Pulitzer winner declines Noguchi award over museum's Koufiyyeh ban

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri turned down an award from New York City's Noguchi Museum after the institution fired three employees for wearing Palestinian Koufiyyehs in a show of solidarity with occupied Palestine.

This comes after the Noguchi Museum, named after its founder and sculptor Isamu Noguchi, instated a new dress code prohibiting employees from wearing items that could express "political messages, slogans or symbols."

"Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy," a statement released by the museum said, adding "We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone's views."

Similar stances have been recorded since "Israel" launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Efforts to silence and repress Palestinian solidarity have taken different forms, from being arrested to being arbitrarily fired.

𝐔𝐊 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨-𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐦

In July, the Cultural Workers Against Genocide (CWAG) claimed that fourteen ICA staff members were informed of their impending redundancies in March.

The staff members from London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) linked their termination to their pro-Palestine activism, namely their involvement in posting a letter on the ICA’s website urging the institution to boycott “Israel” amid its genocide in Gaza, the Cultural Workers Against Genocide (CWAG) alleged.

The letter demanded the ICA sever ties with Israeli-affiliated law firm Mishcon de Reya, fully commit to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against “Israel”, and divest from companies that fund or profit from the occupation’s genocide in Gaza. However, following a review by Arts Council England (ACE), it was concluded that there was a lack of basis to withdraw funding.

“We have not been immune to the immense pressures that have affected many other arts charities and organisations in recent times. The pandemic, inflation and changing patterns in donations and grants have resulted in us running an operating deficit for the last few years," ICA director Bengi Ünsal said to The Art Newspaper, adding that the only option for the institution's survival was to restructure it through redundancies.