The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“That could be me.” Executive director of Brothers@, Dariel Vasquez, never felt welcome at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, even though he grew up in nearby Harlem. His first visit to the Met was on a Bard class trip for a Northern Renaissance Art course with Teju Cole. Seeing the confidence and enthusiasm of Professor Cole, a fellow Black man, at the front of the class transformed the discomfort he felt into a sense of belonging. Vasquez was interviewed for the Met’s 150th anniversary “Met Stories” series.

Watch Episode 11, in which Dariel Vasquez, Co-founder & Executive Director, Brothers@, describes how he didn’t feel welcome at The Met, even though he grew up in nearby Harlem. His first visit was on a class trip, and seeing the confidence and enthusiasm of his professor Teju Cole, a fellow Black man, at the front of the class dramatically transformed the discomfort he felt into a sense of belonging. As part of The Met’s 150th anniversary, Met Stories is a new video series and year-long social media initiative that shares unexpected and compelling stories gathered from the many people who visit The Met, whether artists, teachers, curators, actors, museum staff, designers, thought-leaders, or public figures.