On Monday, Whitney Museum Director Scott Rothkopf sent an email to the museum’s independent learning program, saying he would “stop” the program’s 2025-26 school year.
“Today, there are no directors for the program,” Rothkopf wrote in the email, which was made by Artnews. “This leadership gap strengthens both the strategic vision and day-to-day operations of the program. We respect the great commitment made by participants when they join the ISP.”
Rothkopf further wrote: “This institutional reflection aligns with the spirit and value of basic learning, inquiry and critical practices throughout the ISP and Whitney.”
The email was posted the same day, with a series of high-profile artists and writers associated with the ISP publishing an open letter denouncing the agency’s decision to cancel the Pro-Palestine performance in May.
“The Whitney Museum’s mission and core values are based precisely on accepting objections, reshaping and activism,” the open letter said. “If the Whitney Museum denies that the ISP can independently serve as a site for criticism of persistent genocide, then the Whitney Museum loses all claims to uphold its values as a guiding principle.”
Its signatures are mainly ISP alumni, including Emily Jacir, Andrea Fraser, Mark Dion, Carlos Motta, Candice Breitz, Omar Mismar, Deborah Kass and Hannah Black. Signatories also include former teachers, including art historian Benjamin HD Buchloh, as well as former workshop leaders such as artists Walid Raad and Louise Lawler.
This letter resolves the cancellation of the performance No aesthetic outside of my freedom: mourning, arming and expressionby artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe and Fargo Tbakhi. It was cancelled two days before part of the curatorial exhibition of the ISP program, which has nurtured generations of artists, curators and critics.
In previous iterations of works, the poetry project is combined with Jewish water flowTbakhi invited the participants to “believe in Israel in any incarnation” and left the performance. After the introduction, the performer then explained the scores of Natalie Diaz, Christina Sharpe and Brandon Shimoda, referring to grief.
Whitney’s previous statement mentioned the introduction and accused the artist of “expressing the specific acts of violence and violence.” Additionally, the museum said, “There is no instance where we can select community members based on their belief system and ask them to leave exhibitions or performances.”
News of the cancellation of the show broke out in mid-May and coincided with artist Gregg Bordowitz being demoted from his post as ISP director. according to Artnet NewsPodowitz was demoted in February. “The museum’s current invasion of ISP education courses is unprecedented,” Bodowitz said at the time.
The performance was cancelled after protests held at the museum last month.
In an open letter Monday, ISP alumni wrote: “The cancelled performances, censored artworks and scholarships and the atmosphere of censorship have rooted them in the wider political climate of fear and fear in the United States and follow other recent repression of free expression, protests, protests, speeches and speeches by artists and scholars supporting Palestine.”
