Nan Goldin and Harvard Students Protest Sackler Museum Naming
On April 20, 2023, a demonstration took place at Harvard's Arthur M. Sackler Museum, organized by the activist group PAIN and led by photographer Nan Goldin. Protesters threw imitation vials and prescriptions, carried signs, and performed a "die-in" to draw attention to the ongoing opioid crisis. They called for the museum to be renamed, highlighting the Sackler family's involvement in the epidemic through their marketing of OxyContin. Despite this, Harvard has resisted changes, with former president Lawrence Bacow declaring in 2019 that renaming was "inappropriate." Goldin contended that Arthur Sackler devised unethical advertising tactics. This protest follows a 2018 PAIN initiative that resulted in name removals at various institutions. A proposal for renaming the museum is currently under consideration. The opioid crisis has led to hundreds of thousands of fatalities, with a notable rise in overdose deaths.
Key facts
- Protest occurred on April 20, 2023 at Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University
- Participants included PAIN activists led by Nan Goldin and Harvard students
- Demonstrators threw fake vials and prescriptions, held signs, and staged a die-in
- Demand is to rename the museum due to Sackler family's role in opioid crisis
- Harvard president Lawrence Bacow previously said renaming would be inappropriate
- Nan Goldin argued Arthur Sackler designed the advertising scheme for Purdue Pharma
- Similar 2018 protest led to Sackler name removal from Louvre, Met, Serpentine
- Harvard has a proposal under review to rename the museum and building
Entities
Artists
- Nan Goldin
Institutions
- PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now)
- Harvard University
- Arthur M. Sackler Museum
- Purdue Pharma
- Food and Drug Administration
- Louvre
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Serpentine Gallery
- Hyperallergic
- Artribune
Locations
- Cambridge
- United States