DIVERSITY IN ART

When The Museum Tour Playset first launched, I received feedback that rightfully pointed out the lack of People of Color featured as artists, and also as subjects within the paintings.  In full transparency, I'm ashamed to say that it took me by surprise. 

  

Like many areas of our society, art museums have an underpinning of structural racism that did not start to be addressed until recently.  Going into a museum and seeing the white experience reflected in the vast majority of paintings and the artists in major US museums is yet another facet of white privilege. Selecting the art for the first playset was not done by a formal body. It was simply me, one person, choosing art that I had personally loved and connected with, that I believed was recognizable to the casual art enthusiast and that I was able to obtain the copyright license to. Failing to recognize the inherent privilege of mainstream art reflecting my skin color both in subjects and in the artists is something I regret, and that was not considered before selecting the pieces.

We're striving to foster an appreciation for, and education of fine art in children, and including more People of Color and Women will be a core focus going forward.  Understanding people and history through the lens of art brings richness through all areas of life and limiting it to a narrow range of experiences hurts us all. We understand the responsibility we have in putting out these products and will be better. 

  

We’re working on new products that feature a wide range of voices and will launch them in Fall, 2020. Please email us suggestions of artists & pieces you want to be featured to aspen@cityspotsonline.com.