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Elizabeth Sackler
Elizabeth Sackler
Elizabeth Sackler
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Elizabeth Ann Sackler (born February 19, 1948) is an American public historian, arts activist, and the daughter of Arthur M. Sackler and descendant of the Sackler family. She is the founder of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.

Key Information

Early life and education

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In 1966, Sackler graduated from New Lincoln School, an experimental private high school in New York City, where she became involved in activism.[1] In 1997, Sackler received her PhD with a concentration in public history from Union Institute & University.[2][3]

Career

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Early work

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In 1992, Sackler became frustrated with Sotheby's refusal to repatriate Native American ceremonial masks, so she purchased them and returned them to their tribes of origin. This led her to become interested in art and social justice issues for American Indians, which led her to become the founding president of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation.[4] She is also President of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation.

Brooklyn Museum

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In 2007, she founded the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, the first museum center devoted to female artists and feminist art, located at the Brooklyn Museum.[5] A centerpiece of the center's collection is Judy Chicago's installation of her work, The Dinner Party, which is located at the Brooklyn Museum.[6][7] Sackler and Chicago had been friends since the 1970s.[8]

In June 2014, Sackler became the first woman to be elected Chairman by the Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees,[9][10] a position she held until June 2016.[11] She has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum since 2000.[12] More recently, Sackler's work has focused on issues related to women in prison, including the program series States of Denial: The Illegal Incarceration of Women, Children, and People of Color as well as the exhibition Women of York: Shared Dining, both at the Brooklyn Museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.[13]

Family

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Sackler was born in New York City to Arthur M. Sackler, psychiatrist, entrepreneur and philanthropist and Else Jorgensen, from Denmark.[14] Sackler is a mother of two children, Laura Sackler and Michael Sackler-Berner.

Controversy

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In October 2017, Esquire[15] and The New Yorker[16] published critical articles outlining connections among Purdue Pharma, the larger Sackler family and Oxycontin's role in the opioid crisis. In response, Elizabeth Sackler claimed that neither she, nor her children, "benefited in any way" from the sale of Oxycontin or ever held shares in Purdue Pharma.[17] Articles confirmed that her father's option in a different pharmaceutical company, Purdue Frederick, were sold shortly after his death in 1987, to Purdue Pharma owners Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, years before the advent of Oxycontin. Online outlet Hyperallergic reviewed legal documents confirming her statement [18] and later articles in the New York Times,[19] Associated Press,[20] and other outlets published clarifications and corrections all confirming her branch of the family's separation from Purdue Pharma and all Oxycontin profits. Elizabeth Sackler said she admired Nan Goldin and all activists seeking to hold Purdue accountable for "morally abhorrent" behavior.[19]

In response, Goldin noted that Elizabeth's father, Arthur, earned his fortune in significant part through marketing of tranquilizers, including Valium, that were widely abused.[21] "We have heard repeatedly from Arthur's widow, Dame Jillian Sackler, and Elizabeth that because Arthur died before the existence of Oxycontin, they didn't benefit from it. But he was the architect of the advertising model used so effectively to push the drug. He also turned Valium into the first million-dollar drug," Goldin said in 2018.[22] "The whole Sackler clan is evil," she added.

Goldin's claims regarding the connection between Arthur Sackler's legacy and the opioid crisis in the United States have been echoed by some researchers and academics. Former New York Times journalist Barry Meier wrote in his book Pain Killer that Arthur Sackler "helped pioneer some of the most controversial and troubling practices in medicine: the showering of favors on doctors, the lavish spending on consultants and experts ready to back a drugmaker's claims, the funding of supposedly independent commercial interest groups, the creation of publications to serve as industry mouthpieces, and the outright exploitation of scientific research for marketing purposes."[23] Psychiatrist Allen Frances told The New Yorker in 2017 that "[m]ost of the questionable practices that propelled the pharmaceutical industry into the scourge it is today can be attributed to Arthur Sackler."[24][25]

Honors and awards

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Memberships and leadership

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See also

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Works and publications

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  • Sackler, Elizabeth A. (2006). "Chapter 6. Calling for a Code of Ethics in the Indian Art Market". In King, Elaine A.; Levin, Gail (eds.). Ethics and the Visual Arts. New York: Allworth Press. pp. 89–104. ISBN 978-1-581-15600-3. OCLC 859537911.

