conversation began many years earlier. When
Thomas P. Campbell became director of the
Met a decade ago, he expressed a desire to
bring Native North American art into greater
prominence within the museum. He and, later,
Carrie Rebora Barratt ,associate director at
the time, recognized that the Diker Collection
with its tremendous range of forms and traditions—
essentially one masterwork after another—
would provide a foundational basis to further
the institution’s commitment to redefining
the presentation of Native art and culture. This
recognition led to discussions and, ultimately,
the Met’s decision to move Native American
art into the American Wing, a transition wholeheartedly
embraced by both the donors and the
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institution.
CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER