Philadelphia Museum of Art Closes and Furloughs Staff

Good morning. ☔ Today, the Philadelphia Museum of Art adruptly announced that it will temporarily clo

Nov 23, 2020 • View in browser

Good morning. ☔ Today, the Philadelphia Museum of Art adruptly announced that it will temporarily close and furlough staff, Christina Sharpe writes about Alison Saar, and the PPE of the future is here.– Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

Sci-Fi PPE Enters the Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated some new PPE options, and they basically look like Star Trek wardrobe items.

Public transport passengers wearing the iSphere (courtesy Plastique Fantastique)

New Closings and Layoffs

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has closed to the public once again in compliance with the city’s new COVID-19 restrictions, also announcing another wave of furloughs. In an email to staff, PMA’s director Timothy Rub wrote that furloughed workers will include staffers “whose job responsibilities depend on the museum being open to the public.” Poets House announced a temporary suspension of operations on November 16, laying off all nine staffers. Although leadership attributes the closure to pandemic-related financial stress, the move followed months of staff-led organizing to hold management and the board accountable for “frequent complaints of workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, and exploitative labor practices.”

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