Two art museums in Philadelphia are behind the curve in Jewish representation, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s first-of-its-kind investigation into 40 art museums released Oct. 1.

ADL aimed to document the “systemic exclusion and marginalization of Jewish and Israeli artists across American cultural life” in its “State of the Arts” trio of reports.

The initiative, which examined museums, live entertainment and publishing, comes as Jews have expressed concern about their treatment in a post-Oct. 7 cultural world.

ADL assessed 40 leading U.S. art museums across three categories: policies and internal standards, art and artist representation, and partnerships and programming. The grades “reveal a pattern of erasure by omission,” according to the ADL.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was among the 30% of museums the ADL ranked “critically deficient,” the lowest possible rating, while the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia was deemed a “work in progress.”

Philadelphia Museum of Art — ‘Critically Deficient’

Philadelphia Museum of Art main building. (Photo credit: wikicommons)

Originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the nation. It’s home to collections of American, Asian and European art spanning more than two millennia.

Israeli representation is the museum’s “only clear major strength,” according to the report. The museum showcased Yael Bartana’s “And Europe Will Be Stunned” as a dedicated exhibition, later acquired the trilogy, debuted “The Undertaker” and commissioned the Israeli artist and filmmaker’s first public performance in the United States.

The museum features “some” Jewish representation that’s described in the report as “more modest.”

Like many other museums, the Philadelphia Museum of Art provides general information contacts but no dedicated public place for reporting bias or discrimination. The ADL could not locate a public policy that explicitly prohibits antisemitism, nor a clear protest and solicitation policy, “leaving significant room to strengthen institutional safeguards,” the report said.

The ADL was also unable to find a “true Jewish institutional partnership, even though Philadelphia is home to major Jewish cultural institutions.” The museum presented citywide interfaith programming, however, which included “substantive Jewish content.”

The report found that the museum recognizes several other heritage months, but not Jewish American Heritage Month.

“PMA’s strong Israeli representation is outweighed by broader institutional deficiencies,” the report said. “Jewish representation and programming remain limited, no sustained Jewish institutional partnerships were identified, Jewish American Heritage Month has historically gone unrecognized, and key safeguards around bias reporting, antisemitism, and protest activity are absent. These gaps support a critically deficient assessment.”

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Museum of Art responded to this rating in a statement to the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.

“We recently learned of this work by the ADL and are engaging to learn more about their study and evaluation of the PMA,” the spokesperson wrote. “Our commitment to Jewish art and culture is longstanding and deep but we recognize that there is significant opportunity to do more. This is a work-in-progress for us.”

The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania — ‘Work in Progress’

Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. (Photo credit: wikicommons/ajay_suresh)

Associated with the University of Pennsylvania and located on the campus since 1963, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia is described as a global hub for contemporary art and ideas.

The clearest recent Jewish representation at ICA Philadelphia is “Cary Leibowitz: Museum Show,” an exhibition that engages the American visual artist’s Jewish and LGBTQ+ identity.

Beyond that exhibition, the museum’s Jewish representation is “more limited,” according to the report, and Israeli representation is similarly “comparatively thin.”

“This creates a profile in which one strong exhibition demonstrates capacity without yet becoming a sustained pattern,” the report said.

ADL gave ICA Philadelphia credit for its staff training — including explicit attention to antisemitism — and ties to Penn’s anti-discrimination framework. What it’s missing is a direct link from the museum’s site to the university’s discrimination-reporting mechanism, which makes the process more difficult for museum visitors. ADL also could not identify a museum-level protest and solicitation policy.

The museum’s major strength is its partnerships, the report said. ICA Philadelphia collaborated with San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum. The museum also offers Jewish-focused programming, such as a Scribe workshop project on Jewish American cultural transmission, according to the ADL.

ICA Philadelphia does not typically recognize heritage months, so the museum wasn’t penalized for the absence of Jewish American Heritage Month programming.

“ICA Philadelphia has already shown what meaningful Jewish inclusion can look like through a major exhibition, substantive training, and a real Jewish-museum partnership,” the report read. “More Israeli representation, recurring Jewish programming, and clearer visitor-facing reporting and protest policies would turn those strong individual efforts into a more consistent institutional approach.”

A spokesperson for ICA Philadelphia emphasized its commitment to broaden the museum’s inclusion efforts in a statement to the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.

“ICA champions the work of artists from all backgrounds and perspectives as part of our mission to advance artistic experimentation and public dialogue,” the statement read. “We continually seek ways to broaden the range of ideas and voices explored through our exhibitions and programs, and remain dedicated to ensuring ICA is a welcoming and safe space for all.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com