References

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[edit]
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Elizabeth Sackler

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Elizabeth Ann Sackler (born February 19, 1948) is an American public historian, philanthropist, and activist known for her advocacy in feminist art and the repatriation of Native American ritual objects. She founded the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum in 2007, the first institution dedicated to the exhibition and study of feminist art, and donated Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party to ensure its permanent display. As daughter of psychiatrist Arthur Sackler and CEO of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation since 1987, she has also led the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation to facilitate the return of sacred items to indigenous communities. Despite her family's broader pharmaceutical legacy through Purdue Pharma—where her uncles Mortimer and Raymond oversaw the marketing of OxyContin—Sackler maintains that her branch divested its interests in 1987 following her father's death, prior to the drug's 1995 launch, and she has publicly condemned the company's practices while supporting activist campaigns against them.

Early Life

Childhood and Upbringing

Elizabeth Ann Sackler was born on February 19, 1948, in to , a and pharmaceutical entrepreneur of Eastern European Jewish immigrant descent, and his first wife, Else Finnich Jorgensen, a Danish native. She had one sister, Carol, from this marriage, which ended in prior to Arthur Sackler's 1949 remarriage to Marietta Lutze. Sackler grew up in New York City during a period of her father's professional ascent in medical advertising and philanthropy, which afforded the family relative affluence amid post-World War II urban life. Her parents emphasized egalitarian values, instilling an awareness of civil rights and human equality from an early age. She attended The New Lincoln School, a progressive institution located on 110th Street in , for her entire primary and , where the integrated and , aligning with the of the and . Sackler later recalled participating in marches and viewing her upbringing as inherently activist-oriented, shaped by the school's focus on equity and her family's commitment to broader societal rights.

Education and Influences

Elizabeth Sackler received her PhD in Public History from The Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1997. Her dissertation, titled Repatriation: The Reculturalization of the Indigenous Peoples of America, examined the ethical and cultural dimensions of returning sacred artifacts to Native American communities, reflecting an early focus on indigenous rights and museum ethics. In 2015, she was awarded an honorary Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art by Studio Art Centers International (now Studio Art College International) in Florence, Italy, recognizing her contributions to art patronage and advocacy. Sackler's intellectual development drew from interdisciplinary academic engagements, including visiting scholar positions from 1999 to 2009 in Fine and at , CUNY, under Professor Gail Levin, and from 1998 to 2010 in the Master's Program in at NYU's Gallatin School with Professor Laurin Raiken. These roles exposed her to , , and cultural critique, informing her later institutional work. Additionally, from 2006 to 2011, she collaborated with Professor Nadine Hack at NYU's Wagner School on non-profit development strategies, bridging academic theory with practical . Key influences included pioneering feminist artist , with whom Sackler engaged in public dialogues, such as discussions on and its institutionalization, shaping her commitment to elevating women's artistic contributions. Conversations with activist further reinforced her emphasis on gender equity in cultural narratives. Her repatriation-focused scholarship was influenced by broader movements for indigenous sovereignty, prioritizing empirical restitution over institutional retention of artifacts.

