For the enjoyment of everyone
The Clyfford Still Museum is the steward of a collection that belongs to the community and is for the enjoyment of everyone. We are enriched by the diversity of the people we serve and the variety of ideas they bring to the organization.
We aspire to have the principles of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion permeate every aspect of the Clyfford Still Museum. The Clyfford Still Museum has adopted the following definitions of these principles, which were developed and published by the American Alliance of Museums’ Working Group on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion. The full report can be found here.
The Museum entered into an agreement with The Equity Project, LLC, for consultation services in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI). The Equity Project’s objective is to help clients change their operations to deliver equitable services to all people across all systems. In 2022 and 2023, The Equity Project has been working with the Museum’s staff and board to conduct alignment and foundational education sessions, an equity assessment, focus groups, additional listening sessions, lens and blueprint development, and customized training. Data will inform a deeper analysis of the internal culture at CSM and help to define and guide the direction of the organization’s ongoing DEAI efforts. CSM’s leadership team worked collaboratively with staff and board members to create a blueprint based on recommendations from The Equity Project. The team is now working on an equity lens.
Diversity is all the ways that people are different and the same at the individual and group levels. Even when people appear the same, they are different. Organizational diversity requires examining and questioning the makeup of a group to ensure that multiple perspectives are represented.
Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings.
Equity is the fair and just treatment of all members of a community. Equity requires commitment to strategic priorities, resources, respect, and civility, as well as ongoing action and assessment of progress toward achieving specified goals.
Inclusion refers to the intentional, ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in all aspects of organizational work, including decision-making processes. It also refers to the ways that diverse participants are valued as respected members of an organization and/or community. While a truly “inclusive” group is necessarily diverse, a “diverse” group may or may not be “inclusive.”
In order to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion at every level of the institution the Clyfford Still Museum convenes a DEAI community advisory committee, made up of a group of community experts, as well as a Clyfford Still Museum cross-departmental staff DEAI task force, dedicated to implementing recommendations from the community advisory committee.
Initiatives
Initiatives in diversity, equity, accessibility, equity, and inclusion are critical for the Clyfford Still Museum’s success in fulfilling its mission and strategic plans. These initiatives include:
CSM Staff Training
The Clyfford Still Museum supports consistent, all-staff trainings to deepen understanding and enhance staff members’ abilities relating to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion practices at the Clyfford Still Museum.
Community Groups
Nonprofit organizations that work with underserved communities may request outreach programs at no cost. An underserved community is one in which individuals lack basic access to arts programs due to factors such as geography, economic conditions, ethnic background, or disability. Please see our community groups section for details.
SCFD Free Days
In appreciation of the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), and in the spirit of community engagement, the Clyfford Still Museum offers free admission once a month on select days throughout the year.
Spanish Language Text
The Museum includes all exhibition wall text in English and Spanish. CSM’s free digital guide through the Bloomberg Connects app (available via Google Play or the App Store) includes Museum content and exhibition text in Spanish (plus more than 25 additional languages via Google Translate).
Free bilingual family guides, designed for children ages five and up to explore the Museum with their caregivers, are available at the visitor experience desk at the entrance to the Museum.
Breastfeeding and Infant Care
Caregivers may breastfeed or bottle feed throughout the building, including in the galleries. Bottles should remain under the control of an adult in the gallery spaces. All of our restrooms are equipped with changing tables.
To learn more about aids and services, or to request an accommodation, please visit our Accessibility page.
We welcome the community’s suggestions, questions and feedback to help the Clyfford Still Museum achieve our DEAI goals. Please contact us at info@clyffordstillmuseum.org.