Equity in Museums

The realities of racial and social inequity within museums and cultural institutions have long been discussed in the field. As an institution, the Crocker has made a commitment to examine these issues internally and in the Museum’s relationship to the community.

This discussion series seeks to open the conversation up to the wider public through attendee participation and features new panelists from the cultural sector each month. Join us for a dialogue that acknowledges exclusive practices in museums, and discusses solutions for furthering equal access, opportunity, and engagement with the arts for all. Please note, this program will be recorded for future distribution and will last approximately 75 minutes. Visit Museums are Not Neutral to learn more about "the myth of museum neutrality."

This event is part of our Equity in Museums series. Check out the other sessions to continue the conversation:

• DEAI Initiatives at Museums - January 14, 2021
• Discussing Native American Representation in Museums - February 11, 2021
• Spotlighting Local BIPOC Artists - March 11, 2021

About February's Panelists

Dakota Hoska is an enrolled member of the Oglála Lakhóta Nation, Pine Ridge (Wounded Knee). She joined Denver Art Museum in 2019 as the Assistant Curator of Native Arts. Previously, she worked as a Curatorial Research Assistant at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, supporting the exhibition "Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists." Hoska completed her MA in Art History, focusing on Native American Art History at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Her curatorial work allows her to work closely with her Native community while being continually surrounded by, and learning about, beautiful art.

Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse, Ph.D., is the curator of Northwest Native art and director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art at the Burke Museum, and Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Washington. Dr. Bunn-Marcuse's research focuses on the indigenization of European-American imagery, 19th-century Northwest Coast jewelry and other body adornments, and the filmic history of the Kwakwaka’wakw. As a curator, she collaborates with First Nations communities to identify research priorities and to activate the Burke Museum’s holdings in ways that are responsive to cultural revitalization efforts.

Laurie Egan-Hedley earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from UC Riverside and a Masters of Arts in Anthropology/Museum Studies from CSU Chico. Laurie has over 24 years of museum experience and has worked in Native Community museums for 15 of those years. She is the Director/Curator at Barona Cultural Center & Museum and serves on the Board of Directors for Western Museums Association and the San Diego Museum Council. Egan-Hedley enjoys DIY projects and loves spending time with her family: her seven-year-old daughter, her husband, and “Brownie”, a rescued beagle.

Brittani Orona is an enrolled member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at UC Davis in Native American Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Human Rights. Orona completed her Master of Arts in Native American Studies at UC Davis in 2018 and her Master of Arts in Public History at California State University, Sacramento in 2014. Brittani is interested in repatriation, federal Indian law, cultural resources management, indigenous environmental justice, and environmental history as they relate to California Indian tribes. Her dissertation research focuses on Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk perspectives of visual sovereignty, memory, human and water rights on the Klamath River Basin.