For over four decades, art museums in North America have been slowly moving toward the recognition that their mission is to serve not only their patrons and connoisseurs, but also the broad and diverse audiences reflective of their communities and nations. In both the development of their collections and their activities, North American museums strive to reflect the demographic evolution of the nations in which they are embedded. Appealing to the next generation of museum visitors and broadening access to culture have become core priorities across North American museums and their French counterparts.

Museums across North America have come to recognize their responsibility to artists who were previously overlooked by the canon, particularly women and artists of color. Social and political activism has been central to the practice of many artists for generations, yet only in the last decade have museums unilaterally championed this work. France and its museums have also recently embarked on this path, although there is still a long way to go.

Over the past two decades, France has undertaken a comprehensive examination of its colonial past. There has been a proliferation of exhibitions and artworks, as museums and artists explore the hidden side of this chapter in French history and its societal impact to this day.

French museums have also taken proactive steps to engage new audiences, to foster diversity within their walls, and in some cases through satellite sites in underserved communities. As in North America, French museums are further incorporating principles of accessibility but are more likely than their counterparts in the United States to focus on environmental sustainability, though there is still considerable variation in this area. Collaboration between museums and the contemporary art scene has proven effective in raising public awareness of these issues.

At the same time as these developments, the current political climate in the United States is having a chilling effect on museums around the country in terms of their social engagement—particularly those that depend primarily on federal funding. In this context, how can museums most effectively engage with social issues and their audiences through contemporary creation?

FRAME’s Keynote panel discussion will explore these issues and their impact on the museum community through the lens of artists and art world professionals. It will take place at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon on October 15, 2026 on the occasion of the FRAME 2026 Annual Conference. This event is accessible onsite on invitation only.  However it will be livestreamed and we will share the link for the session soon on our website and via LinkedIn.

Participants in the panel discussion are:

• Sandra Jackson-Dumont, cultural strategist, curator and educator
• Kent Monkman, interdisciplinary Cree visual artist who lives and works between New York City and Toronto
• Catherine Nichols, art historian, writer, and curator of the 2026 Biennial of Contemporary Art in Lyon and artistic director of Manifesta
• Barthélémy Toguo, French-Cameroonian painter, sculptor, and engraver

Moderator:

• Anaël Pigeat, journalist and art critic

To read this article in French please click here.

This panel discussion is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art.

The Terra Foundation for American Art expands narratives of American art through its grants, collection, and initiatives. With offices in Chicago and Paris, the foundation works with organizations to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices, locally and globally.