SUMMER 2020
LEADERSHIP AUDIENCES STAFF + COLLECTIONS
BRIDG E G S N I
D
L
I
U B TSM Civil War Ad V1 (DRM) - OUTLINES FINAL.pdf 1 04/09/2020 03:07:21 PM
A message to our museum family
DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.
As our nation confronts this period of uncertainty, we want to assure you that one thing has not changed, our support for museums and cultural sites across this country and the world. 10-31 is a family company and we stand with our museum family partners as we weather these historic times. We understand that capital purchases are not a part of your near-term goals, but we will be here for you when this world starts spinning again. We’re a business of relationships, not C
transactions. If there is anything we can help with, let us know and we will be there for you. M
Y
CM
MY
Your Family at 10-31 and Art Display Essentials CY
CMY
K
SIGNS
10-31.COM 800.862.9869 ZOOM_Museum Magazine_ad.qxp_ZOOM AD_Museum Magazine- 2020 3/3/20 10:01 AM Page 1
SUMMER 2020 ISSUE CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 5 From the President and CEO 6 By the Numbers 8 First Look 14 Point of View Redefining Museums 44 Alliance in Action FEATURES 47 Tributes and 18 Fear Factor Transitions In a contentious cultural climate, museums are wise to recognize the 48 Reflection pressures to self-censor. By Janet Marstine
22 Going Off-Script How can museums use their galleries to create more inclusive communities? What’s Trending By Jason Porter, Theresa Sotto, Catch up on some of the and Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell most popular posts on the Alliance blog:
26 Is That Hung White? • Lessons from History: A conversation on the state of museum Museums and Pandemics exhibitions and race. • Strategies for Short-term Cover: Financial Survival Little Planet, pedestrian By Joanne Jones-Rizzi and Stacey Mann bridge over Rems River, • 15 Tips for Working Waiblingen Floodplain, Rems-Murr-Kreis (district), 32 Of Law and Ethics Remotely Baden-Wuerttemberg, ADJUSTABLE SPOTLIGHT 120/277V Germany What do museums need to know in this • Albright-Knox’s Contributor: mauritius #MuseumFromHome Beam Angles From 5º to 50º Up To 30,000 CBCP images GmbH/Alamy Stock new era of cultural property ownership Strategy: Artwork Photo ZOOM COB, 20 Watts, 1850 Lumens disputes? Showdowns 3 1/4” Diameter, 5” - 6 1/2” Length By Suzanne Hale The ZOOM Series is a compact spotlight designed with a locking lens grip to adjust the beam spread from 5 degrees to 50 degrees. Powered by COB LED technology, the ZOOM Series has exceptional 38 Change that Matters narrow field beam performance up to 30,000 CBCP from just 20 watts. How can leaders—and emerging leaders—confront the core contradictions Lighting Services Inc The premier specialty lighting manufacturer. facing museums today? By Cindy Meyers Foley and Regan Pro
Lighting Services Inc 800 999-9574 www.LightingServicesInc.com
2 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
twitter.com/aamers
facebook.com/americanmuseums A BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS Global linkedin.com/groups/American- EDITOR IN CHIEF DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Alliance-Museums-2965314 Dean Phelus Team of Creatives, LLC Thinking MANAGING EDITOR ADVERTISING Gayle Bennett Carol Nettles [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 404-347-1755 If anyone had any doubts about the our blog, magazine, and Megan Lantz, Cecelia Walls, Ember importance of “global thinking,” the last few months Annual Meeting. Farber, Shelagh Grimshaw ALLIANCE PRESIDENT AND CEO Laura L. Lott Thanks to our Member have reminded us just how closely connected we are. Four years ago, AAM signed Discount Providers Whether you work in a museum in a major metro- a partnership agreement with politan area with large numbers of international visi- the International Council of tors or a small, local museum that functions more like Museums (ICOM), which set ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS a community center, all of us have felt the effects of the the stage for new sharing of OFFICERS TERM OF OFFICE 2018-2021 coronavirus and global efforts to prevent its spread. research and best practices. Chair (2018-2020) Susana Smith Bautista, Museum Kippen de Alba Chu, Fort Worth Consultant A global pandemic is an extreme example of how Through our work with the Museum of Science and History Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, Illinois State our individual local actions and reactions often have Getty Foundation, we welcome Vice Chair (2019-2020) Museum greater global impact—and how much we can learn several dozen art museum Chevy Humphrey, Arizona Science Nathan Richie, Golden History Museum Center and Park from the experiences, challenges, and successes of mu- professionals from developing countries to the AAM Treasurer (2019-2020) Ruth Shelly, Portland Children’s seums around the world. A global perspective creates Annual Meeting. Every two years, we work in partner- Berit N. Durler, San Diego Zoo Global Museum fresh vantage points from which to see the world. It ship with Argentina-based Fundación TyPA and local Immediate Past Chair (2018-2020) Stephanie Stebich, Smithsonian is critical to tackle the issues of our time as a global hosts for Reimagining the Museum, a pan-national Douglas S. Jones, Florida Museum of American Art Museum Natural History, University of Florida Karol Wight, The Corning Museum of community rather than isolate within our borders. conference to connect with and learn from museum Glass As International Museum Day approaches on May professionals across the Americas. TERM OF OFFICE 2017-2020 TERM OF OFFICE 2019-2022 18, we are reminded that the American Alliance of This global reach and collaboration has shown a Devon Akmon, Science Gallery Detroit Robert M. Davis, America’s Black Museums is part of a global museum community. positive reciprocal interest in membership and best Eduardo Díaz, Smithsonian Latino Holocaust Museum Representing the Alliance and the museum field, I practices in US museums. In recent years, our accred- Center Marcia DeWitt, Hillwood Estate, have the distinct privilege of meeting museum profes- itation programs have expanded to Central America, Christine A. Donovan, Northern Trust Museum and Garden Corp. sionals throughout the world. We speak different lan- Asia, and the Middle East, and our membership now Kelly McKinley, Bay Area Discovery Lisa Yun Lee, National Public Housing Museum guages and have different backgrounds and traditions, includes museums and museum professionals from 55 Museum James Pepper Henry, First Americans but we share many of the same passions about the countries. Andrés Roldán, Parque Explora Museum power of museums to change the world. If your museum is small, or has a specific regional Julie Stein, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture “Global Thinking” is one of AAM’s most import- or local focus, you may be wondering how thinking Jorge Zamanillo, HistoryMiami Museum ant, but perhaps least talked about, strategic plan globally is relevant to what you do every day. When goals. The AAM team has been hard at work in recent we identify issues we think of as uniquely our own, it years to “connect US museums to the international is easy to find examples across the globe that demon-
MUSEUM (ISSN 0027-4089) community and foster a global exchange of ideas strate they are more universal than we had imagined. SUMMER 2020, VOLUME 99, NO. 3 to broaden US museum perspectives on museum Museums are laboratories in which we can exam- PUBLISHED BIMONTHLY (J/F, M/A, M/J, J/A, S/O, N/D) BY THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS practice.” ine any issue to improve our understanding and devel- 2451 CRYSTAL DRIVE, SUITE 1005, ARLINGTON, VA 22202; 202-289-1818; FAX 202-289-6578; WWW. AAM-US.ORG. Since 2015, AAM has been featuring international op solutions. The conversations and collaboration the
Annual subscription rate is $38. Copies are mailed to all members. Single copy is $7. Overseas airmail perspectives on issues related to digital literacy, health Alliance started will continue to reverberate beyond is an additional $45. Membership in the Alliance includes $22 from annual membership dues applicable to a subscription to MUSEUM, except for students and retirees. (This notice is required by the US Postal and well-being, conflict resolution, truth and recon- our borders. Service.) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MUSEUM, 2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1005, Arlington, VA ciliation, and environmental sustainability throughout —March 30, 2020 22202. Copyright 2018, American Alliance of Museums. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine or its cover may be reproduced without written consent of the copyright proprietor. MUSEUM is indexed in The Art Index, which is published quarterly and available in public libraries. The magazine is available from ProQuest in the following formats: microform, electronic and paper. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Alliance. Preferred Periodical postage paid at Arlington, VA, and additional mailing offices. Printed in the US by Lane Press, Burlington, VT. Laura L. Lott is the Alliance’s president and CEO. Follow Laura on Twitter at @LottLaura.
4 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 5
BY THE NUMBERS
Flush Right
AS HANGING DISPLAY SYSTEMS Bridge to the Future AS HANGING DISPLAY SYSTEMS
2014 The year non-white students became the majority AS HANGING DISPLAY in US public SYSTEMS schools. Global average lifespan in 2019, up from 46 in 1950 and AS HANGING DISPLAY 29 in 1800. SYSTEMS 1 in 2 Proportion of Americans who see made-up news/info as a “very big problem” AS HANGING DISPLAY today. SYSTEMS
Sources: From top to bottom: Pew Research Center, OurWorldinData.org, Pew Research Center
By the Numbers was compiled by Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting, wilkeningconsulting.com. Reach Susie at [email protected]. Andriy Bezuglov / Alamy Stock Photo Andriy Bezuglov / Alamy Stock
6 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
Museum News.indd 1 4/7/2020 10:49:03 AM FIRST LOOK
Boston Children’s Museum Arab American National Boston Children’s Museum Museum has opened a reimagined and The Andrew W. Mellon redesigned PlaySpace. This Foundation has awarded permanent exhibit is designed to $750,000 over two years to the provide young children and their Arab American National Museum caregivers with a safe, comfortable for its Artists + Residents program. environment for the play and Funds from the grant will be used exploration that supports children to support a variety of residencies in developing and practicing and will include everything from essential cognitive, physical, social, artist talks and workshops to and emotional skills. Unique in large-scale productions and size, scope, and vision, the new exhibitions. Resident fellows will PlaySpace has been shaped by stay in Dearborn for an average of 40 years of experience and child four weeks. development expertise.
