An artwork on exhibit at the Houston Museum of African American Culture was intentionally damaged by a museum visitor recently, mu...

An artwork on exhibit at the Houston Museum of African American Culture was intentionally damaged by a museum visitor recently, museum officials said Monday. The artwork was left with what appears to be a puncture and a horizontal gash in the canvas. While museum officials did not provide additional details about the visitor, staff discovered the damage to the artwork and immediately secured and removed it from public view. A police report was subsequently filed, according to a news release. As restoration efforts were underway, the work was halted so the public could "see what happens when disagreement gives way to destruction," said John Guess, the museum's CEO emeritus and exhibition curator. "Museums exist to encourage inquiry, reflection, and conversation," Guess said in a written statement. "They are places where people encounter ideas they may embrace, challenge, or reject-but never silence through violence. As the only African American museum in a major American city operating without dedicated public funding, we believe it is important for our community to understand that attacks on cultural expression can happen anywhere." https://lnkd.in/gCdXRNYA