The KMA's DNA
our mission
The Katonah Museum of Art promotes the understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts for diverse audiences. The Museum presents exhibitions that explore ideas about art, culture, and society – past and present – through innovative exhibition and education programs.
Our Commitments
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that the Katonah Museum of Art sits on the traditional homeland of Indigenous peoples, including the Ramapoo/Ramapough Tribal Nation, who stewarded this territory. We recognize the involuntary displacement of these Indigenous peoples. We commit to increasing awareness of the legacies of dispossession while actively working to recognize and correct present and future practices that perpetuate the erasure of history. We thank Indigenous elders for honoring this land, and we acknowledge our responsibility to follow their example.
We present this as a living land acknowledgement that we will continue to revise and strengthen in collaboration with community members.
What is a Land Acknowledgment?
A land acknowledgement is a formal statement, a public recognition, of the Indigenous Peoples who have been dispossessed and displaced from their ancestral homelands and territories due to a variety of colonial and historical reasons. It recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of the land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.
For the KMA, acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth while inspiring ongoing awareness and action. Acknowledgment is a necessary step toward honoring Native communities.
Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility
The mission of the KMA's IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Committee is to enhance and make tangible the continued commitment of the Katonah Museum of Art to be a regional community space where all are welcome to celebrate art and engage in conversations that both challenge and unify us. Our history of over more than half a century attests to this commitment.
The KMA respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. As evidenced by our mission to "promote the understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts for diverse audiences," we believe that our strength lies in our diversity among the broad range of people we represent. We consider diversity and inclusion a driver of institutional excellence and seek out diversity of participation, thought, and action. It is our aim, therefore, to engage an inclusive audience for each exhibition where the visitors become part of the Museum community and that our members, partners, key stakeholders reflect and embrace these core values.
The committee highlights diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion as a key focus area. We believe that equity is our goal, inclusion is how we move toward that goal, and diversity describes the breadth of our experiences and perspectives.
The principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility apply to all aspects of the KMA's operations, across all categories of individuals.