Members and members-elect of the National Academy of Art have expressed their support of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Boston (ICA) and its an current exhibition of recent works by Dana Schutz, which a group of protestors have demanded be cancelled. An open letter shared with Hyperallergic by artist Barbara Grossman and signed by nearly 80 artists and architects praised the ICA for refusing to “bow to forces in favor of censorship or quelling dialogue.” Among its signatories are Ed Ruscha, Dread Scott, Jack Whitten, Catherine Opie, and Kara Walker — the latter of whom posted a widely shared message earlier this year on Instagram in defense of Schutz and her contentious painting of Emmett Till. Schutz herself has been a member of the Academy since 2010.

Their letter responds directly to a six-page Google document penned two weeks ago by a group of Boston artists, activists, and community members. Addressed to curator Eva Respini and her team, it calls for the museum to “pull the show,” adding: “This is not about censorship. This is about institutional accountability.” Their demands are driven by Schutz’s painting of Till and its inclusion in the Whitney Biennial, for which they believe Schutz needs to be held accountable.

The portrait is not in the ICA’s show, a fact that the National Academy members emphasize. Open since July 26, the exhibition Dana Schutz continues through November 26.

Read the letter, in full, below: