Logo image
Back
The Sacklers vs. Big Tobacco: who gets to fund museums?
Thesis   Open access

The Sacklers vs. Big Tobacco: who gets to fund museums?

Eva Solano
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Sep 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010696
pdf
Solano_Eva_20245.83 MBDownloadView
PDF Open Access Open Access (License Unspecified)

Abstract

Arts--Management Benefactors in art Sackler family Tobacco industry--Charitable contributions
This study investigates the complex dynamics between museums and their controversial donors, with a specific focus on the Sackler family and the tobacco industry. This research study employs a qualitative approach by analyzing case studies of museums' history with controversial donors. Museums faced heavy criticism and scrutiny over their involvement with the Sacklers--the family behind the production and push of OxyContin and the subsequent opioid epidemic--and were pressured to stop accepting donations from the family and remove the Sackler name from their walls. In contrast, museums continue to accept donations from the tobacco industry, an equally problematic industry, and their actions have seldom been called into question. This research is guided by the question "why should museums end their relationships with controversial donors and what steps can they take to divest from those sources?" Included are case studies about museums' relationships with the Sacker family and Big Tobacco that aim to demonstrate why museums must stop accepting donations from the tobacco industry. By comparing the tobacco industry's relationships to that of museums' relationships with the Sackler family, this research contributes to the broader discourse on ethical funding sources for museums. Some paths to better action are introduced, including the reevaluation of gift acceptance policies and making changes as necessary as well as suggestions for determining if a gift is ethical to accept or not.

Metrics

117 File views/ downloads
38 Record Views

Details

Logo image