Location: Dearborn, MI Location: Boston, MA Learn more: Learn more: bostonchildrens- arabamericanmuseum.org/ museum.org/exhibits-programs/ artists-residents
Karin Hansen; courtesy of the Arab American National Museum Karin exhibits/playspace
Dallas Museum of Art Jordan Schnitzer Museum Denver Art Museum Inspired by philosopher Gaston of Art at the University of “Natural Forces: Winslow Homer Bachelard’s concept of the and Frederic Remington,” psychological significance Oregon featuring 60 artworks, reveals “Roger Shimomura: By Looking of homes, “For a Dreamer of the connections between artistic Back, We Look Forward” reviews Houses” explores the importance themes and techniques used the artist’s long and prolific career of the spaces we inhabit and by the two acclaimed American in which he uses a brightly colored how they represent ourselves, artists. Born a generation pop-art style to depict a dizzying Assess Your Assets our values, and our desires. apart, both artists succeeded combination of traditional Japanese Featuring more than 35 artists in capturing the quintessential imagery and exaggerated cultural in the museum’s collection, the American spirit through works NOW AVAILABLE! stereotypes. With an ironic touch exhibition debuts new immersive of art at the turn of the late- and acerbic wit, Shimomura creates and large-scale acquisitions that 19th and early-20th centuries, powerful works that interrogate The General Facility Report use forms derived from dwellings an era known for growing American and Asian pop-cultural or furnishings to investigate ideas industrialization and notions of the icons, notions of race, self- (Updated Edition) including belonging, alienation, closing of the American Western portraiture, and current political fantasy, gender, and the body. frontier. Document the latest information about your institution’s affairs, interpreting them through physical specifications and staff practices through this the prism of his family’s World War II updated standard report form. Location: Dallas, TX internment experience. Location: Denver, CO Dates: through Jan. 31, 2021 Dates: through June 7 An indispensable resource for your lenders, insurers, architects, designers and other pertinent partners. Learn more: dma.org/art/ Location: Eugene, OR Partners: Amon Carter Museum of exhibitions/dreamer-houses American Art, Portland Museum of Dates: through July 19 COST: $19.95 FOR NON-MEMBERS Art (ME) Learn more: jsma.uoregon.edu/ $9.95 FOR MEMBERS shimomura Learn more: denverartmuseum. org/exhibitions/natural-forces To purchase the report, visit Check for Updates https://bit.ly/generalfacilityreport Due to the coronavirus, please visit museum websites as
exhibition schedules are subject to change. Shimomura, American vs. Japanese #3 , 2011, collection of Jordan Roger New York; Courtesy of the artist and Karma, The Fall of the Cowboy , 1895, Amon G. Carter Collection Schnitzer; Frederic Remington, D.
8 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 9
FIRST LOOK
The Mob Museum Taft Museum of Art The Mob Museum, the National The Taft Museum of Art (TMA) has Museum of Organized Crime and been awarded the competitive Law Enforcement, has released a Infrastructure and Capacity new mobile app that provides a Building Challenge Grant from visitors guide, in-depth education the National Endowment for on the history of the Mob and law the Humanities in the maximum enforcement, and an interactive look- amount: $750,000. The grant alike feature called Doppelgangster. will directly support the TMA’s Using cutting-edge facial recognition bicentennial infrastructure technology, the app compares a project that will kick off later user’s facial features with a database this year, which will preserve of more than 800 images spanning and reconstruct the museum’s notable heroes, villains, singers, 200-year-old historic house. comedians, and entertainers—as well as many others from the Mob world—to identify the user’s closest Location: Cincinnati, OH Doppelgangster. Learn more: taftmuseum.org
Location: Las Vegas, NV
The Mob Museum; Taft Museum of Art The Mob Museum; Taft Learn more: themobmuseum.org/ app/index.html The Noguchi Museum Princeton University Art Adler Planetarium The Noguchi Museum delves Museum Ninety years in the making, the into two forgotten projects by “Cézanne: The Rock and Quarry Adler Planetarium is unveiling Isamu Noguchi, conceived at the Paintings” features approximately a new brand. Developed and height of American modernism. 15 of Paul Cézanne’s most designed by branding partners A MEMBERSHIP CARD “The Sculptor and the Ashtray” important paintings that take Pause for Thought and The explores Noguchi’s efforts to rock formations as their principal Change Project, the new Adler That will be perfect for design the perfect ashtray (a subjects, as well as selected identity is the culmination of a your museum and your members! near-universal tabletop accessory watercolors and related multi-year transformation aiming in that era), and “Composition for documentary material. The to make science more accessible Brooke Business Forms has provided membership cards to Idlewild Airport” traces the story exhibition reveals the artist’s to all citizens of the world. The museums for over 15 years. With a large variety of card types, of Noguchi’s unrealized design fascination with geology, which new logo took cues from the sky we can meet every need, from a very small to a large museum. for a monumental sculpture for began when he was a schoolboy and now incorporates a warm Introducing Our ELITECARD® the new International Arrivals in Aix-en-Provence, France, and yellow color—bright, cheerful, and Our newest patented product in over 10 years. This unique Building at New York’s Idlewild optimistic, much like the sun. ultimately helped shape the product combines the welcome letter and membership card in Airport (now the John F. Kennedy radical innovations of his artistic one 8.5” x 11” form. A true plastic card is integrated directly International Airport). These practice. side-by-side exhibitions testify to Location: Chicago, IL into the letter offering very high print quality. And, because his interest in making sculpture Learn more: adlerplanetarium.org/ of new technology, less expensive than our similar card everywhere out of everything. Location: Princeton, NJ blog/new-brand/ products. Available with 1, 2 or 3 cards per sheet. Dates: through June 14 Want to test some samples? We will send you free samples, Location: Long Island City, NY Learn more: artmuseum.princeton. as often as you wish, to test in your printers. There is no edu/art/exhibitions/3447 obligation to purchase anything. Dates: through Aug. 23 Learn more: noguchi.org We guarantee complete satisfaction with the card products you receive from us. What’s New Brooke Business Forms at Your Museum? Contact Us For Your Do you have a new temporary or permanent exhibition, education program, partnership/initiative, or building/wing? Tell us Call Toll Free: 800-228-0202 at bit.ly/MuseumNewsAAM, and it might be featured in an upcoming issue. Isamu Noguchi, Ashtray Prototypes , 1945–48, The Noguchi Museum Archives ©INFGM/ARS; Collection; , 1879–83, The Museum of Modern Art, William S. Paley L’Estaque Cézanne, Paul for Thought Pause Email: [email protected] Free Samples Today! www.brookebusiness.com
10 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 11
FIRST LOOK TrendsWatch The Future of Financial Sustainability
Santa BarbaraMM Maritime Museum S a i l i n g I n t o O u r 2 0 t h Ye a r Strengthen your museum’s financial future with TrendsWatch
This year, the Alliance’s forecasting report provides a framework for examining any museum’s financial performance and thinking about Hampton Roads Naval Missouri History Museum Santa Barbara Maritime Museum To commemorate the upcoming Museum long-term strategies for fiscal success. In “The Ten Thousand-Day War at 100th anniversary of the 19th As the Santa Barbara Maritime Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam,” Amendment, “Beyond the Ballot: Museum (SBMM) turns 20, it is visitors share in the experiences St. Louis and Suffrage” showcases expanding and improving its TrendsWatch: The Future of Financial Sustainability dives into: of Hampton Roads’ Navy Vietnam women who made an impact in exhibits and educational activities ● veterans who endured combat at St. Louis before gaining the vote for visitors of all ages. Reflecting Earned revenue in 1920. Unique color illustration sea, on land, on the rivers, and in its dedication to the community ● Charitable contributions the skies over Vietnam. Sailors by a local artist tells the stories and education, SBMM has been also built and staffed hospitals, of 32 women who lived between named one of the top 10 maritime ● Government funding ferried thousands of refugees to 1764 and 1918. Featuring about museums in the United States ● safety, transported supplies, and 80 artifacts, the exhibition traces by Marinalife magazine and is Financial capital endured years of imprisonment the long history of the fight for the Santa Barbara Chamber of in North Vietnam. More than 130 women’s suffrage in St. Louis. Commerce’s Nonprofit of the Year Exploring the disruptions in museums’ traditional business models and sharing emerging artifacts, most on exhibit for the for 2020. To celebrate its 20th first time, “open the hatches” to anniversary, SBMM has planned practices for fiscal health, the report supports honest discussion—and swift action—to their often-overlooked service. Location: St. Louis, MO a busy year, beginning with the submission of its self-study for secure museums’ financial futures. Dates: through Aug. 15, 2021 AAM accreditation. Learn more: mohistory.org/ PDF download available from the AAM website, and in print from the AAM Bookstore. Location: Norfolk, VA museum Dates: through 2022 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Learn more: history.navy.mil/ content/history/museums/hrnm. Learn more: sbmm. html org/20thanniversary
is an initiative of the American Alliance of Museums Clay Farrington/US Navy photo; Missouri Historical Society Collections; courtesy of the Santa Clay Farrington/US Navy photo; Missouri Historical Society Collections; courtesy of the Barbara Maritime Museum
12 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
2020 TrendsWatch Museums Ad_updated_Fullpage_032420.indd 1 3/24/20 10:57 AM POINT OF VIEW “Museums no longer have the luxury of avoiding the socioeconomic and the political; if we care about the Redefining Museums challenges all museums are facing and if we revere After a rocky start, the International Council of the object, the living specimen, and ultimately the Museums begins anew on defining “museum.” knowledge we find and disseminate, then we must By Kathy Dwyer Southern and William Underwood Eiland answer who we are and what we are to become.”
Museums Definition, Prospects by continuous and rapid change. It to guide the creation of a new In this treacherous Museums of whatever stripe luxury of avoiding the socioeco- and Potentials Committee falls short in adequately articulat- definition: age of foreboding and pes- find themselves coping with the nomic and the political; if we care (MDPP), the ICOM committee ing the current responsibilities and • The definition should be clear simism—wars and rumors of degradation of our natural world, about the challenges all museums responsible for overseeing this commitments of museums and in on the purpose and value base wars, as the Good Book tells the destruction of such hallowed are facing and if we revere the work, argues that the current defi- guiding and supporting museums of museums and should retain us—refashioning a definition for monuments as Palmyra or the object, the living specimen, and nition “fails to reflect and address in their manifold and complex the unique, defining, and the word “museum” seems a silly Buddhas of Bamyan, gender ultimately the knowledge we find the profoundly dissimilar condi- visions for the future.” essential unity in museums undertaking. After all, we know suppression in most of the world, and disseminate, then we must tions under which museums work The MDPP laid out a multi- of the function of collecting, what a museum is, don’t we? and, among other issues, persistent answer who we are and what we across the world, as part of diverse year process for this work and de- preserving, documenting, However, the International racism. Without clear guidance, are to become. societies marked by conflicts and veloped the following parameters researching, exhibiting, and in Council of Museums’ (ICOM) cur- ironically, we risk recolonizing (by Given all this, ICOM under- rent definition no longer expresses losing freedom of speech, privacy, took a multi-year quest to newly the essential nature of museums and conscience, for example) even define “museum,” culminating in that now represent different as we decolonize. the presentation of the new defi- locales, regions, and nations and Once upon a time, “museum” nition in 2019. Unfortunately, the embrace disciplines as varied as meant truth, conviction, and trust. process began badly. art and history, natural history and We search again for that meaning science, and zoos and arboreta. even as we grapple with political The Parameters and Beliefs about the very purpose of falsehood, desultory commitment, Process Museum-quality? Indeed, we are. museums are stridently argued, and incredulity if not uncertainty. Involving 44,000 colleagues in the especially internationally. Museums no longer have the redefinition of “museum” is per- We provide museums with frames, framing supplies and haps an impossible and pointless fine-art printing, and have since 1973. Today, as a Nielsen task. Equally difficult is achieving Bainbridge® partner, we offer museum-quality Nielsen® consensus from this robust, liter- ate, passionate constituency, who aluminum frames – strong, inert, easy to hang – and often value their differences—their 100% archival-quality Bainbridge® Artcare™ mat boards, unique missions and collections— more than their similarities. like what you see here. And we proudly ship to all 50 states. And yet that is what ICOM Enter for a chance to win a $500 donation to your set out to do: to create a process museum at AmericanFrame.com/museum in which the world of museum professionals would create a new definition that reflects a consensus of what museums are, what they aspire to be, and what the future An audience member asks a question at the Plenary on Museum Definition at ICOM Kyoto holds for them. 2019.
Jette Sandahl, chair of the © ICOM
14 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 15
• The process for achieving has set a three-year term, from that gives us the means to save our consensus in Kyoto appeared 2020 to 2022, for the next stages planet, serve our fellow humans, rushed and poorly planned, of work. The three-year milestone and safeguard their legacy. Equally THE EVOLVING Members of the Museums Definition, Prospects and Potentials Committee speak at ICOM Kyoto 2019. which did little to assure buy-in chart will serve as a reference point important, we hope we retain the DEFINITION OF and success. for all members on the process, poetry of our endeavors as we ‘MUSEUM’ other ways communicating the proposal. There were many reasons In December 2019, the ICOM timetable, and progress toward a forge the prose. collections. for this; some felt strongly the defi- Executive Board outlined a time- new definition. ICOM Museum Definition 2007 • It should acknowledge the nition needed to be changed, while table and next steps for the MDPP It may be naive to think we can The museum is a non-profit, urgency of the crisis in nature. others were equally passionate to help alleviate these concerns and construct a definition that pleases permanent institution in the • It should acknowledge vastly that the current definition should build on the work already accom- all, but we believe this work will Kathy Dwyer Southern is service of society and its different world views, con- remain. In the end, it was clear that plished. Specifically, the MDPP’s spur deeper thinking about what president of the Biggs Museum of development, open to the public, ditions, and traditions and the new definition did not have the membership now includes repre- museums do and are. American Art Board of Trustees which acquires, conserves, should recognize the deep necessary support, and the majori- sentatives from ICOM’s member To paraphrase Philippe de and faculty in museum studies researches, communicates, societal inequalities and asym- ty of the membership needed more groups, and an open, transparent, Montebello, the museum is the at the Corcoran School of the and exhibits the tangible and metries of power and wealth time for reflection and discussion. and consultative process will be de- memory of mankind. Over the Arts and Design, The George intangible heritage of humanity across the globe. veloped to work with the National next several years, as we groan Washington University. William and its environment for the • It should recognize the expert Learning from the Process and International Committees over wordsmithing and bristle at Underwood Eiland is director purposes of education, study, role of museums in relation to The Triennial delegates’ strong over the next two years. To provide differences of opinion, we hope we of the Georgia Museum of Art, and enjoyment. their communities and should opposition surprised ICOM’s more time for discussion, ICOM can agree on a global definition University of Georgia. express the commitment to be leadership. Clearly, ICOM needed ICOM Proposed Museum meeting places and open to to take a hard look at the process Definition 2019 diverse platforms of exchange. and its aftermath. Following Museums are democratising, • It should express the account- are the key points of this inclusive, and polyphonic ability and transparency under self-interrogation: spaces for critical dialogue which museums will use their • A strong grassroots process was about the pasts and the futures. resources. in place from the beginning, Acknowledging and addressing MDPP’s core coordinating but without the concurrence the conflicts and challenges of committee included represen- and notification of ICOM’s the present, they hold artefacts tatives from all continents who international committees and specimens in trust for soci- served in a series of thematic structure. ety, safeguard diverse memories working groups, which met for • The overall project’s progress for future generations, and guar- two years. In addition, during that and raison d’être needed to antee equal rights and equal time, roundtables and conferences be shared continuously with access to heritage for all people. reached approximately 2,000 the membership so that it was individuals who were solicited to clear, understood, and trusted. Museums are not for profit. help with MDPP’s work. ICOM • The language of the definition’s They are participatory and received several hundred sugges- English and Spanish versions transparent, and work in active tions, which the MDPP and the needed editing and was not partnership with and for diverse ICOM Executive Board reviewed clearly articulated. PRECISION LIGHTING. CONTACT US! communities to collect, preserve, and edited to create a reformulated • A project of this scale needed research, interpret, exhibit, and definition for final presentation additional staff and funding The Mosaic Profile features high CRI output withTUNABLE enhance understandings of the to the delegates at the Triennial in resources. 5 Holt Drive WHITE from 1800K-8000K with a CRI of 90+ across the Stony Point, New York 10980 entire color temperature range. Rich blues, ambers, reds, world, aiming to contribute to Kyoto in September 2019. • The project needed greater (845) 947-3034 violets, and greens can be added in gradients, or they can www.tslight.com human dignity and social justice, After heated, extensive transparency throughout, from completely saturate the field being lit or displayed. global equality, and planetary discussion, delegates in Kyoto decision-making to committee SCAN HERE
wellbeing. overwhelmingly voted to table the structure. © ICOM
16 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
The National Archives altered this photo of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, DC, that was used in promotion of its exhibition on US women’s suffrage. In January 2020, it came to light that the exercised internally. In museums and archives, National Archives had altered a photograph that self-censorship can best be understood as the sup- introduced the exhibition “Rightfully Hers: American pression of ideas, including artistic expression, by Women and the Vote” celebrating the centenary an individual practitioner—an artist, a curator, or an of women’s suffrage in the US. The work, by Getty educator—or by the institution itself in the develop- Images photographer Mario Tama, captured dem- ment and presentation of content. onstrators at the January 21, 2017, Women’s March Self-censorship is often challenging to recognize on Washington, DC, which became a rallying cry for because the boundaries between it and the routine those concerned about the threat to women’s rights processes of responsible editing are often blurred. represented by President Donald Trump, inaugurated Self-censorship can be distinguished, however, by the the day before. impetus that motivates it—fear. The modified image obscured several of the Acts of self-censorship can usually be traced to protesters’ signs, including some with Trump’s name fears about possible retribution from the state or pri- and others with terms representing women’s genitalia. vate funders, or potential lost visitorship. The growing This altered photo had been shown at the archives for impetus to become a safe space for exploring difficult some eight months—since the exhibition opened. On issues, given the complex dynamics of diversity poli- the cusp of the 2020 Women’s March on Washington, tics, has created a museum environment increasingly a Washington Post article called out the revision, and a characterized by the fear of offense. Such fears are National Archives spokesperson initially justified the bolstered by risk aversion—the drive to lower uncer- institution’s actions as an attempt to remain apolitical tainty—even when risk assumption will more likely and family friendly. She also argued that it was defen- lead to successful outcomes. sible to alter the photo because the work was promo- Though some amount of risk-averse thinking is tional material rather than part of the exhibition. fundamental to responsible practice, it becomes det- But within a day of the Post’s report, facing a bar- rimental when it clouds decision-making. In the case rage of criticism from practitioners, scholars, and the of the National Archives’s self-censorship of Tama’s wider public, Archivist of the United States David S. photograph, the alteration was undoubtedly motivated Ferriero issued a public apology and, soon afterwards, by fears of repercussions from the Trump administra- the altered image was replaced with the original tion, the political right, and conservative audiences. Its photograph. In his apology, Ferriero acknowledged risk-averse course of action created huge reputational the National Archives’s responsibility to truth and to damage when a more confident stance was essential to the stories of women. He also framed the incident as achieving the exhibition’s goal of recognizing women’s a crisis of credibility that could only be repaired by empowerment. greater transparency and scrutiny of internal policies In the fervor to avoid offense, institutional and practices, none of which, however, he identified. self-censorship often functions as a kind of “othering” He was careful to stress that the photograph was that reinforces the marginalized status of disenfran- not censored by an outside party; “the decision was chised groups. Such was the case in the altered Tama made without any external direction whatsoever,” he photograph; obscuring signs critical of President declared. Yet, Ferriero did not admit that the alteration Trump and those that proclaimed the rights women was an act of institutional self-censorship. have over their own bodies was a disempowering In a contentious cultural climate, museums are act. Celebratory frameworks championing diversity Defining Self-Censorship and inclusion in the name of social cohesion, such as wise to recognize the pressures to self-censor. In contrast to censorship, in which a party outside the “Rightfully Hers” exhibition, too often exculpate By Janet Marstine an organization exerts authority to suppress ideas, contentious issues and analysis that might have been
Mario Tama/Getty Images News via Getty Mario Tama/Getty including artistic expression, self-censorship is deployed to transformative effect.
18 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 19
The Ubiquity of Self-Censorship Acknowledging the illusory nature of neutrality is The fact that Ferriero did not say that the institution particularly challenging terrain for federal institutions SELF-CENSORSHIP: had engaged in self-censorship in his apology is not such as the National Archives. In his apology, Ferriero surprising, given that the phenomenon is widely insists that the archives must maintain “a commitment QUESTIONS TO denied and misunderstood. In Western democracies, to impartiality” despite the fact that this commitment CONSIDER publicly exercising institutional self-censorship is fre- and its underlying assumptions undercut the equality • Who am I concerned this project might quently viewed as a violation of principle. Denial of agenda of the exhibition. provoke and why? institutional self-censorship also stems, in part, from While it may be comforting to maintain the illusion • What might the reprisal be? the myth that museums are neutral spaces. Sharon that self-censorship occurs “over there” and “not here,” it • How realistic are these fears? As part of a project by artist Sonia Boyce, Manchester Art Gallery visitors left sticky notes when John William Waterhouse’s Hylas Heal, UK Museums Association director, explains occurs in all kinds of museums in all parts of the world, • What risk does the potential self-censorship itself and the Nymphs was temporarily removed. this phenomenon: not just in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. For entail? The very low level of awareness of self-censorship instance, at the UK Museums Association’s 2016 annual • What are the real ethical costs of resisting versus is partly rooted in the complete misconception that conference, a poll of 63 delegates attending a session on enacting self-censorship? Of course, in authoritarian states, where censorship museums are neutral spaces. In this misconception, institutional self-censorship revealed that 51 percent had • Have I put proactive strategies and tactics in is ubiquitous, self-censorship is a necessary part of there is no curatorial voice, no authorship, just a consciously withheld information from audiences due place (as identified in the Resources on p. 20) everyday work. Practitioners must remove potential neutral narrative—and thus no censorship. I think to its controversial nature. Moreover, the limitlessness of to fully appreciate and confidently navigate the triggers in order to protect artists, staff, and the muse- that message really persists. If you don’t tackle the self-censorship makes it more dangerous than censor- potentially contentious nature of the project? um itself from potentially grave repercussions. idea that museums are not neutral spaces, you can’t ship, which, in its dependence on external apparatus, is • Have I collaborated both within my organization But because self-censorship is often enacted in the then talk about what you do and don’t display, what necessarily limited. and with partner organizations for knowledge name of protection, it is vital to consider who is being exchange, mutual support, and joint advocacy? stories you tell, and which voices you exclude. Today, unlike during the US “culture wars” of the late protected and for what reasons. Museum professionals • How should I weigh my pursuit of professional 1980s and early 1990s, pressures to self-censor come not must decide if and how to resist the pressures to integrity with my respect for diverse cultural only from politically conservative camps but, equally, contexts, which might be at odds with my vision? self-censor by weighing the ethical costs. This is fun- from the left. Even the most progressive institutions find damental to museum work today. that a certain level of self-censorship is endemic to their In fact, museum practitioners do have agency when work. For example, museum staff writing interpretive Only after the self-censorship occurred did the cu- confronted with the pressures to self-censor. The bina- RES Julia Farrington, “Taking the Offensive: Defending Artistic Freedom texts need to follow the protocols of institutional termi- rators acknowledge the culture clash between contem- ry construction of censor as perpetrator and censored OUR of Expression in the UK,” Index on Censorship, May 2013 nology documents. porary Chinese artists working in the aftermath of the as victim that has dominated censorship discourse in CES indexoncensorship.org/takingtheoffensive And while social media has introduced empowering 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and animal rights the arts is no longer productive. The goal is not always Janet Marstine and Svetlana Mintcheva (eds.), Curating Under platforms that allow audiences to shape museum activists speaking from a privileged position today. to eradicate self-censorship but to accept that develop- Pressure: International Perspectives on Negotiating Conflict and discourse and action, when weaponized with a mob ing and presenting museum content is often a delicate Upholding Integrity (in press), summer 2020 mentality, these platforms can readily induce museums The Ethics of Self-Censorship dance between resisting and exercising self-censorship. to attempt damage control by self-censoring exhibitions Self-censorship does not, however, implicitly In some parts of the world, practitioners do not Farida Shaheed, “Report of the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights: The Right to Freedom of Expression and and programs. Such was the case when the Guggenheim and inevitably represent an ethical wrong. In fact, have the freedom to speak openly about their experi- Creativity,” Human Rights Council 23rd Session, United Nations Museum in New York pulled two videos and one instal- self-censorship is sometimes an ethical good. ences of self-censorship. But where we do, we owe it General Assembly, March 2013 lation piece featuring animals from its 2017 exhibition Sometimes it is performed as a means of unsettling to ourselves and others to be transparent about these digitallibrary.un.org/record/755488?ln=en#record “Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World.” sexist, racist, or classist assumptions and practice. issues, or the phenomenon will remain needlessly -files-collapse-header An online petition signed by more than 700,000 peo- For example, in 2018, the Manchester Art Gallery in opaque. Only with robust self-reflective dialogue can National Coalition Against Censorship, Guidelines for State ple gave the false impression that the most transgressive England removed John William Waterhouse’s 1896 museums make ethically informed, deliberative deci- Arts Agencies, Museums, University Galleries and Performance of the video pieces, Peng Yu and Sun Yuan’s 2003 Dogs Hylas and the Nymphs from the gallery walls for one sions when faced with self-censorship. Spaces, 2019 That Cannot Touch Each Other, was being performed week as part of a project by artist Sonia Boyce. The ncac.org/resource/guidelines-for-state-arts-agencies- live at the museum. Nonetheless, the Guggenheim artist was interrogating the display and interpretation museums-university-galleries-and-performance-spaces/ self-censored the pieces, citing threats of violence. of historical works that are increasingly seen to ob- Janet Marstine recently retired as associate What Next?, Meeting Ethical and Reputational Challenges: Museum leadership did this despite the fact that the jectify their subjects. This act provoked constructive professor from the School of Museum Studies, Guidance curators had conceived the installation piece, Huang discourse, as evidenced by the comments on sticky University of Leicester. She is now an independent whatnextculture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ Yong Ping’s 1993 Theater of the World, to be a linchpin notes Boyce invited visitors to leave in the space where researcher and consultant in the US focusing on
Meeting-Ethical-and-Reputational-Challenges-Guidance.pdf of the project, as reflected in the exhibition’s title. Photograph by Michael Pollard the painting had hung. museum ethics, including self-censorship.
20 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 21
A little over a year ago, the Museum of Museums of all types the world over are respond- Pop Culture began planning some in-gallery presenta- ing to the changing needs of their audiences, a para- tions for the museum’s celebration of the 75th birthday digm shift in visitor demographics, and conversations of Jimi Hendrix, the subject of one of the museum’s about the purpose and definition of museums. As core galleries and one of Seattle’s favorite sons. a result, educators, programmers, and interpreters I began with research, diving deep into the content are thinking differently about museum experiences, of the exhibition, looking through as much material as upending long-held norms with new practices in our curatorial staff could share with me, and reading dialogue, community engagement, and other informal a recent and well-regarded biography of the rock icon. learning strategies. These new approaches often re- The exhibition tells the story of the four most active quire educators to go “off-script,” pivoting away from years of Hendrix’s career and his relentless travel the stories addressed in exhibitions and broadening around the world in the late 1960s as the most popular the history, points of view, and interactions to respond and well-paid musician at the time. to and engage with visitors. One of the resources I encountered examined Following are two example strategies—one work- Hendrix’s life and career from a black perspective, a ing with museum staff and with physicians to address point of view that, in all honesty, I hadn’t previously bias and the other working with teens to foster civic thought much about. Throughout his career, Jimi engagement. — Jason Porter Hendrix faced a fair amount of discrimination, espe- cially in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At that time, as he played backup for other performers and in his own early bands, he was required to enter night clubs in the Jim Crow South through a back door. Later, when he had established his own innovative rock and blues musical style, he encountered white “gatekeepers” in the music business who tried to box him into musical styles they felt would sell more records. These examples of Hendrix’s experience with race Going are not overtly addressed in our exhibition, which focuses on Hendrix’s travel and creative process on the road, though the first-person accounts in journals and song lyrics nod to his lived experience. But his life as a black man is part of the story that today’s visitors— especially younger ones—are interested in. We often bring students and young artists into this gallery and How can museums use their galleries to create their questions about Hendrix’s identity have inspired Off-Script more inclusive communities? us to bring his blackness into the conversation via additional photographs and materials, discussion By Jason Porter, Theresa Sotto, and Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell questions, and closely looking at objects such as Hendrix’s personal journal, drawings, and draft song Visitors to the Museum of Pop Culture examine Jimi
iStock.com/wildpixel; Jim Bennett iStock.com/wildpixel; lyrics. Hendrix’s iconic Woodstock Strat guitar.
