Commitment to Equity

July 2021

The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) believes in the power of radical imagination and the role art can play in bringing communities and people together for the benefit of all. As a public art museum in the heart of a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse community, SJMA embraces its role in telling stories and creating experiences that nurture a sense of belonging and value and that contribute to the creation of a more vibrant multiracial society.

SJMA aspires for deep learning, practice, and implementation of the principles and strategies of equity, inclusion, empathy, and diversity. As a cultural institution aiming to create welcoming, borderless spaces, we devote particular attention to reducing inequities and barriers to access for historically and culturally underrepresented, misrepresented, or negatively impacted communities. The Museum supports these ideals, both internally and externally, by building an equitable and inclusive workplace, lifting underrepresented voices and stories through its exhibitions, education, and public programs, and embedding inclusive practices into its education programs and community partnerships.

The Museum’s cross-departmental Equity Task Force is the lead design and strategy body that supports the Museum in integrating a collaborative, anti-oppressive lens in its work. This includes, but is not limited to, dynamics of race, class, sexuality, gender expression and identity, immigration, ability and disability, and language. The Equity Task Force helps ensure that the Museum’s ideals are actively pursued through an intentional and continual process that seeks to address implicit biases, to eliminate inequitable practices, and to foster a collaborative internal and external culture rooted in the values of humility, dignity, and respect for all.