SFMOMA Workers for Palestinian Liberation

A Statement from SFMOMA Workers on Palestine and Censorship

Dear SFMOMA Director Christopher Bedford, Board of Trustees, and Executive Committee:

We write as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) employees, in the absence of any statement from our institution’s leadership, to affirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people as they confront decades of violent oppression and apartheid and to condemn Israel’s devastating and ongoing siege of Gaza. We unwaveringly support artists and other cultural workers speaking against this genocide in the face of unprecedented cancellation and censorship throughout the art world.

Our DEI commitment reads: “The foundation of SFMOMA is its belief that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us.” As part of this commitment, the institution has further acknowledged that “museums and cultural organizations are not (and should not be) neutral.” Refusing to engage in dialogue around a profound humanitarian crisis negates these claims, and we believe the museum is losing credibility and relevance as a result. Our viability as a cultural institution depends upon our response to the mounting atrocities in Gaza and the repercussions of this genocide for our international public and local communities. The museum’s silence fails the artists, families, educators, and art lovers we claim to serve.

As stewards of culture committed to our institutional mission, we believe the art of our time is vital—that it can open minds and help build a better world. It is our responsibility to confront the biases within our field that detract from that imperative. For that reason, we respectfully ask museum leadership to consider: Who does this silence serve, and who does it abandon?

We are responding to calls to action from Bay Area Artists Against Genocide, California Jewish Artists for Palestine, Bay Area Artists & Cultural Workers for Palestine, Progressive Art Studio Staff for a Free Palestine, and our colleagues at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Museum of Modern Art, The Met, and the Brooklyn Museum, among others around the world, as we urge SFMOMA to:

Affirm that the institution will seek ways to center and amplify Palestinian voices in our exhibitions, commissions, and collaborations and—at minimum—not silence or censor those addressing Palestinian liberation through their work or otherwise
Create space for transparent internal dialogue and work with staff and community partners to support or develop programming that responds to this moment
Join San Francisco supervisors, the International Council of Museums, and countless others in the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire
Commit to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)—an effort “anchored in precepts of international law and universal human rights” that “rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity”—in its entirety, or conduct a thorough review of its tenets to develop a set of guiding principles for SFMOMA’s work

To be clear: we stand against antisemitism just as we stand firmly against the conflation of calls for an end to violence with antisemitism.

We invite current and former SFMOMA staff, artists, visitors, members, donors, community partners, and neighbors to add their signatures and join us in this call.

Sincerely and in solidarity,

SFMOMA Workers for Palestinian Liberation

* Indicates current SFMOMA staff
** Indicates former SFMOMA staff

Jessalyn Aaland**
Toran Ailisheva
Dena Al-Adeeb
Josiah Luis Alderete
Sama Alshaibi
Sophia Alvarez, CGU
Grace Ambrose**
Juana Alicia Araiza, MAESTRAPEACE ART WORKS
Sholeh Asgary
Jenn Ban
Brian Bartz
Ellen Bepp
Miranda Bergman, Maestrapeace Art Works
A Berrick, Creative Growth United
Sonia Betts
Panchami Bhat
Billy Blender**
freddie blooms
Sarah Bluestone
Lindsey Boldt, Nightboat Books
Elizabeth Boubion, Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers
Noah Brabec
Chrissie Bradley, Progressive Art Studio Staff for a Free Palestine, NIAD Art Center
Taylor Brandon**
Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo
Fennis Brown
J C*
Orion Camero
Fernanda Carlovich*
Mayte Carrillo
Eli Carrillo**
nayelli cervantes
Susan Cervantes, MAESTRAPEACE
champoy champoy, Bay Area Artists Against Genocide/ Archipelagical Abolition Network /
Alvin Chan
Chi Chi Chang
Jeff Cheung
Karen Cheung*
ChiChai ChiChai
Erin Ching**
Lenore Chinn
sarah choi*
Nino Claveria
Anne Marie Conde*
Ariel Cooper, Union Member of Creative Growth United
Courtney Costello*
Madelyn Covey, Progressive Art Studio Staff for a Free Palestine, Creative Growth staff member
Aurora Crispin**
alex cruse, Department of Film and Digital Media, UC Santa Cruz
Sara Cruz**
Jaclyn Cuyno
B D*
Kari Dahlgren*
Sophia Dahlin
Jenny Dally**
Alex Dangles*
Mauna Dasari
Robin David**
Clare Davis
Mark Davis*
Crosby Davis**, ACLU of Colorado Workers United (CWA/TNG Local 37074)
Everardo de Alba*
Chloe de los Reyes, Crafton Hills College
Kate Deciccio
T. J. Demos, UC Santa Cruz
Kat DiGirolamo
Laura Domingo*
Ximaps Dong*
Sam Draisin
Micha Dudgeonwood
Mark Duffy
Kate Dunn
Paul Ebenkamp
Lauren Elliott**
Rebekah Erev, CA Jewish Artists for Palestine
Tuğçe Evirgen Özmen
Maymanah Farhat, Art Historian and Independent Curator
Chris Farstad**
Gordon Faylor**
Dia Felix**
Emma Fenton-Miller, Creative Growth
Margi Fields
Mark Fields
Steven Fields
Rebecca Fitton
Frances Fleetwood
Alexandria Flores, AFSCME Council 57
Ana Fox-Hodess**
Ryan Frigillana
Diane Fujii
Paz G
e. g.*
Caitlyn Galloway
Tyler Garces Ormsby
Stacey Garcia
Camilo Garzón
Kathryn Gentzke
Alex Gill*
Hayley Goebel*
sair goetz
Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt, California Jewish Artists for Palestine
Danica Gomes*
Santino Gonzales*
Roberta Goodman*
Lesdi Goussen Robleto
Jillian Graves
Angela Gutierrez
Mia Guzman*
Tik Hall
Angelo Hallinan*
Jody Hanson**
Krista Harris
Christa Hartsock
Malia Hatico-Byrne
Natalie Hegert
Kyle Herbert**
Ester Hernandez
Emmylou Hobgood**
Reba Hsu
John Hurliman
Lucia Ippolito, Muralism panelist with SFMOMA
Daisy Jaberi, Creative Growth
Alexis Javellana Hill
Sam Javellana Hill
Leticia Javier*
Grace Jin
Renée Johnson**
Juke Jose**
Irene Juarez O’Connell
Jessica K
natalie k
Elaine Kahn
Debby Kajiyama, NAKA Dance Theater
Yara Kanaaneh*
Betty Kano, Asian American Women Artists Association
Erika Kathrein*
Dorian Katz
Asma Kazmi
Jamila Keba, Wave Collective
Quinn Keck
Lauren Kenward**
Grant Kerber, Oakland Summer School
Maryam Khawar*
sue reon kim
danna kim
H Kim*
Winsor Kinkade
Rainen Knecht**
Lucien Kubo, Asian American Women Artist Association
Steph Kudisch, California Jewish Artists for Palestine & Progressive Art Studio Staff for a Free Palestine
Lin Kung, California Academy of Sciences
Elizabeth Kuntze**
Madelynn Kurtz
Chloe Kwiatkowski*
C L*
Amy Lange*
Clyde Lanier**
Kate Laster
Chris Lee*
Sam Lefebvre, Creative Growth United (CGU), Tenant and Neighborhood Councils (TANC)
Ben Leon**
ZH Leonard**
Kathleen Leyva
Summer Li**
Rae Liberto
Aleks Liou, California Academy of Sciences
Vivienne Liu**
Kevin Lo
Reina-love Lobos*
Karissa Lobos*
Stella Lochman**
Alex Locust
Ellie Loo*
Samuel Lopes*
Nat Low, California Academy of Sciences
Cathy Lu
Rachel Lucero, The Sago Show
Vivian Luong
Julia Lyckberg*
Michael Macayan
Susannah Magers
Nahkoura Mahnassi*
Malaya Movement San Francisco Malaya Movement San Francisco
Devin Malone
Martin Malvar*
Maya Manvi*
Natalie Maria
Cinthia Marisol
Xuân Marsh
Ellis Martin
Tobey Martin*
Nathalia Martins*
Malia Maynard**
Jim McAuley, Creative Growth, Creative Growth United
Tony McCallum*
Sam McGinnis, BLOOM Collective
Eamon McGivern
Cassie McQuater
Lucy Medrich**
Andrea Melara*
Stephanie Meneses
Glenn Mercado, Malaya Movement San Francisco & UNITE HERE Local 2
Michael Mersereau
Amalia Mesa-Bains
eddie milla*
Ella Milliken Detro*
Viniita Moran**
Nining Muir*
Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán, UC Berkeley MFA Student and Creative Growth United
Tessa Nebrida
Brianna Nelson*
Danny Nguyen
Thanh Nguyen
Jordan Nickels*
Elisabeth Nicula
Norine Nishimura
Stu Nolan
Kim Nucci**
yétúndé olagbaju
EMIKO Omori
Chizu Omori, Wakasa Memorial Committee
Martin Oropeza**
Efe Ozmen
Andrew Paguio
Katy Papoulias, California Academy of Sciences
Marcel Pardo Ariza
Socrates Parra**
SPULU PASIFIKA*
Leslie Patterson Werner
Emma Peyton, Creative Growth Art Center
Myisa Plancq-Graham**
Kristina Lee Podesva
Yana Podolsky*
Andrew Poole
Natacha Pope
Kam Potter
rowan powell
Mary K. Powers**
R R
Maria Rabinovich
Kanika Rao
Charles Rath
Emily Ray Reese, Santa Clara University
Kim Requesto
Nicholas Reville
Andrea Reynolds
Megan Riley, UAW4811
Jerod Rivera
Veronica Rojas
Greg Rotter, CalAcademy Workers United, SEIU 1021
Rudy Rucker
EMBRY RUCKER
Jessica Ruiz DeCamp**
cady s.
Melissa Sáenz Gordon**
Gazelle Samizay, UC Berkeley
Kurt Santana*
divya saraf*
Victor Saucedo
Linnea Schaefer
Erin Schilling**
Hilda Schmelling
Heidi Schureck
Roula Seikaly, Print Study for All
Nicole Shaffer
Alex Shen
rokaya shenasa*
Jeffrey Sincich
Juliet Small Ernst**
Willa Smart, UC Davis
Meghan Smith
Isaac Snow
Jen Snyder
Indigo Som
Gaelan Spor**, SF Educators for Palestine
Torin Stephens
Adrienne Storey*
tamara suarez porras**
Syl Sutton*
Natalya Swanson*
Stephanie Syjuco
Arielle T, California Jewish Artists for Palestine
Isabelle T.
Michael T**
uta tamate weiss
Natalie Tan-Torres
A Tartsinis*
Amelia Terry*
charles theonia
Vanessa Thill
Elizabeth Thomas
Penelope Thomas
Taryn Thomas
Benja Thompson*
Em Thurin
Morgan TRUE
Helen Shewolfe Tseng
Tara Tucker
Ben V.**
Ethan Van Cleve
Vanessa Varela*
Jessica Vargas
Jovanna Venegas**
Andrew Villanueva*
Matthew Villar Miranda
Aisa Villarosa
Renee Villasenor, ICA SF
Claire Vu
Jesse Walton*
Catherine Wang McMahon, Recology AIR | Micki Meng
Andrea Wang*
Martabel Wasserman, Stanford University, PhD candidate
sayr waters
Maysoun Wazwaz**
Alison Weber Stover
Sara Weed*
Leila Weefur
kelsey westphal, museum staff in sf
Holmes Wilson
Angie Wilson*
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith, Keynote speaker for Mural Symposium 2022
Serena Wong
Alice Wong, Disability Visibility Project
melissa wong, Fresh Meat Productions
Nick Wylie, Public Media Institute
Tiffany Yau
Fengxue Zhang*
Thomas Ziemer
Tanya Zimbardo*

Last updated April 29, 2024, 8:30 AM