Dear Louis Grachos,

The Palm Springs Art Museum remained silent for 10 days after the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, all while continuing to self-promote using Native American artworks. Finally on 6/3/20, the museum used its social platform to offer the public a message of neutrality using the artwork of Alison Saar, whose work is far from neutral. On 6/4/20, the museum disabled the comments on this post, censoring the voices of the community. The Palm Springs Art Museum, which sits on sacred Cahuilla lands, has failed to rise up and use its platform to speak against the racism that is prevalent within its own walls and throughout its broader desert communities. At this point, Silence Equals Complicity. Neutrality Equals Complicity.

It is not enough for the museum to “reflect” on the “power and possibility of art” when there is no commitment to concrete and direct action against racism and anti-blackness at your institution and within your community. It is ironic that in 2019–2020, the museum celebrated and benefited from exhibitions such as Gerald Clarke: Falling Rock, Imaging Change: History, Memory, and Social Justice, and Touching History: Stonewall 50, all of which recount the history, trauma, and continual struggle of Black Americans, Native Americans, and the LGBTQ communities against white supremacy. It is these very communities that PSAM is failing by offering only the rhetoric of neutrality during these transformational times. You cannot celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots while staying neutral about today’s protests against police brutality. You cannot applaud yourself for exhibiting contemporary Native American art while Indigenous lives everywhere are under constant threat of erasure due to the rampant racism in the desert and abroad; and while the pandemic continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous communities. You cannot silently bask in nostalgia over the Civil Rights movement when the movement knocks on the doors of your institution and demands that you join us in eradicating white supremacy and racial injustice.

To stay silent and to stay neutral during the global movement against racism is to actively enable and perpetuate the white supremacist world order that continues to poison and erase Black and Brown lives. This moment calls for a broad reckoning with powerful institutions everywhere, starting with our local communities. Institutions all over the world are stepping up to this challenge and setting a standard for the communities they serve and for the rest of society. At the Getty, Jim Cuno has shared a formal public apology for being lukewarm about the death of George Floyd and for the ongoing racism within the museum. The Hammer Museum has used their platform to announce solidarity with protestors and to ask Mayor Garcetti to protect them while they fight for what is right. MOCA has used their platform to demand justice for George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. Across the country at the Met, Daniel H. Weiss and Max Hollein published a letter of solidarity with the Black community in the fight against racism. On a global scale, Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement is now the standard.

The leaders of the Palm Springs Art Museum, a historically racist institution, need to be held accountable to the communities that they are responsible for serving as a public facing cultural institution that sits on ancestral Cahuilla lands. The contemporary movement against racism and white supremacy urges museums and institutions to acknowledge their complicity and to move past it by activating their public and social platforms in the fight against racial injustice. Now is not the time to wait out the storm in silence in order to protect private funding. Louis Grachos, I urge you to use your platform to do the right thing. I urge you to address the current political climate and side with Black Lives and all lives that exist in the shadows of racism. I urge you to call out your silent colleagues. I urge you to correct the classist, racist, and elitist actions of the museum. I urge you to demand more from the leaders of the art world, including individuals on your executive staff and including yourself. I urge you to support contemporary movements for racial justice and address the internal racism within your museum in order to begin to heal relationships with communities and employees of color. In upholding silence and sweeping racism under its rugs, the Palm Springs Art Museum has chosen the side of injustice and white supremacy. The leadership at PSAM needs to come forward and apologize to their community or they need to be removed from positions of power.

Thank you for your time and consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,
Andrea Romero,
former Curatorial Assistant at Palm Springs Art Museum

Rene Franco, Artist
Karena Heredia, Palm Springs Art Museum, Staff Accountant 2018-2019
Angel Alvarado, Artist
Klariza Madrazo
Elizabeth Diaz
Lizzette Benavides
Brianna fabila
Juan Silverio, Exhibitions Manager, LACE
Fernando Cierra
Robert Diaz, Graphic Designer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Joe Aleman
Melba Martinez
G. Pérez
Mykael Rodarte
Sara Selevitch, Gallery attendant, MOCA 2016-17
Kevin Arenas
James Mountford, Artist
Olivia Aguilar, Visitor Services Associate, The Broad
Gabriela Barrera
Christian Macabasco
Joyce Sanchez
Raymond Rivera, MOCA
Guadalupe Rivera, ArtworxLA
Dana Saks, Former Employee, Palm Springs Art Museum 2017-2019
Esther Reyna
Alma Trejo
Alysa Martinez
Dante Mendoza
Maribel Campos
Adee Roberson, Artist
Moya Marquez, Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship Alumni, 2014
Esperanza Mendez
Sebastian Hernandez, Artist
Elizabeth Nakamura
Ramon Espinosa
Vanessa Arizmendi, Hammer Museum
Lilia Diaz
Ulises Maldonado
Brian Dang, MOCA
Carmen Olvera, Gallery Attendant
Michelle Norte
Victoria Taormina
Gabriela Ruiz, Artist
Leanne Gallati
Gustavo Rimada, Artist
Nicole Block, Curatorial Assistant, Getty Museum
Crystal Rosas
Alberto Vasquez
Tanya Sanchez
Edgar Zendejas
Julianne Aguilar
Eugenia Kim
Jerry Peña
Andrea Gordillo
April Ramos
Wendy Diaz
Bradley Michalakis, Assistant Producer for Broadway Productions, The Foxboro Company
Angelica Sotelo
Jaclyn Molinar
Eamon Ore-Giron, Brown Artist/Educator
Margarita Martinez
Marcos León
Alfonso Gonzalez jr, Artist
Marissa Del Toro, Independent Curator
Amanda Oliver
Marc rivera
Jordan Byrd
Justin Davis, CSULB
Abra Conn, Teaching Fellow at Brown University
jasmine corrales
Cassandra Acevedo
Jacqueline Gonzalez
Rafael Lopez
Jannet romero
Shane Jabari
Tara Gruchalski, Artist
Atella Garbo
Cassandra Rosales
Darlene Pleitez
Sabrina manzanilla
Christal Perez, Artist, UCLA, Williams College
Leanna Kaiser, AV Technician, MOCA ‘20
brenda reyes-chavez, MOCA
William Camargo, Commissioner of Heritage and Culture in Anaheim/Artist/Educator
James Zormeir
C . Brown
Matthew Anderson, MOCA 2014-15
David Evans Frantz, Independent Curator
Nisa Chagoyan
Jeremy Leasure, MOCA 2018-2020
Ray Napoles
Gevan Wegener, Artist
Diego Alvarez, MOCA
Kristin Smallwood, Former Artist
Sarah Nguyen
Jennifer Kalina
Katharine Ball, MOCA
André Martinez
Gina Candemil, MOCA
Melissa Montez, Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship Alumni, 2015
Jennifer Pulido, Palm Springs Art Museum
Fernanda Manzo
Alix Gutiérrez
María Vidaurrazaga
Shelcea Castro
Iman Salty, Former Curatorial Assistant, PSAM
Emmanuel Lomeli
Juliet Rodriguez
Zac Carmona
Justin Edwards
Nisreen Radwan
Cameron Tuck
Danielle Pinkerton
Betty Avila, Self Help Graphics
Mia Schubert, Independent Artist
Michel Hernandez
Melody Gutierrez
Shelby Kittleson, Box Office, Palm Springs Art Museum ‘17-‘19
Margot Milburn
E. Martinez
Jasa McKenzie
Kyndal McLyn
Ryan McLaughlin
Abby Figueroa, former PSAM employee
Nick Rosemond
Lorena Arellano
Magdalena Solano, Art Conservation Fellow, Winterthur/ University of Delaware
