Manifesto for Equality in Art

Exercising democracy requires constant review of values. In order to be effectively democratic, a society cannot relinquish its history—particularly errors from the past. To repeat errors is easy; to set them straight is difficult; to live with their consequences is terrible. Errors are avoided when their causes are eliminated. We must focus on the causes. Art and education are our allies.

Gender inequality threatens democracy. Inequality is caused by prevalence of patriarchal values. These values, when consolidated in the framework, cause countless damages to humanity. These damages are widely known. The most evident are discrimination, harassment and aggression, but their variety is huge. Regardless of form or intensity, inequality hinders efforts of building a fair society.

Art, particularly Western art, is accountable in those issues as its value is measured by its ability of establishing and conveying values.

Just like other forms of cultural expression, Western art was guided by patriarchal values, having been made by men, financed by men and aimed at men’s joy. Women artists were left out of books, collections and exhibition rooms in museums, institutions created by men to preserve patriarchal values. Art history, just like social history, is built without deep hindsight of its anchor values. It is responsible for erecting obstacles to democracy.

It is time now for museums to review their values. Museums preserve the past in order to convey it to the future. Museums build history. Their responsibility is huge. They can no longer ignore this basic human right: gender equality.

It is time for museum and cultural institutions, such as colleges, art galleries and art institutes, to face gender equality as a goal that involves banishing discrimination and violence against women of any kind. To take this compromise is to give society a voice to express its needs and wishes openly. Colleges, commercial art galleries and museums exist through society’s wish; to serve society is their due.

These institutions accomplish their service when they foccus on gender inequality. This sad reality has been oppressing more mankind for thousands of years. These institutions also accomplish their servisse when they act according solid equality policies. Equal work, equal pay.

Consciousness is an act of will. It molds reality according values, and patriarchal values must be eradicated for once. Gender equality must prevail as our deep wish for prosperity. Equality brings prosperity for everyone, in every social class, everywhere. Let’s drive consciousness towards it.

Artists, professors, art critics, workers, managers of museums and cultural institutions need to face the responsibility of being agents of a collective consciousness. Gender equality shall be our goal. 

Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis fighting violence against women in Santiago, March 8th 2020