The injustice and violence we have witnessed this past week is part of an ongoing history of racism that pervades our country, our communities, and our institutions—and we must work to end it. The MCA Chicago stands in solidarity with Black communities nationwide in protesting the traumatic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, as well as countless other heartbreaking and repetitive assaults on Black people stemming from racial injustice and police brutality. We believe Black Lives Matter.

We recognize that the MCA Chicago’s location means that it is relatively removed from the excessive use of force experienced by other parts of our city, though this neighborhood is not immune from the kinds of police interactions against Black people that are being protested. That trauma is real. It is present.

The MCA’s mission is to elevate and celebrate great contemporary art and artists and forge social bonds—as a museum dedicated to contemporary art and civic life, we stand united against injustice. We are living in a time of tremendous unrest where museums have a unique and critical role to play in helping to build a society with an increased sense of social responsibility that is both equitable and inclusive.

Now is the moment to reset and recommit. We first hold ourselves accountable—we will deepen our work to diversify our staff, our board, and our audience. If we don’t reflect society, how can we change society? We have already started down this path but we have a long way still to go and must accelerate and amplify our stated commitment to the core values of IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility) and take action to dismantle patterns within our institution that reinforce inequity. And we take time to acknowledge that the violence we have witnessed is felt that much more painfully by our ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) colleagues, and dedicate ourselves to honoring and elevating their voices and perspectives.

We believe in the power of art and dialogue to change minds and lives, and point us to the society we wish to be. We believe in the power of artists to show us the future in which we want to live. We remain committed to our core work of catalyzing, presenting, and discussing contemporary art and ideas, as these build bridges between communities and facilitate understanding, empathy, and change. We will continue to proactively celebrate the expression and creativity of underrepresented voices.

We believe that the art and ideas of Black artists, educators, and thinkers can help us address the insidious systemic racism that runs through daily life. But, even as we have been amplifying the work of Black artists and artists of color, we cannot ask them to carry this burden alone or on our behalf. There are realities with which empowered people and institutions must come to terms, and it’s incumbent upon the MCA itself to do the work of dismantling systemic racism.

We believe deeply in meaningful engagement with the art, artists, and urgent issues of our time. As I write this, we are changing the content of the MCA’s Commons Online to more directly address this moment, share resources, and organize necessary and uncomfortable discussions towards greater equity, empathy, and justice. This process of dialogue is a two-way street. We want to hear from you. We are here to listen and learn from our community while acting intentionally. And when we reopen, we look forward to welcoming you and providing a space for dialogue, debate, and change.

We have learned from this crisis that only by working together can we overcome what seems insurmountable. There are no quick or easy answers, but I am proud to work alongside a staff and board who are committed to fostering greater equity, accessibility, and inclusion in our galleries, programming, operations, and workplace. We are taking steps; we will make mistakes; we will own up to our missteps; and hopefully, we will move forward while recognizing that this work is never done.

Pritzker Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago