quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
They may end up offering paid positions to replace them.

Someone already posted that they are doing that ($25/hr). Good luck finding even ONE who has the depth of knowledge and the zeal of those ladies they let go.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
The museum is not the building.

That may be true, but without the building and the art it encloses, there will be no visitors, either.

flashguy

You cannot replace knowledge that resides in a person's mind. If that were the case college would consist of reading a bunch of books. The Professor who taught Art History at my University was a battle harded World War II marine vet. He knew his stuff and plenty about the lives of the great painters. The exams were difficult, but it was a pleasure to listen to him speak and share his knowledge.

quote:

Originally posted by blueye:
Something tells me shit gonna be missing when the new hires arrive.

Oh My.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
They may end up offering paid positions to replace them.

Who will be arguing who goes on lunch first, and who returned from lunch last.

I have been there numerous times. Unless you have studied Art you have no idea. The docents were patient and knowledgable. They also watched over the exhibits so they were not damaged.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
How can firing someone based on race not illegal here?

Termination of a white/Caucasian person due to their race is ok, regardless of law or regulations in a blue state. Remember most Judges fit the ideology of the state they sit in. Racism and discrimination is only committed by whites.

The level of stupid is strong with this decision.

quote:

Despite our training, experience, and passion for working with both students and adults, on Friday, September 3, 2021, Veronica Stein announced the end of our 60year-old docent program. Ms. Stein said that the 82 volunteer docents would be replaced by six part-time employees, and that in 2023, “unpaid volunteer educators will be reintroduced.” She also stated that the rebuilt volunteer educator program will be based on “an income equity-focused lens.”

,
As others have pointed-out, there's a very high likelihood that these docents were all-in regarding DEI initiatives and ate-up every word over the last 3-4 years when it came to racial cries of 'equity'. Seeing that most of these volunteers are of means, the NIMBY attitudes are usually par for the course, now they get to reap what has been sown.

Below is both the letter that was sent out to the volunteers (full of smug condescension) and their organized response to the museum (written as expected )
Art Institute of Chicago fires docents because there are too many white women in their ranks.

quote:

As others have pointed-out, there's a very high likelihood that these docents were all-in regarding DEI initiatives and ate-up every word over the last 3-4 years when it came to racial cries of 'equity'. Seeing that most of these volunteers are of means, the NIMBY attitudes are usually par for the course, now they get to reap what has been sown.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I challenge you to back up your claims with facts. You basically are suggesting that the previous docents are leftists or liberal Democrats. I am from Chicago, and many of the privileged money classes are card carrying Republicans from the suburbs. Chicago is not like the Hamptons. I could be wrong, but please provide some facts to buttress your position. Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

As others have pointed-out, there's a very high likelihood that these docents were all-in regarding DEI initiatives and ate-up every word over the last 3-4 years when it came to racial cries of 'equity'. Seeing that most of these volunteers are of means, the NIMBY attitudes are usually par for the course, now they get to reap what has been sown.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I challenge you to back up your claims with facts. You basically are suggesting that the previous docents are leftists or liberal Democrats. I am from Chicago, and many of the privileged money classes are card carrying Republicans from the suburbs. Chicago is not like the Hamptons. I could be wrong, but please provide some facts to buttress your position. Thank you.

You seem to be taking this quite personally, are you one of the dismissed docents?

Its no secret that the wealthy and affluent have taken their political allegiances to the Dems; their husbands may remain staunch GOP members but, their wives and daughters have certainly changed parties & viewpoints. Patrons of the arts and supporters of those institutions have always had an affinity for how artists and creatives lean. With social media and the influence it weighs, the well to do, aren't immune to the political shaping that has occurred.

From the Clinton's moving away from organized labor, to courting of financial institutions, and the coddling of entertainment-media by 44, the last 25-years has produced a dramatic shift in political positions when measured by economic metrics. Look at retail shopping, how many virtuous brands have their locations in these wealthy enclaves: Whole Foods, Patagonia, Toms, etc... How many of them have their money with social conscious investment groups like Black Rock, Vanguard, Parnassus, etc..

You take any metropolitan area in the country, and view the affluent suburbs, you're going to find most of them have preferred to follow the Left, as their views of the Right has been shaped by stereotypes and media created mythology. What's happened now is their support of various platforms has now come home to roost, the Left always eats its own; biting the hand that feeds it. The hand is now shocked that it's getting pushed away.

Ok you have no facts just an opinion from Wine Country no less.

Let's be nice, please.

Copy that

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Below is both the letter that was sent out to the volunteers (full of smug condescension) and their organized response to the museum
Art Institute of Chicago fires docents because there are too many white women in their ranks.

Some interesting comments in Dennis Byrnes column you linked.

You are all being gaslighted. The goal is not to make docents more diverse, the goal is to devalue “white art” by mixing in sub-talented POC “artists”. They can’t stand that almost all beautiful artwork done in the last 1000 years that has any artistic and historic value was done by white men. If they could they would burn it all down right now, Van Gogh, Matisse, Degas, Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, Hopper, Wood, all of them. But they can’t, so they are settling for relegating them to the basement where they can be quietly sold off, lost or destroyed. (They are doing the same thing to our libraries by the way). These docents are useless to the new Woke Regime in charge of AIC because they are experts in art they are slowly getting rid of, and replacing with ugly garbage created by transgender people of color who are probably all graduates from SAIC, all in the name of “equity”.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Ok you have no facts just an opinion from Wine Country no less.

I'm gathering you're a passionate supporter of the arts and Chicagoan, what's the political composition of the volunteer docents at AIC? Please, give us some facts, you're our man on the ground, as I'm not the only one who's noted that there's a likely touch of irony with this decision...are they all apolitical pensioners who are art aficionados? Do you think there's a number of members of the docent council who are being forced out due to their political views?

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
I have been there numerous times. Unless you have studied Art you have no idea. The docents were patient and knowledgable. They also watched over the exhibits so they were not damaged.

I've also been there twice, and I'm about the least art oriented person you'll meet. A couple of the docents made my initial visit to the museum both entertaining 'and' informative, so much so, I walked my art ignorant self back in there for a second visit almost a year later when I was back in Chicago for work. Losing the docents, especially for the reasons noted is beyond asinine.

As Mr Schiff notes in his article, this seems to be exactly what is intended - paying somebody without any other form of employment $25 an hour to stand around looking like they 'know stuff'an that...'[/QUOTE]

Bottom line - ‘SFN’!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:

You are all being gaslighted. The goal is not to make docents more diverse, the goal is to devalue “white art” by mixing in sub-talented POC “artists”.

Very interesting. The intent behind the action.

If you read Veronica Stein's LinkedIn profile, you'll see she's been setting misguided art programs back to proper vision for a while now. She's a Woke Fixer. Her daddy must be so proud.