Former curator sues Worcester Art Museum over racial discrimination
local news
Rachel Parikh alleges in the lawsuit that she “was taunted and taunted for being a brown-skinned woman of South Asian (Indian) descent.”
The Worcester Art Museum on Salisbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, Thursday May 2, 2013. A former curator has sued the museum for facing racism, ridicule and criticism related to her background as a person of South Asian descent, according to the lawsuit says. Rachel Parikh, former Associate Curator for the Arts of Asia and the Islamic World at the museum, alleges in the lawsuit that she “was taunted and taunted for being a brown-skinned woman of South Asian (Indian) descent and a…”hostile and abusive work environment and Retribution” during her tenure from February 2020 to last September. (Rick Cinclair/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP)
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A former curator has sued a Massachusetts art museum because she faced racism, ridicule and criticism related to her background as a person of South Asian descent, the lawsuit says.
Rachel Parikh, former associate curator for the arts of Asia and the Islamic world at the Worcester Art Museum, alleges in the lawsuit that she “was taunted and taunted for being a brown-skinned woman of South Asian (Indian) descent and subject “to a hostile and abusive work environment and retaliation” during her tenure from February 2020 to last September.
The lawsuit, filed in Worcester Superior Court last month, also names museum director Matthias Waschek, director of curatorial affairs Claire Whitner and four members of the executive committee as defendants.
It alleges discrimination based on gender and race. It is seeking a jury trial and an undetermined amount of damages.
The museum’s attorney, David Felper, said in a statement that the “complaint was filled with unsubstantiated allegations and statements taken out of context.”
“We remain confident that actual facts and law will clearly show that the claims being filed are without merit,” he said.
The lawsuit mentions multiple allegations of misconduct, including at a brunch in November 2021, when the museum director and his husband repeatedly mocked an Indian accent while discussing a British TV show.
“These comments were unwelcome, offensive and the incident was humiliating and deeply disturbing,” the lawsuit reads.
On another occasion in March 2022, while attending a dinner party at the director’s house, Parikh and his husband asked “very personal and offensive questions” about her family and background that made her feel “extremely uncomfortable, offended and… to be ‘different'”. was in a suit.
In a statement, Waschek described the allegations as “obviously false”.
“I’ve worked hard for the past 30+ years to build a reputation for professionalism and integrity,” he said. “As a gay man who has experienced discrimination firsthand, I have always held DEAI issues as a core value and have tried to do my best to eliminate discrimination in the workplace and build a culture of inclusion.”
Waschek’s husband does not work at the museum and is not listed as a defendant.
In one case in March 2021, the director of curatorial affairs told Parikh after a presentation that she had to wear makeup and jewelry to “look like a curator,” which the lawsuit says suggested she was “unkempt and primitive.” .
“Telling the only curator of color at WAM to ‘look like a curator’ has both sexist and racist connotations,” the lawsuit states, “especially given that the curatorial space is predominantly white.”
According to the lawsuit, Waschek exhibits a pattern of discriminatory behavior both at the museum and in his previous position at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.
The museum hired an outside company to investigate Parikh’s claims and found that while unverified, they were credible.
In a statement, the museum said it would look into the specific claims of the lawsuit in court.
“The Worcester Art Museum remains committed to creating a workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We therefore take these allegations very seriously,” the statement said.
