Bill
S 2329
Creates a Commission on Artistic Representation in the Massachusetts State House to review art for racially/culturally insensitive content and promote diverse representation.
Resolve establishing a commission on artistic representation in the People’s House (Massachusetts)
Status & filing
- Filed/dated on the Senate docket: January 10, 2025 (Senate No. 2329).
- Presented by Senator Julian Cyr. Referred to the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development (per bill text).
- Note: some metadata provided with the request is inconsistent (different titles, unrelated state provisions). This summary reflects the actual bill text in Senate No. 2329, which creates a special legislative commission to review art at the Massachusetts State House.
Purpose and intent
- To review artworks, murals, statues, plaques and similar displays within and around the Massachusetts State House for racially or culturally insensitive content, and to promote more diverse and representative artistic and historical representation of the Commonwealth’s people and history.
Key provisions
- Establishes a special legislative “Commission on Artistic Representation in the People’s House.”
- Membership (all voting members, equal votes; simple-majority decisions):
- 2 persons appointed by the Senate President from a list of at least 4 nominees supplied by the Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus.
- 2 persons appointed by the Speaker of the House from a similar list of nominees.
- One member of the Senate appointed by the Senate President; one member of the House appointed by the Speaker.
- Chair of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (or designee) and chair of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (or designee).
- Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Museum of African American History — automatically appointed and designated chair of the commission.
- Automatic appointments of various state and cultural officials or their designees: State House Art Curator; Superintendent of the Bureau of the State House; Chair of the State House Art Commission; Executive Directors (or designees) of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Massachusetts Humanities Council, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on African Americans, Amplify Latinx, Commission on Asian Americans, North American Indian Center of Boston, Commission on LGBTQ Youth, and the Disability Law Center.
- Meetings: at least four times per year, in person or remotely.
- Duties and scope:
- Review art and displays in and around the State House to identify racially or culturally insensitive images or content that may be considered for removal.
- Identify unused wall or floor space that could host more diverse and representative art.
- Solicit commissions of new artworks, murals, statues, plaques, or other artistic representations that reflect the Commonwealth’s diversity and history.
- May recommend removal from public display portraits of governors who served prior to 1900 and recommend replacing such space with more representative images.
- Make recommendations regarding the Commonwealth’s entries in the National Statuary Hall Collection, including identifying statues to replace, naming new individuals to commemorate, selecting sculptors, and identifying funding methods for replacements.
- Reporting: initial report with findings due to the Clerk of the House and Clerk of the Senate (and delivered to the Governor) on or before June 1, 2028. Additional reports permitted.
- Funding: commission may accept gifts, donations, grants, federal funds; may receive state appropriations or bond funds. Funds deposited in a separate account with the State Treasurer and expended according to law.
Who is affected
- State House operations (Art Curator, Bureau superintendent, State House Art Commission).
- Cultural organizations, museums, artists, and potential contractors selected for new commissions.
- Communities and constituencies represented on the commission (Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian American, LGBTQ, disability advocates, etc.).
- Public audiences and visitors to the State House; historical and educational displays.
- Potentially impacts which historical figures are publicly commemorated in the State House and which statues Massachusetts chooses for the National Statuary Hall (federal/state coordination may be required for replacements).
Procedural/timeline notes
- Commission must hold at least quarterly meetings; the initial formal report deadline is June 1, 2028.
- No explicit commission sunset date is stated in the text; authority to accept funds and seek appropriations could support multi-year work beyond initial reporting if authorized by funders or further legislative action.
Potential impacts/considerations
- May result in removal or relocation of certain artworks and portraits, and commissioning of new public art to broaden representation.
- Could require state or private funding for new commissions and statue replacements.
- Involves tribal leadership and multiple cultural advocacy organizations, indicating a consultation-driven approach.
- Changes to the National Statuary Hall entries would require selection, funding and federal coordination to effect statue replacements.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