Professional Career

Early Professional Roles

Elizabeth Sackler assumed the role of CEO of the in 1987, following the death of her father, , managing the organization's support for arts, culture, and initiatives. In May 1991, Sackler purchased two sacred masks and one yeibichei mask at auction for to their respective tribes, an action that preceded her establishment of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation in 1991 or 1992 to facilitate the return of sacred Native American objects from museums and private collections. As founder and president of the foundation from 1992, she coordinated repatriations, published guides such as Mending the Circle: A Native American Repatriation Guide in 1996, and delivered lectures on the topic, including at the Forum of Native American Leaders in New York on October 9, 1992, and the Wounded Knee Survivors' Association in , in July 1993. Sackler earned a PhD in art history from the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati in 1997, with a dissertation titled "Repatriation: The Reculturalization of the Indigenous Peoples of America," which examined ethical and cultural dimensions of returning artifacts to Native American communities. From 1995 to 1999, she served as founding president of the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., advocating for Asian art collections housed in facilities named after her family. These roles emphasized her focus on cultural advocacy and ethical art practices rather than traditional curatorial positions.

Contributions to the Brooklyn Museum

Elizabeth Sackler joined the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum in 2000. In 2002, she donated Judy Chicago's installation The Dinner Party (1979) to the institution, securing its permanent display after its controversial initial exhibitions. This acquisition underscored her commitment to preserving feminist art, as The Dinner Party honors 39 women in history through a triangular banquet table with ceramic plates symbolizing their contributions. In 2007, Sackler established the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the through her foundation's endowment, with the facility opening to the public on March 23. The center, the first wing dedicated exclusively to feminist art in a major , serves as a permanent home for and hosts rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and research initiatives focused on and gender perspectives in . It has featured shows highlighting women's roles in and contemporary feminist works, fostering scholarly discourse on underrepresented artists. Sackler advanced to chair of the Brooklyn Museum's Board of Trustees in June 2014, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the museum's nearly 200-year history, succeeding John S. Tamagni. She served in this leadership role until , guiding institutional priorities amid expansions in diverse collections and public engagement. Under her influence, the museum launched awards like the Sackler Center First Awards in 2016, recognizing emerging feminist artists and curators.

Advocacy in Feminist and Native American Art

Elizabeth Sackler donated Judy Chicago's installation The Dinner Party to the Brooklyn Museum on September 8, 2002, establishing its permanent home and highlighting feminist artistic contributions to women's history. She founded the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, which opened on March 22, 2007, as the first institution dedicated to feminist art in the United States, providing space for exhibitions, education, and programming on women's cultural achievements. Through the center, Sackler supported initiatives such as the States of Denial public programming series from 2014 to 2018, addressing incarceration and social justice themes relevant to feminist discourse. In Native American art advocacy, Sackler established the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation in 1992, serving as its president until 2023, to facilitate the return of sacred cultural objects—often artworks—to indigenous communities, thereby preserving Native artistic and spiritual heritage. The foundation's efforts included repatriating a basket hat, with Sackler delivering a on processes at the NAGPRA Summit in , on February 1999. At the , her support extended to programs like the March 12, 2011, panel on Plains , discussing Native American female identity and creative expression. She also participated in roundtable discussions on indigenous life, lore, and art, advancing visibility for Native perspectives in artistic contexts.

Philanthropy and Foundations

Establishment of Key Institutions

In 1992, Elizabeth Sackler founded the American Indian Ritual Object Foundation (AIRORF), a dedicated to facilitating the return of sacred Native American ritual objects to their originating tribes, in response to the Native American Graves Protection and Act (NAGPRA) enacted by in 1990. As founder and president, Sackler has led AIRORF's efforts to support repatriation claims, provide legal and logistical assistance to tribes, and educate museums on compliance with federal repatriation laws, emphasizing the cultural and spiritual significance of these objects. The foundation has collaborated with institutions like the Native American Rights Fund to compile resources and case studies on successful repatriations, underscoring Sackler's advocacy for predating her broader philanthropic activities. Sackler's most prominent institutional contribution came in 2007 with the establishment of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the , the first center in the United States dedicated exclusively to the exhibition, interpretation, and study of feminist art. Funded through a major gift from the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, the center opened on March 23, 2007, on the museum's fourth floor, housing permanent installations like Judy Chicago's (donated by Sackler in 2002) and hosting rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and a digital Feminist Art Base archive featuring over 300 artists. Sackler, serving as chair of the center's advisory committee, aimed to institutionalize feminist perspectives in , countering what she described as historical underrepresentation of , with the facility designed by Architects to integrate gallery, , and theater spaces for interdisciplinary engagement. These establishments reflect Sackler's targeted in cultural and equity in , leveraging her inherited resources from the estate—distinct from the and branches tied to —to create enduring platforms for advocacy. AIRORF and the Sackler Center have influenced policy and curatorial practices, though the latter has faced scrutiny amid broader litigation, with Sackler maintaining the center's independence from those controversies.

Art Donations and Collections

In 2002, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation acquired Judy Chicago's monumental installation (1974–1979) and donated it to the , where it drew over 80,000 visitors during its initial exhibition that year. The work, consisting of a triangular banquet table honoring 39 historical women through embroidered runners, ceramic plates, and chalices, became the centerpiece of the museum's feminist art holdings. The foundation subsequently provided funding to establish the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, which opened on March 23, 2007, as a dedicated space for exhibiting, interpreting, and collecting feminist artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries. The center, located on the museum's fourth floor, permanently displays The Dinner Party alongside rotating exhibitions and a growing collection that includes paintings, sculptures, and multimedia pieces by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Nancy Spero, and Cindy Sherman, emphasizing themes of gender, identity, and social critique. In 2019, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation donated 313 ancient art objects—primarily ceramics, stone carvings, wood sculptures, bronzes, gold items, and textiles—from the collection amassed by Sackler's father, , to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in . Valued at approximately $685,000, the artifacts originated from regions including the , , , and , expanding the museum's holdings in non-Western historical art.

Repatriation Initiatives

Elizabeth Sackler founded the American Indian Ritual Object Foundation (AIRORF) in 1992 to facilitate the return of sacred Native American ritual objects from private collections to their originating tribes, emphasizing voluntary repatriation outside federal mandates like the Native American Graves Protection and Act (NAGPRA). As president until 2023, she directed efforts to purchase items at and negotiate returns, arguing that such objects retain spiritual potency when separated from their communities. A prominent early initiative involved the 1991 Sotheby's auction in , where Sackler, bidding for the first time, acquired three ceremonial masks—two masks and one identified as —for $39,050, exceeding presale estimates, with the explicit intent of repatriating them despite opposition from and leaders who had sought to block the sale. She returned the items shortly thereafter to tribal representatives, framing the act as restoring cultural integrity rather than commercial transaction. Through AIRORF, Sackler facilitated the repatriation of a Yurok basket hat to the Yurok Tribe in around 1998–1999, enabling its ceremonial use after years in private hands; she delivered a keynote address on the return during a 1999 Yurok Nation event and discussed the process at prior forums. The foundation also supported broader resources, including funding for the Native American Rights Fund's guide Mending the Circle: A Native American Guide (1996), which outlined NAGPRA implementation and private-sector strategies. Sackler's advocacy extended to publications and lectures promoting private-sector ethics in collecting, such as her 1998 article "The Ethic of Collecting" and 1999 piece "Repatriation: An Intercultural Strategy for the Private Sector," which critiqued market commodification of sacred items while advocating negotiated returns over litigation. These efforts positioned AIRORF as a bridge between collectors and tribes, though critics noted that purchasing at auction could inadvertently legitimize illicit trade.

