Virtual Colloquium: Smithsonian Curators Reflect on Documenting the Representations of Race/Ethnicity/Diversity in Advertising

Abstract

Abstract: Advertising & Society Quarterly held its fourth annual Colloquium on December 3–4, 2020. During this virtual event, three panels took different perspectives on race/ethnicity/diversity in advertising. This article presents the colloquium's first panel featuring Smithsonian curators discussing how they document the story of representing race/ethnicity/diversity in advertising. The National Museum of the American Indian's Paul Chaat Smith explains how fantasized images of American Indians are seen everywhere in American life, but such visibility actually masks Americans' obsession with, and erasure of, a small population in the United States. Fath Davis Ruffins describes how the National Museum of American History acquired significant collections over the years that reflect advertising's treatments of various ethnic and racial groups throughout US history. She also details her work with the Advertising Educational Foundation on the Race & Ethnicity Project. Kathleen Franz explains how she helped build the National Museum of American History's collections which are focused on Latinx and Hispanic advertising.