The Department of Art History endorses the commitment of Indiana University and the College of Arts and Sciences to the principles and practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Its members pledge themselves to affirming, promoting, and advocating diversity, equity, and transparency in all of its actions and to fostering a strong sense of belonging for all members of our community.

As an academic discipline Art History investigates the visual arts and culture in global and historical contexts. Its work is positioned at the intersection of art, visual culture, historical inquiry, and the analysis of power structures across global culture. The Department recognizes that our discipline has traditionally privileged white male artists and western European subjects and perspectives. In response, we commit to questioning the intellectual foundations on which this tradition was built, to examining biases, and to expanding the discipline’s boundaries in ways that are ongoing and legible to students and colleagues. This work informs a concerted effort to confront interlocking systems of oppression that operate across racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, gendered, ability, and class boundaries. Such an effort is necessary in order to expand the field so as to reflect more accurately the diverse world in which we live and the wide range of historical and contemporary artistic voices, projects, and practices.

The Department of Art History strives to foster and maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect by listening to and acknowledging the contributions of all its members. It condemns in the strongest terms both explicit discriminatory acts and the less visible but equally damaging systems and hierarchies that allow and implicitly condone discrimination on a structural level. The Department’s commitment to critical intellectual inquiry compels it to confront structural racism and to mobilize short-term and long-term actions to combat it. The Department also commits to transparent policies for the hiring, recruitment, and retention of faculty, students, and staff; and to the ongoing development of a curriculum that reflects these core values and the richness and range of our discipline. Finally, the Department recognizes that this statement is a living document that will further evolve as its members continue this important work.