Just days after the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. said it would cancel its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the Smithsonian Institution, a consortium that includes 21 national museums, announced its diversity office will also close. According to the New York Times, the Smithsonian will also freeze hiring for all federal positions and employees will have to return to in-person work full-time.
This move follows an executive order signed earlier this month by President Donald J. Trump, which labels the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs.” The Smithsonian, which includes the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is heavily funded by the federal government, is now taking steps to align itself with the new policies, following similar changes at other federally supported cultural institutions, such as the National Gallery of Art. (The federal hiring freeze and return-to-office policy are part of separate executive orders by Trump.)
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While the Smithsonian’s diversity office will close, the organization will maintain its focus on visitor accessibility, which it deems essential. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III emphasized in an internal email reviewed by the Washington Post that the closure of the diversity office is only the “first step” in adjusting to the new federal directives. The Smithsonian’s hybrid status, with both private and federal employees, complicated its response, but the institution is moving quickly to comply with the White House’s orders.
Prior to the hiring freeze, the Smithsonian had around 40 job openings that it was advertising across its various museums, including positions at the National Air and Space Museum and the National Zoological Park. Since the pandemic, numerous federal employees had telework arrangements that allowed them to work remotely for a specified number of workdays.