Family Background and Opioid Controversies

Arthur Sackler and Purdue Pharma History

, a , physician, and advertising executive, co-founded the modern iteration of alongside his brothers and . In 1952, the brothers acquired the struggling patent-medicine firm Purdue Frederick Company, based in , New York, with Arthur arranging the financing and leveraging his expertise in medical advertising to revitalize it. Under their stewardship, the company shifted toward prescription pharmaceuticals, introducing products like Betadine antiseptic in the , which Arthur promoted through innovative tactics including physician "detailing" visits, sponsored medical journals, and targeted journal advertisements—strategies that blurred lines between education and sales. Arthur Sackler died of a heart attack on May 26, 1987, at age 73, eight years before Purdue's flagship product, OxyContin, launched. Following his death, his estate—including his one-third interest in Purdue Frederick—was sold to and for $22.35 million in 1990, severing Arthur's immediate family's financial ties to the company, which was then renamed L.P. in 1991 and relocated to . Arthur's marketing playbook, however, influenced Purdue's subsequent operations; internal documents later revealed that the firm adapted his approaches, such as funding pain-management conferences and distributing promotional materials claiming low risk, to push OxyContin starting in December 1995. Purdue Pharma, controlled by the families of and after the buyout, aggressively marketed OxyContin—an extended-release formulation approved by the FDA in 1995—as a breakthrough for with minimal abuse potential, despite early evidence of dependency risks. Sales soared from $48 million in 1996 to $1.1 billion by 2000, fueled by a sales force exceeding 600 representatives who downplayed in doctor outreach, leading to widespread overprescribing and contributing to the U.S. , which by 2020 had claimed over 500,000 lives from prescription opioids alone. In 2007, Purdue pleaded guilty to federal misdemeanor charges of misbranding OxyContin by fraudulently marketing it as less addictive, paying $634.5 million in fines—the largest at the time for such offenses—while executives, including family members, admitted personal responsibility but avoided prison. The company faced escalating litigation, culminating in a 2019 bankruptcy filing amid thousands of lawsuits alleging deceptive fueled ; settlements totaling over $50 billion have been proposed, though the Sackler families (from and Mortimer's branches) have denied wrongdoing while agreeing to relinquish control of Purdue. Arthur Sackler's branch, including daughter Elizabeth Sackler, received no ongoing proceeds from OxyContin sales post-1990 sale, though critics argue his foundational marketing innovations indirectly enabled .