22 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 23
Museum Teaching to Mitigate Bias Civics-Inspired Approaches By Theresa Sotto to Working with Teens By Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell Museum educators are experts in facilitating con- The purpose of this training is not to gain a versations about art that are grounded in visitors’ deeper understanding about art, but to learn more When we experiment with unconventional ap- Communal flower wreath from the Teen interpretations. While sharing multiple perspectives about ourselves and our biases. Although some proaches in museum programming, such as methods Arts Workshop with Shizu Salamando at the is usually a positive experience, conversations can biases are helpful—such as a preference for healthy inspired by civic engagement and social justice, we Smithsonian American Art Museum. become uncomfortable if a visitor makes a biased food—many biases are rooted in stereotypes that can share authority with our communities. When or offensive statement. Luckily, many educators are skew perspectives, cause microaggressions, and fos- I came to the Smithsonian American Art Museum Instead of guiding teens through the exhibition experienced in steering such conversations into ter discriminatory behavior. Studies reveal that the (SAAM) from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of with called-out works and accompanying ques- productive terrain. first step in mitigating our biases is to become aware African American History and Culture, I began to ask tions as we did with the Levinthal exhibition, we of them. Participants in this training, which have questions about both the inclusion of communities in encouraged them to explore the artwork on their included UCLA medical students as well as museum program development and how the format of these own, using the “see, think, wonder” model. We also staff, walk away with new insights into how aspects programs could incorporate social justice. developed a hands-on art-making activity related to of their identities and lived experiences influence Were we providing programming opportunities the experience of Japanese incarceration in America. “ The purpose of their decisions and give rise to biases. for communities to take the lead? Were our offerings Shizu Salamando, teaching artist and descendant of One activity that I lead helps participants uncov- considering a spectrum of engagement strategies? As incarceration survivors, found through researching this training is not er their unconscious biases through associations. I museums adapt to new expectations of 21st century her family heritage and Japanese-American history, to gain a deeper invite participants to match a descriptive word to a visitors, we must consider the ways in which we per- archival footage, and artifacts that incarcerated work of art, and then we compare and contrast our mit or barricade visitor experiences. Japanese-Americans crafted paper flower wreaths to understanding about choices and the reasons behind those choices. If In the fall of 2019, SAAM developed its first-ever, use in celebrations and funerals at the camps. someone is given the word “powerful,” for example, free Teen Arts Workshop series. The goal was to create After visiting the gallery, the teens created their art, but to learn more and selects a towering sculpture over a painting that a more audience-centered program to encourage more own flowers, and upon completion, put their cre- depicts an act of protest, the individual may uncon- “in the moment” discovery and informal interaction ations together into their own unique depiction of a about ourselves and sciously associate height or physical dominance with with civically engaged ideas and concerns. community wreath. Salamando made the experience power, even if, intellectually, they believe that using In conjunction with our “American Myth & even more relevant when she discussed with the par- our biases.” one’s voice is more powerful. Memory: David Levinthal Photographs” exhibition, ticipants the act of wreath-laying that happens today Museum educators have been using some which featured enlarged Polaroids of staged miniature along the Mexican border. variation of word association activities with school dioramas depicting the American West, Barbies, and As we developed a self-driven space for teens groups for years; however, going deeper into why we sports figures, we created a program in which youth in SAAM’s public programming, we intentionally associate certain words with artworks can foster a explored the idea of “being American.” employed civics-inspired strategies. As our public This is a skill set that museum educators can new level of engagement—one that encourages deep The program brought 10 teen participants from programming priorities are increasingly driven by out- use to help others in our sector and those outside self-reflection and, ultimately, responds to an urgent different backgrounds and schools into dialogue reach and audience cultivation, I am particularly curi- it to mitigate bias. The need is clearly there. A 2019 societal need. about the exhibition, their experiences of the media, ous if civics-inspired programming can be used to shift Glassdoor survey found that jobs related to diversity For museum staff, this training can help em- and their own backgrounds. The group led their own our internal museum cultures toward less authoritative and inclusion initiatives have increased by 30 per- ployees double-check their impulses: Do I think discussion about American beauty standards and the and more inclusive practice—as well as shift public cent year over year in the US workforce, revealing this visitor might touch the art because I witnessed a idolization of sports figures with limited guidance perception of what a museum experience can be. a growing desire among companies across a range specific behavior or because I have a bias that clouds from our educators. of sectors to proactively address discrimination and my judgement? Building on that success, we planned a second bias in workplace culture. In the medical field, my hope is that doctors workshop with our “Chiura Obata: American Modern” Jason Porter is the director of education and At the Hammer Museum at UCLA, I have been will become more self-reflective about their diag- exhibition that featured works the artist completed programs at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, leading trainings to mitigate bias for staff and stu- noses. A multitude of studies over the years have while imprisoned in a Japanese incarceration camp Washington. Theresa Sotto is assistant director of dents and for external groups. Trainings take place shown that non-white patients get less optimal during World War II. We partnered with Andrea Kim academic programs at the Hammer Museum in Los in the galleries, where I use works of art to facilitate care. If doctors better understood their biases, Neighbors, a colleague at Smithsonian Asian Pacific Angeles, California. Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell conversations about an individual’s subjective re- obviously it wouldn’t undo systemic racism, but it American Center, to co-create a civics-inspired space is the head of public programs at the Smithsonian
sponse to that art. would be a start. Chen for SAAM Wei Photo by Wei where meaning-making could take root. American Art Museum in Washington, DC.
24 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 25
Is That Hung White? By Joanne Jones-Rizzi and Stacey Mann In 2016, a group of 24 museum Our aim here is to answer some common questions professionals came together in Chicago for a three- we see from colleagues and to frame the dialogue we day convening on race and racism in museums. The want to continue in the museum field. idea for the convening—called Museums & Race: Transformation and Justice—grew out of a conver- What is the origin of “Is That Hung White?” sation about museum response to civil unrest in the Joanne Jones-Rizzi (JJR): When I first entered the wake of a fatal shooting of an African American man museum field in 1985, I was struck by the number of by a white police officer that occurred in Ferguson, conversations we were having at the Boston Children’s Missouri. That conversation was hosted by some mem- Museum about attracting and being relevant to “new” bers of The Museum Group during the AAM Annual audiences and marginalized communities. We had Meeting in April 2015. invited a group of community advisors who represent- Since then, the Museums & Race movement has ed a number of groups we wanted to attract, and one of expanded with an intentional mission of shining a light the advisors who was African descended commented on the role that race and racism play in the museum that an exhibition in the museum was “hung white.” industry—in both the obvious, visible ways and the The phrase has stayed with me and remains relevant smaller but sometimes more insidious, invisible in light of how painfully slow change has been in the ways. It also provides a space within a predominantly design and exhibition development sectors of our field. white field for those of us in the industry who don’t identify as white. Since that original gathering, Stacey Mann (SM): One of the consistent observa- A conversation on the state of Museums & Race has remained a progressive voice tions made by individuals engaged in these dialogues museum exhibitions and race. for change in the industry, hosting the Museums & about museums and race is the absence of exhibit Race Unconference at the 2016 AAM Annual Meeting teams. Much of the work up until now has been led by and the Museums & Race Transformation and Justice education departments and visitor services staff—the Lounge at the AAM Annual Meeting since then. individuals who see firsthand the impact of our design
26 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 27
acknowledging and affirming for museum staff who SM: The obvious answer is addressing issues of that occurs with change from DEAI perspectives are brown, black, or indigenous, that as staff of color, implicit bias in how we approach exhibition planning and its impact on staff who are not white is critical there is no doorway through which we leave our pro- and development—the language we use, the people we to the success of ongoing, committed change. fessional identities behind at the close of a workday, hire, the stories we tell, the design choices we make. nor do we leave our cultural and community identities In 2010, AAM’s Center for the Future of Museums How can we support one another in our collective behind when we enter the museum each workday. published Demographic Transformation and the Future efforts to build competency and capacity for change of Museums and before that, Museums & Society 2034 across the museum exhibition landscape? SM: We want to emphasize the important role that ex- (2008) and Museums & Society 2019 (2009). Each of JRR: Take advantage of the outstanding work being hibition teams (designers, developers, fabricators) have these reports draws attention to the “Mining the Museum,” a 1992 installation by Fred Wilson at the Maryland Historical Society, illuminated what exhibitions in not only deconstructing many of the problematic shifting cultural landscape and the can be when they are designed and interpreted through systems and structures that continue to stand in the need for museums to get serious a lens that is not white. Wilson addressed the pervasive white supremacy culture, which he explored and challenged way of meaningful change, but also in creating room to about building a more inclusive, through objects, their adjacencies, and the labels used to think differently about what kinds of spaces we create and consequently sustainable, describe them. and who is welcomed there, both visitors and staff. future. Generally speaking, I still Issues of race, representation, and inclusion manifest see a lot of museums holding back, in so many different ways within the exhibition world waiting for some cookie-cutter On Decolonization: and content choices on the visitors we seek to engage. that we can no longer afford to ignore that facet of the solution to present itself—a “Traditionally, the museum model uses a As conversations about decolonization have come industry most responsible for the visual language of straightforward checklist that can curator, or expert, to build content. We to the fore, many curators and collection managers our public-facing spaces. be absorbed into an already over- have started to wrestle with the complexities of how crowded work plan. That’s not how decided to utilize exhibit developers a we tell different stories. When Joanne and I attended What are some of the challenges you see for it works. There is no silver bullet. few years ago but realized that we were MASS Action a few years ago, we surveyed the room museums in tackling issues of representation and still not engaging enough (or in ways Summer and noted the dearth of exhibition colleagues in atten- inclusion in the exhibition process? Maryland Historical Society; Batareykin JJR: The landscape is changing that felt more than transactional) with dance. The idea for an “Is within many cultural institu- our communities. When the opportunity That Hung White?” dialogue tions. It’s a slow progression, originated there. but change is palpable and came about to refresh our “Kumeyaay: visible. Numerous institutions Native Californians” exhibition, we knew What do you hope to are adapting diversity, equity, that we could start to address the ways in highlight by bringing this accessibility, and inclusion which we previously had been exclusive question to the broader On DEAI Leadership: (DEAI) initiatives and identify- in content building. We are still working AAM community? ing leadership to make change. JJR: Our goal is to call out “As a museum executive, I realize that I play a What is most disturbing to me on how to best go about this process, but the glaring disparity within part in creating brave spaces at our museum. I is that talented, deeply engaged for me personally, real, genuine listening our field, and to call in the am committed to initiating this dialogue within individuals are leaving our field. to communities has been my starting challenges experienced our museum, helping to institutionalize the It’s disheartening to see these place. Decolonizing initiatives have come by those of us who are practice of equity and inclusion and learning brilliant individuals leave out to the forefront for our museum in all brown, black, POC, or of frustration because there indigenous. It’s important to alongside my colleagues as we do this enduring are few or no opportunities departments; our journey is ongoing and acknowledge that there is a work in our field. Be brave and creative as you for growth or advancement in we have much to learn.”
problem. People who are in broach each challenge with gratitude.” addition to ongoing, insidious, —Erika Katayama, Senior Director, positions of power within —Su Oh, Senior Vice President, overt racism and overwhelming Audience Engagement at the San Diego Museum of Man our field need to listen and Education, Exhibitions, and Community Engagement hostility. Institutions need to pay respond by changing the at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County attention to this dangerous and systems currently in place harmful trend. Sustainability to be more inclusive. This is a key aspect of DEAI work.
ongoing discussion is about Batareykin Understanding the cultural shift
28 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
done by colleagues (take advantage, but don’t take advantage—cite their contributions). The work that is happening across the field is exciting. There are -nu GETTING STARTED: merous initiatives and efforts that involve people with design, content development, and fabricator roles. A RESOURCE GUIDE The approach with some of these groups has been to This list is by no means exhaustive, but if you are looking to jumpstart conversations within your use a distributed leadership model that involves and organization, we recommend beginning here. supports collective decision-making and builds on the strengths of a collective. Such models provide ways • Museums & Race (museumsandrace.org) for multiple voices and perspectives to be included in A movement to challenge and reimagine decision-making and can empower and elevate voices institutional policies and systems that perpetuate oppression in museums. Spark a conversation that have been silenced or rendered invisible. Develop with the Museums & Race report card. and support opportunities within institutions that support growth, invest in professional development • MASS Action Toolkit (museumaction.org) for staff, and provide opportunities for mentoring. A compilation of theory, procedures, and best AAM Annual Meeting 2018 attendees participate in a (See the Resource Guide at right.) practices to create greater equity within the Community Cypher hosted by the Museums & Race museum field as well as diagnostic tools to help Transformation and Justice Lounge in Phoenix, Arizona. organizations gauge their readiness for equity SM: We need to stop making excuses: “That’s not work. how we do things.” “That’s not their role.” “This is too usually is. It might feel disruptive or even a bit threat- are engaging in professional development and disruptive.” Change is hard—anything worth doing • Empathetic Museum ening. Don’t panic; that’s our “fight or flight” brain institutional assessments to look at their own profes- (empatheticmuseum.com) talking. It will argue every time for the path of least sional practices. More foundations are earmarking Maturity Model and diagnostic tools for organizational change across five dimensions: resistance and retreat. It’s the cultivated voice of white funds to support DEAI initiatives. It remains to be civic vision, institutional body language, supremacy that has dictated our reflexive choices for seen if those efforts will result in cosmetic chang- community resonance, timeliness and so very long—but it’s within our power to change the es—easy to regress and fall back into old habits—or sustainability, and performance measures. way we choose to respond to it. This isn’t the work of truly transformative changes that address the core one person or one department within an institution. It institutional cultures that have kept us as we are for • Museum Hue (museumhue.com) Resources and networking with a focus on belongs to all of us. so long. We are going to experience growing pains On DEAI work: community, culture, and careers for museum as we continue to move through these issues and “It took me years to shift professionals of color. #MuseumHue What comes next? define solutions for each of our organizations. We JJR: None of this is new. These conversations have will make mistakes. And we will need to continue the DEAI narrative from • Museums Are Not Neutral ‘me’ to ‘we.’ If we truly Global advocacy campaign aimed at exposing been happening for decades. There are many voices the dialogue and make adjustments as we travel this the myth of museum neutrality and calling for in the field amplifying and taking action to draw at- road together. want to have impact and equity-based transformation across museums. tention to the themes of inclusion and representation. change these bias systems #MuseumsAreNotNeutral However, there is a comprehensive approach that in some ways was not always present. Emboldened dis- we work within, then • Incluseum (incluseum.com) DEAI work is everyone’s Advancing new ways of being a museum ruptors are taking this work to a new level. There is an Joanne Jones-Rizzi is vice president of science, work, not just the person through critical dialogue, community building, understanding and active work to not just focus on the equity, and education at the Science Museum and collaborative practice related to inclusion in audience, but connect audience attention and engage- of Minnesota in St. Paul, and Stacey Mann is an or team that holds the title museums. ment to relevant content, and connect relevant content independent interpretive planner and exhibition but ALL.” • AAM Facing Change Initiative to whoever is developing and designing content. This developer based in Philadelphia. Special thanks to Framework, training, and resources for museum is not to say that there are no historical models for this the authors’ colleagues, whose contributions have —Veronica Garcia-Luis, Project Director, boards to build diverse and inclusive cultures meant so much to this conversation: Nafisa Isa, Visitor Research & Evaluation and Director of approach, but as a field this has not been our practice. Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, Organizational within their organizations that better reflect and Erika Katayama, Jaron Keener, Su Oh, Veronica serve their communities. Development at the Exploratorium SM: There are a lot of conversations taking place, Garcia-Luis, Marquette Folley, Elisabeth Callihan, Stacey Mann ©2018 Stacey
Batareykin which is encouraging. More and more institutions and the entire Museums & Race network.
MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 31
OF LAW AND ETHICS What do museums need to know in this new era of cultural property ownership disputes?
By Suzanne Hale
A tension often exists between the law and the ethics of collecting cultural property, and nowhere is that more apparent than in museums today. Museums are coming under increasing scrutiny, both for their leadership choices and for issues of provenance. Perhaps due to this increased focus on social justice and accountability, museum patrons are now ask- ing more questions about where objects came from and how they came into the possession of a given collection. Collecting and displaying cultural property is a sensitive topic: Who controls culture, and who (if anyone) should have a special claim to cultural objects? Does it matter whether the objects have been out of their original contexts for many years? What if they were acquired in good faith and with reasonable due diligence? And what happens if they’ve been in the public sphere for so long that they seem to “belong” to the public? As platforms for displaying humankind’s creativity and venues for public dialogue among cultures, museums are no strangers to ownership scandals and disputes. Indeed, museums play a unique role in defining the legal and ethical landscape of collecting and displaying cultural property; therefore, it is not surprising that museums frequently become unwitting battlefields upon which legal and moral controversies concerning ownership are fought. Understanding the contours of these disputes can help France promises museums minimize risks and encourage more careful thought to return looted about their future legacies. AAM and the Association of Art artifacts to Benin that are currently Museum Directors issue ethical and professional guidelines to held at the Museé help museums navigate these potentially treacherous waters. du Quai Branly– Jacques Chirac in (See Resources on p. 34.) Paris. So what do museums need to know as they house, pre-
agefotostock / Alamy Stock Photo agefotostock / Alamy Stock serve, display, and interpret cultural property today? The
32 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 33
Greater Scrutiny on Antiquities museums return or retain such objects. Thus, as with The status of tribal and colonial-era objects is up “European museums, Many museums are aware of the challenges in dis- antiquities, museums are receiving claims to tribal for reconsideration in the US as well. The proposed playing global art treasures, especially when they are and colonial-era objects that appear to have been Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act in particularly those in France, ancient, archaeologically significant, and have special legally removed, gifted, or otherwise are not subject to Congress seeks to expand protection for sacred or cul- Germany, and the Netherlands, national, cultural, or ethnographic ties with particu- restrictions and have been in the museum’s collection turally significant objects claimed by Native American lar places or peoples. Accordingly, museums should for decades or more. tribes and other Indigenous peoples. And the are leading the way in be generally familiar with source nations’ efforts to European museums, particularly those in France, Association of Art Museum Directors has announced regulate trade and prevent looting, efforts that have Germany, and the Netherlands, are leading the way in plans to create a task force to consider these problems. establishing conditions and produced a proliferation of national cultural heritage establishing conditions and guidelines for considering Given recent proposals to shift the burden of proof laws and international treaties aimed at protecting the the return, permanently or on loan, of objects from regarding legal ownership to current possessors, these guidelines for considering movement and marketing of antiquities. public collections. The British government recently new guidelines and standards may open the door for a While 1970, the year of the UNESCO Convention announced that it was looking to hire an expert to large wave of repatriation requests. the return, permanently or on on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit direct its colonial repatriation efforts. Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Evolving Law on Nazi-Era Claims loan, of objects from public Property, is generally recognized as the benchmark Ownership disputes concerning Holocaust-era art collections.” date for museums acquiring antiquities (an ethical are nothing new for US museums, and they receive and moral standard first proposed by Association of frequent attention in the press and Hollywood. Art Museum Directors guidelines), museums should However, recent developments in Nazi-looted art know that an object’s pre-1970 provenance does not litigation are setting important precedents that will following, discussed further in this article, scratch necessarily fully insulate the museum from claims. greatly impact museums currently in possession of the surface of this topic. This is a museum guideline and not embodied in law. artworks that may be subject to claims by heirs of • Antiquities are coming under ever-greater While countries give some respect to the 1970 date, Holocaust victims. scrutiny, and the year 1970 is not an incontest- those with patrimony laws pre-dating 1970 may still The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) able bright line. make claims if they believe that a given artifact was Act of 2016 provides a six-year statute of limitations • The landscape for possessing and displaying found, or originated, within the modern-day bound- (SOL) for Nazi-looted art claims. One either has tribal and colonial-era objects has likewise aries of their country during a time when local law COLLECTION six years from the passage of the HEAR Act for become more challenging for museums. created ownership rights in the country. already-known claims, or prospectively a six-year • Evolving legal concepts are changing the face INSURANCE SOL for as-yet unknown claims (the clock starts to of Nazi-era claims. Tribal and Colonial-Era Objects INSIGHTS run when the claimant has actual knowledge of the • Museums should continuously improve and In recent years, a proliferation of reports, national Eric S. Fischer, senior vice president of Willis location and identity of the artwork or knowledge of update their due diligence policies and efforts. task forces, and international commissions have Towers Watson, offers the following quick review the claimant’s possessory interest in the artwork). This • Museums should have a forward-thinking offered advice on the repatriation of artifacts to on fine art insurance. supersedes state laws on SOLs, which were usually approach to ownership issues. tribes and former colonies in Asia, Africa, and the only two to three years for these kinds of claims. Americas. These initiatives have coincided with, or • Almost all fine art insurance policies exclude A key issue for courts analyzing Nazi-looted art loss due to defective title or seizure. perhaps accompanied, a rising number of claims— cases is whether, and to what extent, art transfers some based on law, but most largely based on morals • Some policies have a limited amount of defense during the Nazi era were the result of legally cogniza- cost coverage but usually not a lot. RES Archaeological Material and Ancient Art or ethics—related to the display, conservation, and ble duress. Some courts, such as the New York state • There is some coverage for loss due to OUR aam-us.org/programs/ethics-standards-and-professional- storage of objects that have been removed from their defective title, but coverage is limited with lots court in Reif v. Nagy, have embraced an expanded CES practices/archaeological-material-and-ancient-art/ tribes or countries of origin. of conditions and state law concerns. concept of duress. In this case, the court found that Guidelines on the Acquisition of Archaeological Material and Particularly in the aftermath of France’s ambitious • Title insurance is a one-time purchase that the transfer of an art collection pursuant to a power Ancient Art 2018 report The Restitution of African Cultural covers defense costs as well as the value of the of attorney executed in a concentration camp was the aamd.org/sites/default/files/document/AAMD%20 Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics, public work if the title is defective. Title insurance does product of duress. However, recent cases in New York not cover false attribution. Guidelines%202013.pdf outcry over the hundreds of thousands of objects federal court, such as the trial court in Zuckerman v. • Nazi-era looting claims still are occurring. Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy, The Restitution of African with a colonial-era acquisition in the provenance has Metropolitan Museum of Art, have taken a narrower Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics, 2018 reached a fever pitch, with patrons and disgruntled • Poor gift paperwork from the 1960s–1980s is a view, setting a higher standard for undoing a wartime new area of concern.
restitutionreport2018.com/sarr_savoy_en.pdf social media users continuously demanding that Photo Julia Faranchuk / Alamy Stock transaction based on a claim of duress.
