Updated September 20, 2024 at 1:48P.M.
An exhibit featuring the work of Puerto Rican artists at the Michigan State University Broad Art Museum is now showing with a disclaimer calling some of the work “controversial” for its connections to the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
The exhibit features the tapestry piece by Alia Farid “Piquete en el capitolio” [Protest at the capitol], based on a 1973 newspaper photograph taken during a Pro-Palestinian protest in Puerto Rico and acquired by the Broad in October 2023.
Farid, who is Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican, shows people with signs that say: “Justice for Palestinians,” and “Palestine: Yes, Racist Israel: No.”
The piece is part of the larger exhibit "Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People," a collaboration between MSU and the Diaspora Solidarities Lab, a Black feminist digital humanities initiative.
Melanie Rodriguez Vazquez, a doctoral student in the English department at MSU, partnered with exhibit curator Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez to bring the exhibit to the Broad. She said the museum’s staff made unilateral last-minute decisions about the exhibit and its place without consulting them.
“The MSU Broad felt threatened by what the piece could mean to donors of either the museum or MSU,” she told WKAR in an interview. “I think that this piece triggers many and that it reminds them of what we have, this ongoing genocide towards Palestine.”
After receiving concerns about the exhibit’s inclusion of Farid’s piece, university officials said they decided to cancel the public opening event on September 13, which would have included art-making activities, food and music, and replace it with a private tour for artists and their guests.
“The decision was made to cancel the MSU Broad Art Museum’s opening event…in order to give the university time to adequately review concerns that were raised about a specific piece of art included in the Diasporic Collage exhibit,” said MSU officials in an email statement.
The opening event had also included a showcase for another exhibit at the museum highlighting the work of MSU alum Samia Halaby.
“On Friday, the opening reception for my exhibition at MSU’s Broad Art Museum was cancelled at the last minute without reason,” Halaby wrote in a statement on social media.
MSU officials said the museum is committed to finding more opportunities to celebrate these exhibitions and are excited to welcome Halaby on October 16.
“We regret any unintended impact this may have had on all the artists,” said the statement.
The museum re-opened Farid’s exhibit after deciding to display a warning sign stating “some content in this exhibition draws connection to Israeli Palestinian conflict through the depiction of protest signs that include controversial content”.
In a statement, Figueroa-Vásquez said the university also moved Farid’s piece to a less visible wall so it could not be seen from the entrance of the exhibit.
“It was required that additional text be added at the entrance of the gallery which would serve as a trigger warning and to denote that this is a faculty/research/multi-institutional exhibit,” wrote Figueroa-Vásquez. “This would have the effect of denoting that this exhibit is IN the Broad but not necessarily OF the Broad.”
The exhibit ‘Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People’ is on display at the MSU Broad Art Museum through February .
The MSU Broad Art Museum is a financial supporter of WKAR Public Media.
