A guest critic explores the RISD Museum during the pilot of Look at Art. Get Paid. in 2016. Photo: Jay Simple; courtesy Maia Chao

Join in a lively conversation about museums, art, and cultural accessibility with artist Josephine Devanbu, one of the co-creators of “Look At Art. Get Paid.” — a socially engaged art project. LAAGP pays people (who usually don’t visit museums) to visit museums as guest critics of the art and the institution.



Josephine Devanbu is an interdisciplinary artist based in Providence, RI. Moderator Karen Kurczynski (UMass History of Art and Architecture) and Sid Ferreira (Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs) will reflect on the program as an inspiration for the 2019-20 UMass Campus Climate project “Making Art Yours” at the University Museum of Contemporary Art.

"Making Art Yours" was held at the UMCA in 2019-20. The project invited small groups of students into the museum to have a facilitated, personal conversation about art, accessibility, and identity. The sessions were co-facilitated by Karen Kurczynski and Sid Ferreira. The goal was to welcome UMass students of color, first-generation college students, and others who either do not normally go to museums or simply feel that museums are "not for them." Students received dinner and a small stipend as a measure of respect for their time. They were asked to give candid feedback about the museum and the exhibitions on view, and to participate in a conversation about the artwork.

As many of us work to bring change to museums, it remains a challenge to make conversations about the future of museums accessible to individuals who aren’t already visiting them — particularly communities of color and working-class communities. Look At Art. Get Paid. reverses the relationship between the educator and the educated, the paying and the paid.

Reserve a free ticket here.
*Disclaimer: No visitors will be paid for participation in this virtual event.