34 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 35
The disparate results of such recent cases make museum’s reputation and add value to the works in clear that disputes about what constitutes duress your collection. resulting in a “forced” sale, particularly when considering transactions that occurred outside the Think Bigger on Ownership Third Reich, will continue to be hotly litigated in the Even when objects have been in museums for foreseeable future—with unpredictable results. decades or longer and seem to have no red flags on ownership, the public is increasingly demanding Focus on Due Diligence transparency regarding objects’ origins and man- In today’s digital world, it is easy for outsiders to ner of acquisition. Museum-goers may become identify ownership issues and then make claims suspicious when museum labels or websites fail to that are well-founded—or not. Therefore, museums include provenance information. need to stay ahead of any potential problems by If your museum spots a potential issue with exercising as much ongoing due diligence as possi- an object in its collection, do not assume that the ble, not only with future acquisitions and loans, but museum will lose the piece or that outsiders will also for objects already in their collections. view your museum as “bad” or “caught in the act.” Research object histories as fully as possible, Consider this a starting point for conversations check lost art databases, consider who sold or with other museums, collectors, source countries, donated objects to the museum, learn about the or cultural groups that will open the door for future individuals or institutions listed in an object’s opportunities with loans and other kinds of educa- provenance, and investigate the nature of those tional exchanges for your museum. transactions to the extent possible. For objects orig- If your museum receives a complaint about an inating outside the US, review import and export object, thoroughly investigate the claim and verify certificates and verify their accuracy. the object’s provenance information. Regardless of Remember that due diligence is specific to each your museum’s view of the claim’s strength, seek object, so a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely legal guidance in responding to it; even challenges Call for Entries to succeed. Museums cannot simply depend on with little legal merit can be very difficult, expen- 2020 AAM Museum Publication Design publicly available information and should reach sive, and time-consuming to defend. Competition out to dealers, donors, and other links in an object’s Remember that these are often emotional issues, provenance chain. and, frequently, strong feelings of social justice are at Honoring Exemplary Work In: Donor questionnaires can minimize risk and play. Rather than thinking about how to slice the pie, • Exhibition Catalogues • Press Kits, Marketing and ensure that donations meet your museum’s ac- think about creative solutions to make the pie bigger. • Posters Public Relations Material quisition guidelines. These questionnaires inquire • Annual Reports • Fundraising/Membership about an object’s provenance: “How and when did • Books Materials you acquire the object?” They may prompt donors • Newsletters and • Educational Resources to provide copies of related documentation for an Suzanne Hale is registrar/collections manager Calendar of Events • Institution Materials object, such as an invoice, exhibition catalogue, or at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Colorado • Magazines and • Exhibition Collateral other materials that can help museum staff com- State University. She thanks Dr. Jennifer A. Scholarly Journals Materials • Invitation to Events plete further research. Morris, attorney at Cultural Heritage Partners, If paperwork is missing from the time of ac- PLLC, a global law and policy firm that serves Museums of all types and quisition, act immediately. The longer one waits, clients who seek to preserve and share history budget sizes are invited the harder it will be to get the necessary documen- and culture, for her assistance with this article. to submit print materials tation. Early diligence will offer museums more This article does not, and is not intended to, produced between January 1 options and can save expense and stress if issues constitute legal advice. Any opinions expressed in and December 31, 2019. are uncovered and dealt with proactively—before this article do not necessarily reflect the views of someone makes a claim. Detailed and transpar- Hale or Morris or any of the organizations they are Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2020. ent provenance research will also enhance your affiliated with. To apply visit https://www.aam-us.org/pub-comp
MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 37
How can leaders—and emerging leaders—confront the core contradictions facing museums today?
By Cindy Meyers Foley and Regan Pro
In June 2019, 35 museum leaders made their way to Claremont, California, for the Getty Leadership Institute (GLI). For 40 years, GLI has sought to enhance the leadership of experienced museum professionals and strengthen institutional capacities by helping current and future museum leaders navigate the field’s most pressing challenges and opportunities. As part of the 2019 cohort, we spent two weeks discussing, debating, unpacking, and questioning the core beliefs of our field. These conversations happened in classrooms and around lunch tables, in the early
38 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 39
mornings and late into the nights. We discussed the against discrepancies embedded in historical struc- We say we want to be a champion new challenges facing emerging leaders and what may tures. We determined that change would not come for social justice. be scaring them away. from directives and box checking but from active YET As we talked about the future of the field and our listening, opportunities for various stakeholders to We are built on a foundation that A NOTE roles, we fixated on our responsibility to drive, pro- grapple with the complexities, and work cultures that isolates wealth and power within mote, and support systemic change. We were learning have a higher tolerance for ambiguity. an exclusive group. ABOUT THE about shared leadership and practicing it in real time. As the night stretched on, our conversations One evening, nearly the entire GLI cohort came kept returning to eight fundamental tensions facing Will Cary recently became the chief of business AUTHORS together for a self-organized discussion about key museums today. These core contradictions were a strategy and analytics at the Barnes Foundation issues and how to move them forward in our institu- litmus test for where we stand individually and as a in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This newly created We are sharing a conversation that tions. What emerged was a list of leadership-specific field. Below, the paired statements speak to the groups’ position oversees all of the museum’s earned revenue originally included the voices of challenges that reflect our current times and come up collective experience while providing individual ex- and associated departments, including ticketing, retail, more than 30 people representing amples of how these ideas play out in practice. At the special events, AV, marketing, and analytics, in hopes diverse identities. While we have core of these ideas is our hope that a museum leader of growing new funding opportunities to support tried our best to represent all the can be both a change agent and a steward. the museum’s core mission. “It will be essential for perspectives of participants, we “Audience is always the field that we have several streams of funding and also recognize that our privileges mentioned as the ‘why’ to We proclaim to be open to all. that they are balanced so that over time institutions and biases as two white, cis- YET aren’t relying on boards and a few major funders for gendered women working in the museum project, but We prioritize our knowledge their survival,” Cary says. “We need revenue models art museums shape what we over all others. that aren’t only philanthropy-based, but can also be remember and report. We hope this the discussions around the sustainable and focused on a broad public rather than article acknowledges that influence “Something we’re trying to do at the DePaul Art a privileged few.” and recognition must be shared, groups we serve can do more Museum (DPAM) is be transparent and self-critical both with the GLI cohort and the about how museums create and convey knowl- We say we want to be more many others making change. to change the ‘how’ at the edge,” says DPAM Director and Chief Curator Julie audience-focused. institution’s foundation.” Rodrigues Widholm. “Many of our exhibitions begin YET with a question and are presented as propositions for We constantly make assumptions — Chantal Drake dialogue rather than matters of authoritative fact. We around what our audiences want. want visitors to join us on a journey of questioning. opportunity to attract new audiences and encourage Of course, we’re still responsible for accuracy within “Audience is always mentioned as the ‘why’ to the mu- ownership of the museum among those whom we aim our content, but we’re also interested in what happens seum project, but the discussions around the groups to uplift, encourage, and inspire.” when we transparently open areas where we might we serve can do more to change the ‘how’ at the insti- be lacking knowledge or lift the veil on museum tution’s foundation,” says Chantal Drake, director of We proclaim the need to break traditions and conventions. For example, we invited development and communications at Dixon Gallery down hierarchies. Brendan Fernandes to have an exhibition with us in and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee. “Museums YET fall 2018 as a way to explore our holdings of African recognize audience when they create relevant ed- We maintain our internal and ex- objects. We had a lot of questions about how this work ucation programs and events and identify certain clusive power structures. fits into the systems of a modern and contemporary groups as marketing targets. But artwork safety and art museum, and Brendan’s work explores the com- visitor comfort should both be prioritized, scholarship Linda Harrison, a black LGBTQ woman, was ap- plexities of African objects being collected by Western acceptance and community relatability should be con- pointed director and CEO of The Newark Museum art museums. This resulted in a beautiful collaboration sidered simultaneously, and assessment of individual of Art (TNMA) in New Jersey to transform it into a that not only gave Chicago audiences an introduction experiences can increase visitor numbers. When the relevant museum for art and culture. “Challenging to this facet of Brendan’s work, but opened up ques- museum’s core beliefs continue to shift to include, internal and exclusive power structures is something tions about authorship, provenance, classifications and value, the audience’s voice—beyond surveys I negotiate every day,” Harrison says. “Breaking of art vs. artifact, and the colonial roots of museum and committees—and engage the community in our down hierarchies requires a radical internal culture Cindy Meyers Foley asking peers to reflect on the gnarly issues facing museum leaders today. collections.” process, content, and products, there is much more shift that must be navigated with both the board of
40 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 41
