I is for Institute
I is for Institute, Episode 2: Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Kunstinstituut Melly
What’s in a name? One of the core questions at the center of I is for Institute is explored this week in the second episode out today. Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Director of the Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam and host, Alex Klein, ICA’s Dorothy and Stephen R. Weber (CHE '60) provide background and transparency around the internal decision process and external pressures that led to the renaming of the organization formerly known as the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art to Kunstinstituut Melly, and discuss the importance of language for inclusivity.
Discussing the multi-layered process at play, Chong Cuy explains “What was very clear to me was that the first people who had to be convinced to transform and to change from within, and not just the name, was our staff. And I think that if that team did not have the conviction to change the name, then we were not going to be able to change the institution.”
She adds “It really meant that to transform beyond the symbolic nature of the name change, you had to first have the backing and have the will and the determination from the team. And so that meant creating a self-awareness, understanding and recognizing other talents and values that were being unspoken about or unidentified at the institution. And really creating a work culture where participation is much more, you know, palpable, and real. Meaning you feel more involved much more committed, whether it's because you're sharing the responsibility of a budget or of a name change.”
To learn more about the Kunstinstituut Melly visit https://www.kunstinstituutmelly.nl/en/.
What’s in a name? One of the core questions at the center of I is for Institute is explored this week in the second episode out today. Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Director of the Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam and host, Alex Klein, ICA’s Dorothy and Stephen R. Weber (CHE '60) provide background and transparency around the internal decision process and external pressures that led to the renaming of the organization formerly known as the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art to Kunstinstituut Melly, and discuss the importance of language for inclusivity.
Discussing the multi-layered process at play, Chong Cuy explains “What was very clear to me was that the first people who had to be convinced to transform and to change from within, and not just the name, was our staff. And I think that if that team did not have the conviction to change the name, then we were not going to be able to change the institution.”
She adds “It really meant that to transform beyond the symbolic nature of the name change, you had to first have the backing and have the will and the determination from the team. And so that meant creating a self-awareness, understanding and recognizing other talents and values that were being unspoken about or unidentified at the institution. And really creating a work culture where participation is much more, you know, palpable, and real. Meaning you feel more involved much more committed, whether it's because you're sharing the responsibility of a budget or of a name change.”
To learn more about the Kunstinstituut Melly visit https://www.kunstinstituutmelly.nl/en/.