“Robert Lynch, the influential CEO of Americans for the Arts and a key member of the Biden-Harris transition team for arts and humanities, has come under fire for what critics say is his failure to promote racial equity, and for a lack of transparency and accountability at the national arts organization he leads,” writes Peggy McGlone in Tuesday’s (12/15) Washington Post. “Volunteer members of an AFTA advisory council on Friday publicly called for Lynch and his senior executives to resign, saying that after three months of working behind the scenes for reform, they realize AFTA is an ‘organization with no desire to change.’ At the same time, current and former staff have alleged that senior leaders ‘created and condoned a hostile work environment’ … The criticism and calls for change come as the arts continue to grapple with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and the racial reckoning that has swept the arts field…. Lynch responded to the controversy in an interview with The Post.… ‘We place the highest value on [diversity and equity]. They are critical to our mission, and to me personally. We can always do better and always do more,’ said Lynch.”
Change font size