Elizabeth Sackler's Family Separation Claims

Elizabeth Sackler, daughter of Purdue Pharma co-founder Arthur Sackler, has publicly asserted that her father's descendants derived no financial benefit from sales of OxyContin, the opioid painkiller central to the company's role in the epidemic. In a January 2018 statement to The New York Times, she described Purdue Pharma's actions as "morally abhorrent" while emphasizing the separation of Arthur Sackler's branch from the company. Arthur Sackler died in 1987, eight years before OxyContin's FDA approval in 1995, and his heirs, including Elizabeth, maintain they held no operational roles or ongoing profit-sharing in Purdue after his death. The Arthur Sackler branch claims a formal disengagement through the sale of stock options in Purdue for $22.4 million following his death, executed by his surviving brothers and , who retained control of the company. Elizabeth Sackler has echoed this narrative, positioning her family as estranged from the and branches, which directed Purdue's OxyContin marketing and expansion. Jillian Sackler, Arthur's widow, reinforced the divide in 2018, stating that the other branches bore a "moral duty" to address the crisis's harms, implying her family's noninvolvement absolved them of direct responsibility. However, a 1997 probate court filing in Connecticut reveals a $20 million payment from Purdue to Arthur Sackler's estate, occurring two years after OxyContin's market entry amid surging company revenues—from $1 million in Purdue profits in 1994 to $32.8 million in 1997. This settlement resolved a promissory note obligation to the estate, with funds directed to a 1994 trust that benefited Jillian Sackler and Arthur's grandchildren, including Elizabeth's children as contingent heirs. A spokesperson for Jillian Sackler contested any linkage to OxyContin proceeds, asserting the payment stemmed from longstanding estate entitlements predating the drug, though the timing aligns with Purdue's post-approval growth. Purdue Pharma has similarly denied that Arthur's descendants held stakes in OxyContin-specific revenues. These claims of separation have fueled family tensions, with Elizabeth Sackler aligning against Purdue in public activism, such as supporting artist Nan Goldin's protests to remove Sackler from cultural institutions tied to the other branches. Critics, including investigative reports, question the completeness of the disavowal given the documented post-1995 financial flows, though no evidence indicates Elizabeth Sackler's direct participation in Purdue decisions or personal receipt of such funds. The branch's position contrasts with lawsuits targeting the owning Sackler factions, which extracted over $10 billion from Purdue between 2008 and 2018 amid rising overdose deaths. Criticisms of Elizabeth Sackler have focused on the perceived taint of her family's pharmaceutical legacy, particularly the marketing strategies pioneered by her father, Arthur Sackler, which some argue laid groundwork for Purdue Pharma's aggressive promotion of OxyContin. Reports have alleged potential indirect financial benefits to Arthur Sackler's estate from Purdue's overall success, despite claims of divestment, through mechanisms like family trusts or shared corporate histories predating OxyContin's launch. Activists, including photographer , initially targeted Sackler-named institutions broadly, leading to calls for reevaluating honors like the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the , though Goldin later distinguished branches of the family. Legal scrutiny of Elizabeth Sackler remains limited, as she and her descendants were not named in major lawsuits or settlements against Purdue Pharma and its controlling Sackler owners, who agreed to pay up to $6.5 billion over 15 years in a 2025 multistate resolution for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 rejection of Purdue's bankruptcy plan, which had sought to shield Sackler family members from civil liability in exchange for contributions, applied primarily to the branches—led by Richard, Mortimer, and Raymond Sackler—that directed OxyContin's deceptive marketing, not Arthur's line. No court has held Elizabeth Sackler personally liable, reflecting Arthur's 1950s sale of his Purdue stake and his death in 1987, nine years before OxyContin's market entry. Public responses to these controversies include Elizabeth Sackler's explicit disavowal of Purdue's actions, asserting that her branch "did not participate in or benefit from the sales of narcotics" and emphasizing 's separation from the company's later operations. In 2018, she publicly supported Goldin's activism against the "other " at Purdue, expressing solidarity with victims and condemning the of OxyContin as addictive. Broader pushback, such as Harvard University's 2024 review recommending denaming Sackler facilities due to his influence on pharmaceutical tactics later echoed in opioids, has prompted defenses of her independent philanthropic record, though some cultural institutions distanced themselves from Sackler associations amid public pressure.

Honors, Awards, and Leadership

Notable Awards and Recognitions

In 1994, Sackler received an honorary award from the Native American Film + Video Celebration at for serving as of Life Spirit, a documentary featuring interviews with Native American leaders on and cultural preservation. The Yurok Tribal Council honored Sackler in February 1999 in , recognizing her foundational role in establishing the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation and advancing the return of sacred artifacts to indigenous communities. In 2002, she was awarded the Brooklyn Museum Community Committee Women in the Arts Award for her philanthropy supporting feminist art exhibitions and acquisitions, including the donation of Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party. Sackler was named one of Women's eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century in 2003, acknowledging her leadership in public history, art patronage, and advocacy for underrepresented voices in cultural institutions. The Brooklyn Museum presented her with its Visionary Award in 2007, citing her establishment of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art as a pioneering dedicated space for women artists.

Board Memberships and Leadership Roles

Elizabeth Sackler has held several prominent leadership positions in arts institutions and philanthropic foundations focused on cultural preservation, feminist art, and Native American advocacy. She served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum from 2000 to 2018, including as Chair from 2014 to 2016, becoming the first woman elected to that role in the museum's nearly 200-year history. Sackler was also a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts from 2000 to 2019. Additionally, she participated in the Conservancy from 2014 to 2017 and served on the Honorary Board of The Norman Foster Foundation from 2016 to 2018. In the realm of museum support, she acted as Founding President of the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries at the from 1995 to 1999. As a foundation leader, Sackler has been CEO of the since 1987 and President of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation since 2001, both ongoing roles emphasizing art collection and . She founded and presided over the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation from 1992 to 2023, advancing the return of sacred Native American artifacts to their communities.

