Ms. bélidor was essentially lured by MMFA into taking a job which was not right for her. She was also not right for the museum in terms of what any art museum should be about, but obviously priorities have changed rather dramatically, and not to the benefit of art per se. She was basically used so that MMFA could project a certain fashionably PC image, and the museum is absolutely responsible for that and for the outcome. In other words, this was a sociopolitical matter, not an art-based decision, and as such it shows MMFA (like many other such entities) in a very poor light. Of course, this is all my own opinion, and I am exceedingly skeptical, not to say contemptuous, of fashionista behavior in general.
In fact that's one of the better scenarios. At least it presumes some calculation. I think it's possible, with this talk of bélidor's fresh voice and fresh face, that the people responsible for hiring her truly believed that freshness (that is, her being a black woman) would more than make up for her lack of knowledge and experience. It's race essentialism, brought to opposite conclusions of racists, but the conclusions are wrong for the same reasons.
The problem with your scenario is not that it isn't possible, but that, if correct, it means the responsible parties are at best deluded fools who are themselves unfit for their positions. I prefer to go with calculation, which is uglier but probably more in keeping with reality.
Also, the "freshness" fetish is like the all-too-familiar "new and different" fetish for art itself. It's shallow, not to say juvenile, since the only thing that really matters is capability/fitness or quality, not some ethereal (as in airhead) notion, to put it relatively kindly.
Good luck with that, Franklin, no matter how accurate and well-intentioned it may be. I very much doubt you'll get any takers from the women in question. As for the eunice bélidor story, which is indeed sad, I place most if not all of the blame squarely on the museum involved. However, based on my clearly negative experience with people of both sexes in jobs for which they were either quite unqualified or unsuited or both, I have little or no sympathy for anyone who accepts, let alone seeks, such an unjustifiable and inevitably unsuccessful (or worse) mismatch. It so happens that the worst instance of that in my personal experience involved a (white) woman. Still, nice try.
On the contrary, multiple women have expressed to me that they know that something has gone profoundly wrong with certain well-intentioned and basically laudable cultural impulses. But the cost of saying so in public can be enormous, so my saying it for them is worthwhile. Most of my support is silent. And I have quite a lot of sympathy for bélidor, who was sold a bad deal by one of the most prestigious museums on the continent and was feted by the press for buying it. The director at the time of bélidor's hiring, Nathalie Bondil, was subsequently removed for fostering a toxic work environment.
The problem is that as long as your female supporters remain silent and continue to play the prevailing game, however understandable that may be, little is likely to change. And yes, I suppose there is such a thing as being tempted beyond resistance, certainly for ordinary mortals. Interestingly, in light of the case with Bondil, the woman I alluded to definitely fostered a toxic work environment, but even though she was the proverbial piece of work, I still hold the institution or facility involved primarily responsible. A bad hire is a bad hire.
Ms. bélidor was essentially lured by MMFA into taking a job which was not right for her. She was also not right for the museum in terms of what any art museum should be about, but obviously priorities have changed rather dramatically, and not to the benefit of art per se. She was basically used so that MMFA could project a certain fashionably PC image, and the museum is absolutely responsible for that and for the outcome. In other words, this was a sociopolitical matter, not an art-based decision, and as such it shows MMFA (like many other such entities) in a very poor light. Of course, this is all my own opinion, and I am exceedingly skeptical, not to say contemptuous, of fashionista behavior in general.
In fact that's one of the better scenarios. At least it presumes some calculation. I think it's possible, with this talk of bélidor's fresh voice and fresh face, that the people responsible for hiring her truly believed that freshness (that is, her being a black woman) would more than make up for her lack of knowledge and experience. It's race essentialism, brought to opposite conclusions of racists, but the conclusions are wrong for the same reasons.
The problem with your scenario is not that it isn't possible, but that, if correct, it means the responsible parties are at best deluded fools who are themselves unfit for their positions. I prefer to go with calculation, which is uglier but probably more in keeping with reality.
Also, the "freshness" fetish is like the all-too-familiar "new and different" fetish for art itself. It's shallow, not to say juvenile, since the only thing that really matters is capability/fitness or quality, not some ethereal (as in airhead) notion, to put it relatively kindly.
Good luck with that, Franklin, no matter how accurate and well-intentioned it may be. I very much doubt you'll get any takers from the women in question. As for the eunice bélidor story, which is indeed sad, I place most if not all of the blame squarely on the museum involved. However, based on my clearly negative experience with people of both sexes in jobs for which they were either quite unqualified or unsuited or both, I have little or no sympathy for anyone who accepts, let alone seeks, such an unjustifiable and inevitably unsuccessful (or worse) mismatch. It so happens that the worst instance of that in my personal experience involved a (white) woman. Still, nice try.
On the contrary, multiple women have expressed to me that they know that something has gone profoundly wrong with certain well-intentioned and basically laudable cultural impulses. But the cost of saying so in public can be enormous, so my saying it for them is worthwhile. Most of my support is silent. And I have quite a lot of sympathy for bélidor, who was sold a bad deal by one of the most prestigious museums on the continent and was feted by the press for buying it. The director at the time of bélidor's hiring, Nathalie Bondil, was subsequently removed for fostering a toxic work environment.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2020/07/13/montreal-museum-of-fine-arts-axes-director-nathalie-bondil-after-public-spat-over-museum-management
The problem is that as long as your female supporters remain silent and continue to play the prevailing game, however understandable that may be, little is likely to change. And yes, I suppose there is such a thing as being tempted beyond resistance, certainly for ordinary mortals. Interestingly, in light of the case with Bondil, the woman I alluded to definitely fostered a toxic work environment, but even though she was the proverbial piece of work, I still hold the institution or facility involved primarily responsible. A bad hire is a bad hire.