, notable visitors, special events, and construction projects. The materials are in a variety of formats and sizes, with both color and black-and-white prints. This collection will be available digitally soon!

Duncan Phillips (left) and his younger brother Jim Phillips in the late 1800s. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Annex installation from the 1960s exhibition Sculpture Seen Anew: The Bronze Age to Brancusi, including works by Constantin Brancusi and Henry Moore. Courtesy of The Phillips Collection Library & Archives

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, which will focus on Archival Processing to describe the steps we take to make our collections more accessible and useful to researchers.

Marketing and Communications In-Depth

Marketing and Communications Intern Chloe Akazawa details her work during her spring 20222 paid internship.

As the Marketing and Communications intern at The Phillips Collection, I gained experience in social media management, community engagement, and survey evaluation.

I drafted social copy for the museum’s social media platforms, where I learned how to research, edit, and create engaging content in concise ways. I created posts for upcoming events such as the weekly virtual meditations and music concerts. For posts about artists’ birthdays and special holidays, I searched the collection for works that related to these themes. My favorite posts I created were for Joan Mitchell’s birthday and Earth Day.

Sample social media posts drafted by Chloe

I also compiled a database of local businesses and organizations for future community engagement. The Phillips offers many programs related to music, health, education, and nature; thus, I researched related organizations and compiled the contact information of 175 embassies, wellness centers, educational programs, music organizations, and environmental organizations located near the Phillips. This document can be used to promote upcoming exhibitions and events and to build long-lasting relationships between the museum and the surrounding community.

Another long-term project was the evaluation of The Phillips Collection’s “Pay What You Wish” ticket (offered and the top of every hour). I analyzed visitor survey responses to better understand the current state of the special promotion. This ticket offering was launched in March 2021 to celebrate the centennial. I worked with colleagues in Marketing and Communications, Admissions, Operations, and Visitor Services to understand the full scope of the promotion from different departments. In the beginning of my research, I focused on the initial goals of the ticket: if these goals are being fulfilled, and how we can make the promotion better. I scoped out peer institutions with similar promotions and compared how the Phillips marketed and described their ticket to the public. Karina Gaytan (one of our Sherman Fairchild Fellows) provided me with visitor experience survey responses from February through March 2022. These surveys are sent to visitors after their visit and reveal information about how they heard about the Pay-What-You-Wish ticket as well as other demographics such as age, ethnicity, region, and gender. I compiled this information and created graph visualizations of what I found, presenting this to the Marketing and Communications team. My evaluation helped the department brainstorm strategies to raise awareness to more audiences. With the help of the Web Manager, we made changes to the museum’s website to make the ticket offering more visible online.

Graphics breaking down the demographics of Pay-What-You-Wish visitors

Overall, my internship at The Phillips Collection showed me many facets of Marketing and Communications, and I learned valuable skills that I will use in my future museum career.