Publications and Public Engagements

Elizabeth Sackler has authored essays and articles primarily addressing the of Native American sacred objects, ethical issues in art collecting and markets, and intersections of with cultural activism. She edited the monograph Judy Chicago, published by Watson-Guptill in July 2002, which examines the artist's contributions to feminist art. Her scholarly writings include "The Ethic of Collecting," published in the International Journal of (Volume 7, No. 1, 1998, pp. 132-140), advocating for responsible of cultural artifacts. Other notable contributions are ": An Intercultural Strategy for the " in Ikce Wicasta, The Journal (Winter 1999) and "Spoils of War: A Call for a Code of Ethics in the Indian Art Market," appearing in Native Peoples (Spring 1996, pp. 18-19). A forthcoming essay, “Rant On: Wollstonecraft, Mills, and Tolstoy for Women’s Rights,” is slated for Cultural Management by . She has also written prefaces and forewords for catalogs of her father's collections, such as Ancient Bronzes of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes (The Foundation, 1997). Sackler has delivered lectures and public addresses at universities, museums, and symposia, emphasizing feminist art history, , and ethics. Key engagements include the keynote "Re-envisioning Feminism Today: The Evolution of the Emancipation of Women" at Florida International University's Frost Art Museum on November 9, 2007, and "New Forms: The World in A Different Order" at The First Supper Symposium in , , on May 27, 2013. She addressed "Feminist Art and Social Action" at the Resetting the Table Symposium in , , on October 9, 2017, and served as commencement speaker at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women on May 24, 2018. Earlier talks focused on , such as the keynote "Return of the Basket Hat" at the NAGPRA Summit Meeting in , in February 1999. Her appearances often intersect with her roles at the , including conversations with figures like at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe on March 7, 2009. These engagements underscore her advocacy for equity in art institutions and cultural preservation, drawing from her PhD in American history and practice.

References

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  34. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/05/23/auctioned-masks-returned-to-hopi-tribe/a6605250-8eda-412d-b74b-a80aae6d83f8/
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  36. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/05/23/bidder-vows-to-return-3-ritual-masks/
  37. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/arts/aleut-sacred-objects-to-be-auctioned-at-sotheby-s-despite-protests-by-the-tribe.html
  38. https://www.narf.org/nill/resources/repatriation-foundation/index.html
  39. https://www.hcn.org/issues/issue-165/the-sacred-comes-home/
  40. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain
  41. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/08/984870694/in-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-sacklers-opioid-empire-an-american-dream-turns-toxic
  42. https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-sackler-family-built-a-pharma-dynasty-and-fueled-an-american-calamity/
  43. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/new-book-sheds-light-on-secretive-sackler-family-the-makers-of-opioid-oxycontin
  44. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9339402/
  45. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-124_8nk0.pdf
  46. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sackler-family
  47. https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Sackler-denaming-report-final.pdf
  48. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/04/sacklers-oxycontin-opioids/557525/
  49. https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-secures-74-billion-purdue-pharma-and-sackler-family
  50. https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/supreme-court-overrules-purdue-pharma-opioid-settlement-rejects-immunity-for-sacklers
  51. https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/04/business/supreme-court-purdue-pharma-sackler-opioid-bankruptcy-preview
  52. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-other-sackler-inside-a-widows-campaign-to-protect-her-husbands-name-from-the-opioid-addiction-epidemic/2019/11/26/013e5c9e-f4db-11e9-8cf0-4cc99f74d127_story.html
  53. https://nypost.com/2019/05/11/nyc-society-shuns-cesspool-sackler-family-over-oxycontin-fortune/
  54. https://www.broadwayworld.com/brooklyn/article/Elizabeth-A-Sackler-Elected-First-Woman-Board-Chair-of-Brooklyn-Museum-20140627
  55. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base
  56. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base?i
  57. https://d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/eascfa/docs/EAS_-_CV_-October_2024_updated.pdf
  58. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/frost_videos_all/32/
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