This episode of Nonprofit Report explores how museums across the Southeastern U.S. are responding to current social, cultural, and political challenges. From pandemic closures to racial reckoning and changing community expectations, three museum leaders share how they are evolving to serve as inclusive, resilient institutions for their regions.
Guests:
Angie Dodson, Director, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Betsy Bradley, Director, Mississippi Museum of Art
Alex Nyerges, Director, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Interview by: Mark Oppenheim
Key Points:
- Museums are balancing refuge and reflection—offering beauty and tackling hard truths.
- Programs explore themes of migration, justice, memory, and racial identity through regional art.
- Outdoor exhibitions, digital platforms, and mobile museums expand community access.
- Institutions are reshaping boards, staff, and leadership to reflect their diverse audiences.
- Strategic plans must embed equity, accessibility, and inclusion as foundational values.
- Exhibitions feature historically underrepresented artists and global perspectives.
- Museums are vital spaces for truth, reconciliation, and public storytelling.
- Pandemic challenges accelerated change and highlighted the need for mission clarity.
Other Points on Museums in Southeastern United States:
Southern museums are transforming from quiet repositories of art into public institutions that spark conversation and growth. At the Mississippi Museum of Art, works of local and global significance are framed through the lens of race, memory, and justice—reflecting Mississippi’s pivotal role in American history.
In Montgomery, the sculpture garden has become a sanctuary, while online programs keep community connections alive. Angie Dodson emphasizes creating multiple points of entry for all audiences—embracing both peace and disruption as necessary parts of the museum experience.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts models accessibility with free daily admission and outreach that spans the state. From statewide mobile exhibitions to inclusive hiring practices, Director Alex Nyerges underscores the importance of strategic, values-based leadership that makes space for all.
Across the Southeast, these leaders are rewriting the museum playbook—centered on shared authority, lived experience, and the belief that justice is what love looks like in public.
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Read Betsy Bradley’s article on Hyperallergic.