Brianna Rendon
LaRon Jackson
Abby Ramirez, Artist
Nina Fuller
Marina Rodriguez
Ariel Rodarte
Lila Yanow, IATSE Local 44
Marshall Hawthorne, Photographer
Brands Escobar, MOCA
Selena Flowers
Maria Lewis, MOCA
Janelle Reyes, SCI-Arc / Former GA, MOCA ‘19
Evelyn Quijas
Daniella ware
Diane Ojeda
Lourdes Gomez, Artist, Los Angeles Harbor College
Jocelyn Lopez-Anleu
Tara Milch
Lisa Marie Nava
John Guillen
Lucy DeBardelaben, Former Controller, PS Art Museum
Erik Varela
Elena Incardona, Museum Registrar, Massachusetts
María Félix Flores Gomez
Julia Davis aka the artist BUD SNOW, Street and public artist Bud Snow
Carolyn Lopez
Jody Conn
Juliana Wisdom,  SFMOMA Research Library ‘12-‘14/Library Pilchuck Glass School ‘11
Lily Webster, MOCA ‘20  
Julio Rodriguez
Kristy Giraud
Sandra Chavez
Natalie Diaz
Pele’Kelani Leuta
Ryan V Leuta
Joe Díaz
Micah Espudo, Artist/Curator
Ann Valdés, Public Media Group of Southern California
Antoine girard, Underground Museum
Lita Dantes
Patricia Montano
Nicollette Villaloboz
Noa James
Claire Brown Carrasquillo
Krystal Nunez
Michelle Ross
Kaitlyn Gregory, Palm Springs Art Museum Admissions and Box Office Associate ‘17-‘19
Mitchiko Khem, Marks Art Center at College of the Desert
Bianca Valdez
Juliet Rodriguez
Stefan Valdez
Mauricio Rivera
Destiny Garcia
Lucio Montano
Vivian Martinez
Hillary Ramirez
Sabrina Sullivan
Anne Groeschel Padilla, Administrative Assistant, Palm Springs Art Museum, 2018-19
Justine Esquivel
Diane Alaniz
Jasmine Ferrer
Julia Bistriceanu
Liz Carter
Lou Weaver, Former Chairperson of the volunteer council at PSAM
Claudia Alexander
Rosalee Bernabe
Garrett Hallman, MOCA
Margie Norris, Former member of Museum Service Council and its Steering Committee from 2009-2019
Bodhi Stewart
Sheila Roman
Evan mallon
Raymond Price, Volunteer, Palm Springs Art Museum
Brianna Rendon
Luis Estrada
Yreina Flores, Artist
Elizabeth Colon
Colleen Cabral
Annie Titan, Teaching Artist, UCLA Visual and Performing Arts Program
Tracey Silva, General Public Docent, J. Paul Getty Museum '20
Selena morales
Veronica Landers
Kang Seung Lee
Francine Mistalski
austin megalonakis
Gary P Long, Former Donor
Alexis Perez
Christine Soto
Nicole Velasquez
Katherine McCleary, Independent Curator
John Brian King
Jasmine Jue
Emma Buerklin
Chuck Steinman, PSAM MSC volunteer and former A+D Council Board member
Gaby R. Gomez, UCLA, former employee PSAM 2014-2016
Taylor Cunningham
Luz Moncada
Kerrie Rimada, Local Resident
Jeanine Moore
Shaylyn Rodriguez
Jose R Rodriguez
Mallory Yoder
Ananias Chairez
Nicholl Beltran
Grant Nasto
Jazmine Rodriguez
Celeste Garcia
Ricardo Ales
Enrique cristobal Rodriguez
Kayla Palisoc, Nous Tous, Communications Director
Ale Ruiz Tostado, Artist
Stacie Berumen
Denisse Solis
MariaFernanda Gomez Gonzalez, Patron
Katharine Mound, Curatorial Intern, Rose Art Museum 2018-19
C. Ondine Chavoya, Art Historian and Independent Curator
Lissa Sanders, USC Roski School of Art and Design, Sr. Budget Analyst
Ian Byers-Gamber, Photographer (worked on Gerald Clarke exhibition)
Karen Lofgren, exhibiting artist PSAM 2019
Selene Preciado
Christy Jeziorski, Artist Consultant
Alex Callego
Nalani Hernandez-Melo, Local desert artist
Claudia Lopez
Michelle Castillo