Noguchi Museum Staff Walk Out in Protest, Condemning Keffiyeh Ban as Betrayal of Artist's Legacy

The Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York, found itself at the center of controversy when workers staged a walkout in protest of the museum's ban on keffiyehs, a traditional Palestinian garment. The policy, which prohibits employees from wearing "political dress," was seen by staff as distinctly anti-Palestinian and an attack on personal expression. 

At least 14 employees, including all nine front-facing staff, participated in the walkout, making their stance clear; the keffiyeh ban is both discriminatory and against the values of the artist whose legacy the museum honors. 

"Our Astoria community is incredibly diverse, and features a high population of Palestinians," the staff stated in a petition signed by more than two-thirds of the museum’s employees. "Banning the keffiyeh, a culturally significant garment sets a strong precedent for the institution." 

The petition was just one of many voices calling for the reversal of the ban, which had initially targeted a single employee, a gallery attendant who had worn the keffiyeh during work hours. 

This employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the unexpected confrontation with the museum's leadership. "I felt very caught off guard and ambushed," the employee explained, recounting how Director Amy Hau had asked them to stop wearing the keffiyeh. "I am showing my support for Palestinians because I don’t really see this as a political thing. I was raised Christian and I believe in peace." 

The gallery attendant’s keffiyeh, bearing an abstract black-and-white fishnet pattern and the red and green colors of the Palestinian flag, did not violate the museum’s dress code, which explicitly bans text and images.

Despite this, the employee was sent home after refusing to remove the garment. 

The situation only escalated from there, with the museum's leadership enforcing a blanket policy banning keffiyehs for all staff, a move that employees say alienated their Palestinian colleagues and undermined the museum’s commitment to inclusivity. 

"We reject the assertion that ‘politics’ can be separated from cultural institutions," reads a statement from the protesting workers. "The keffiyeh along with other patterned head coverings is worn by many throughout desert countries. We believe this directive does not serve the overall mission of the Museum." 

The museum’s decision to uphold the ban, even in the face of mounting criticism, has raised broader concerns about the politicization of cultural symbols. Workers argue that banning the keffiyeh sends a message of erasure and discrimination. 

For many, the keffiyeh represents not just a political symbol, but a deep connection to cultural heritage. As one full-time employee from the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) diaspora put it, "The museum has the right to set the dress code for front-facing staff, but extending the policy to all departments was upsetting. This is part of my family’s cultural and ethnic heritage." 

The decision also struck a particularly discordant note given the legacy of Isamu Noguchi, the museum's namesake, who was a vocal anti-war artist and himself a victim of discrimination as a Japanese-American during World War II. 

Many believe that Noguchi’s commitment to humanitarian causes and the exploration of political themes through his art makes the museum’s stance on the keffiyeh ban all the more perplexing. 

"This is an institution that’s supposed to honor the work of an artist who understood the injustice of targeted discrimination and displacement," said one protesting staff member. "We’re not just fighting for a garment. We’re fighting for what this museum should stand for." 

While museum director Hau defended the policy as necessary to maintain a "neutral and professional environment," employees see it differently. For them, neutrality in this case equates to complicity. "Banning the keffiyeh is distinctly anti-Palestinian," said one worker. "It’s not neutrality when you’re erasing someone’s cultural identity." 

As of now, the workers remain resolute, organizing under the name Noguchi Museum Rights and demanding that the ban be lifted. For them, the fight is about more than dress code. It’s about preserving the museum’s integrity, respecting cultural diversity, and upholding the legacy of an artist who fought for justice and inclusion. 

In March 2024, a similar controversy erupted at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) when visitors Ju-Hyun Park and their friend Phuong were initially denied entry because Park had a keffiyeh in their bag. Security staff mistakenly believed the keffiyeh was a banned item, akin to a banner. 

After the incident gained attention on social media, MoMA quickly issued an apology, clarifying that keffiyehs were not prohibited and that the situation had been a misunderstanding. The controversy sparked broader discussions within MoMA about its policies on political symbols and free expression, particularly amid growing internal calls for the museum to issue a statement supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. 

In February 2024, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City was the site of a significant pro-Palestine protest, during which over 500 demonstrators occupied the museum's atrium. The protest was organized by various advocacy groups, including Writers Against the War on Gaza and the New York chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement. 

Participants distributed pamphlets criticizing MoMA's board members for their financial ties to companies involved in the Israeli military and called for the removal of trustees associated with what they termed "genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism." 

The action coincided with another protest outside the Brooklyn Museum, organized by Within Our Lifetime Palestine, which also drew significant attendance. 

In addition to the protests, there have been reports of increased censorship within the art community regarding Palestine. Artists and curators supporting Palestine have faced canceled events, altered exhibitions, and rescinded residency offers.

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has established the Art Censorship Index to document these incidents, which include the postponement of an Islamic art show at the Frick Pittsburgh and the cancellation of a retrospective for Palestinian artist Samia Halaby at Indiana University’s Eskenazi Museum of Art.