Former curator sues Massachusetts art museum for racial discrimination

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A former curator has sued a Massachusetts art museum for subjecting her to racism, derision and criticism related to her background as a person of South Asian descent, the suit says.

Rachel Parikh, the former associate curator of the arts of Asia and the Islamic world at the Worcester Art Museum, alleges in the suit that she was “mocked and ridiculed because she is a brown-skinned woman of South Asian (Indian) descent and subjected to a hostile and offensive work environment and retaliation” during her employment from February 2020 until last September.

The suit filed last month in Worcester Superior Court also names as defendants museum director Matthias Waschek, director of curatorial affairs Claire Whitner, and four members of the executive committee.

It claims discrimination based on gender and race. It seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

The museum’s attorney, David Felper, said in a statement that the “complaint is filled with unsupported allegations and statements taken out of context.”

“We remain confident that the actual facts and law will clearly show that there is no merit to the claims that were filed,” he said.

The suit mentions several allegations of wrongdoing, including at a brunch in November 2021 when the museum director and his husband repeatedly mimicked an Indian accent while talking about a British television show.

“These comments were unwelcome, offensive and the incident was humiliating and deeply disturbing,” the suit said.

On another occasion in March 2022, when Parikh attended a dinner party at the director’s home, he and his husband asked “very personal and offensive questions” about her family and background that made her feel “extremely uncomfortable, offended and ‘othered,’ ” the suit said.

In a statement, Waschek called the allegations “patently false.”

“I have worked hard over the last thirty plus years to build a reputation of professionalism and integrity,” he said. “As a gay man who has experienced discrimination first-hand, I have always held DEAI issues as a core value, and have sought to do my best to eliminate discrimination from the workplace and build a culture of inclusivity.”

Waschek’s husband does not work at the museum and is not listed as a defendant.

In one instance in March 2021 after a presentation, the director of curatorial affairs told Parikh that she needed to wear makeup and jewelry to “look like a curator,” suggesting she was “unkempt and primitive,” according to the suit.

“Telling the only curator of color at WAM that she needs to ‘look like a curator,’ has both sexist and racial connotations,” the suit alleges, “especially since the curatorial field is predominantly white.”

Waschek has a pattern of discriminatory behavior, both at the museum and at his previous position at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, according to the lawsuit.

The museum hired an outside firm to investigate Parikh’s allegations, and found that while they could not be verified, they were credible.

In a statement the museum said it will address the specific claims made in the suit in court.

“Worcester Art Museum remains committed to providing a workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, so we take these allegations very seriously,” the statement said.