trustees and staff simultaneously. In developing my and scholars who did this were seeking to under- We proclaim to value multiple “We need to work vision for TNMA, my first priority was to develop stand these cultures within a larger sweep of human perspectives and champion with our colleagues a culture of caring. My job is to make a serious history. But museums were built on 19th and 20th inclusivity. investment in the staff, break down the silos, provide century assumptions of Western cultural superiority, YET who are educators to transparency, and develop a continuous training envi- and many today hesitate to reexamine core values We don’t try to learn from those ronment that is centered on compassionate commu- of acquisition, authority, and the application of leading on change outside of the help them advocate nication, inclusiveness, access, design thinking, and Western scholarly assumptions to Indigenous cul- West. trust. Spending at least 65 percent of my time on the tures. We dehumanize people and prioritize objects for the fundamental culture was a calculated risk that I embraced in order when we exclude descendant communities from “The question of how we might believe we have more for us to become an organization that exudes best co-creating practices and policies related to their to learn than to teach is especially significant within importance of practices and is a great place to work. We’re becoming ancestors and ancestral belongings. The San Diego an academic museum,” says Sylvia Rohr, director and a transparent/vibrant/interactive/progressive orga- Museum of Man and the Ohio History Connection curator at the University Art Gallery at the University experience in educating nization by getting out of our comfort zones; putting have passed policies in the past three years that of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “Academic museums culture first; and hiring bold, nontraditional voices.” situate decision-making about Indigenous cultural are uniquely poised to perform the necessary work students of all ages.” resources within contemporary Indigenous commu- of investigating and dismantling institutional racism — Cyra Levenson We promote and protect nities. These policies, once fully implemented, will and serve as incubators for future practice. This is creativity. help both institutions rehumanize themselves and especially important in academic museums that are YET rebalance the relationship of people and objects.” tied to undergraduate and graduate museum studies We don’t support innovation and art history departments. In this context, we are internally. We say we hold the keys to bet- tasked with teaching best practices to future museum ter education and thinking. professionals. But what if some of these practices “Our organizational culture had evolved to mandate YET are not in fact the best? What other practices can success at all costs,” says Amy Horst, associate director We are not proactive in leading we emulate instead? These are the questions we ask at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, the change or disrupting the students to consider as they curate exhibitions, plan Wisconsin. “This resulted in unsustainable pressure current system. programming, and engage audiences in the context on the arts center’s creative staff and fear of failure, of our museum. By requiring future museum profes- which actually inhibited us from reaching the full po- “The definitions of both learning and knowledge sionals to question the very basis of best practices and tential of our projects. We realized we had to change are changing rapidly,” says Cyra Levenson, deputy to explore and adopt practices that fall outside of the our internal culture and how we engaged with risk director and Gail Engelberg director of education and realm, we begin to challenge fundamental assump- taking, whether planning smaller program initiatives public engagement at the Solomon R. Guggenheim tions in museum structures.” or a massive project like the August opening of our Museum in New York City. “We now understand second facility, the Art Preserve. Now, when faced through neuroscience research that cognition takes One of the presenters at GLI, Dr. Arvind Bhambri, with the uncertainty of success, our mandate is to go place through our sensory experiences and the way shared that “you can’t think your way into a new way all in. If we fail, we will fail creatively.” we store them in our memories and in our bodies. Yet of acting, you must act your way into a new way of school is designed to isolate knowing as a set of skills, thinking.” Our colleagues are already acting their way Participants in the summer 2019 Getty Leadership We claim to honor human often divorced from the content of students’ own into new thinking. No one has all the answers, but Institute met after hours to work on catalyzing change culture. lived experience. Museums are the perfect laboratory we can and should leverage our collective progress. and holding each other accountable. YET to connect skills and experience. We need to work Museum leaders need to fail together, learn together, We dehumanize people and with our colleagues who are educators to help them and change together. prioritize objects. advocate for the fundamental importance of experi- ence in educating students of all ages. Art history is “From their beginnings, museums have commodi- only one of the many ways of knowing that we can Cindy Meyers Foley is the executive deputy director of fied, quantified, and categorized Indigenous bodies share, and we need to be receptive to the place where learning and experience at the Columbus Museum of RES The Museum Leadership Institute (MLI) is now the Museum and belongings,” says Ben Garcia, deputy executive our students’ ideas and knowledge meet the objects Art in Ohio, and Regan Pro is the Kayla Skinner deputy OUR Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University (MLI@ director and chief learning officer at the Ohio in our galleries. That is where the new frontiers of director of education and public engagement at the CES CGU). Find out more at mli.cgu.edu. History Connection in Columbus. “The curators Cindy Meyers Foley understanding works of art will emerge.” Seattle Art Museum in Washington.
42 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 43
ALLIANCE IN 1 2 3 9 ACTION
2020 Museums Advocacy 10 Efforts Get a Head Start at 4 1 National Endowment for the 10 Advocates (Barry Szczesny, Museums Advocacy Day Humanities Chairman Jon Director, Government Relations Parrish Peede and Public Policy, AAM; Brandy Vause, Deputy Director, Bay 2 Charity Counts, Executive Area Discovery Museum; Director, Association of Midwest Kalie Sacco, Lawrence Hall Museums of Science, UC Berkeley; and Kimberly Rudolph, Chief of 11 museums and the importance of • Getting informed with 3 Kelly McKinley, CEO, Bay Museums Advocacy Staff for Indiana Representative Area Discovery Museum) Day, February 24–25, 2020, advocating for museums and the Alliance Advocacy Alerts André D. Carson present the staff of California brought together 375 museum federal programs that support them. • Using our brand-new 4 Pennsylvania Museum Congresswoman Barbara Lee advocates from across the country Between Museums Advocacy Speaking Up: Museum Advocate Xuanyu Li with her Museums Advocacy 5 Day 2020 Congressional who made 425 visits to congres- Day and the time at which we Advocacy in Action toolkit 5 Della Hall, Executive Director, Award. sional offices, including more write this on March 24, the • Downloading and sharing Museums Alaska (2020 11 Christine Anagnos, Executive than 50 visits with the legislators impacts of COVID-19 on the Museum Facts Advocacy Leadership Awardee); Cynthia Sweet, Executive Director, Association of Art themselves. We took Capitol Hill museum field have become dire. • Contacting Congress and Director, Iowa Museum Museum Directors; Laura and social media by storm, sharing Continued advocacy efforts will be following your legislators on Association (2020 Advocacy Huerta Migus, Executive Director, Association of 12 information about key legislative critical throughout the rest of the social media Leadership Awardee); and Ruth Ann Rugg, Managing Director, Children’s Museums; and Vedet priorities, critical data about the year as museums not only recover • Learning about policy issues Coalition of State Museum Coleman-Robinson, Executive economic impact of museums, from the impacts of the pandemic affecting museums Associations (COSMA) Director, Association of African 6 American Museums and the deep public support for on their operations, but also play a Thank you to all of our 2020 6 Maryland advocates with them. We heard from legislators, a vital role in our society’s recovery supporters, partners, and advocates Maryland Senator Chris Van 12 Museums Advocacy Day buttons congressional chief of staff, federal as a whole. Visit our website at who helped make Museums Hollen 13 Crosby Kemper III, director of agency leaders, and partner policy bit.ly/AdvocacyAAM to join the Advocacy Day 2020 a successful 7 New York Senator Charles Schumer with New York the Institute of Museum and experts about the unique value of cause today by: and transformational event. museum advocates Library Services, addresses advocates. 13 8 Kelly Paras of The National Oregon advocates meet with Society of The Colonial Dames 14 State Historical Society of Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley. North Dakota Director Claudia of America and Blackbaud 7 advocates Dale Strange, Kevin Berg and American Alliance Russell, and Piper Browne of Museums President and meet with staff from Louisiana CEO Laura Lott present North Senator Bill Cassidy’s office. Dakota Senator John Hoeven with his Museums Advocacy 9 DC Congresswoman Eleanor Day 2020 Congressional Holmes Norton meets with Award. museum advocates. 14
8 SAVE THE DATE FOR 2021! Join us February 22–23 in Washington, DC All photos © AAM/Todd Buchanan 2020 All photos © AAM/Todd
MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 45
Museums Advocacy Day Supporters TRIBUTES AND TRANSITIONS
CORPORATE SPONSOR New In Memoriam Jobs Crystal Bauer, IN FOND MEMORY Manager, Center for the History of Family Medicine, OF A LEGACY Leawood, KS CO-CONVENORS Kim Igoe served as AAM’s vice president for Advertiser Guide policy and programs from 2001–2011 and interim Carla Bitter, president/CEO during that time from 2006–2007. 10-31 Company Vice President of Learning She began her career with AAM in the early 1980s as Science Inside Front Cover and Programming, director of the accreditation program and technical World, Vancouver, BC information service, overseeing the landmark Advocacy Tool Kit publications Excellence and Equity and Mastering page 37 Civic Engagement. She later progressed to oversee Benjamin Filene, the Museum Advancement & Excellence programs of LEADERS Associate Director of American Frame MAP and Accreditation, and in 2001 assumed the role Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian’s page of vice president. Kim had a profound impact on the 15 National Museum of American museum field as well as her many colleagues. During History, Washington, DC Aquarium of the Bay her time at AAM, she mentored, coached, and formed lifelong friendships with many staff members. Back Cover Brian J. Howard, Executive Director, AS Hanging Systems page PARTNERS North Andover Historical 7 Society, MA Pat Williams served as AAM’s vice president for policy and programs from 1991-2001. She had Brooke Business previously served as director of accreditation and page 11 Sarah Laursen, professional standards at AAM from 1983–1991. From Alan J. Dworsky Associate 2001–2007, she was chief operating officer and Design Competition Curator of Chinese Art, director of citizen membership at Americans for the page 37 Harvard Art Museums, Arts. Throughout her distinguished career, Pat worked Cambridge, MA at the highest levels of the museum, arts, and cultural Design and fields, directing high-profile national initiatives, leading Production Inc Christopher Newell, the day-to-day operations of national organizations, page 1 Executive Director and and developing relationships with leaders in the Senior Partner with public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She also had an Dynamic Air Wabanaki Nations, Abbe impressive leadership record as a board member and Quality Solutions Museum, Bar Harbor, ME community activist dedicated to heritage and cultural page 37 preservation issues. CONTRIBUTORS Annie Pardo, General Facility American Institute for Conservation Michigan Museums Association Director, National Report Museum of the Marine page Irene Hirano Inouye served on the AAM Board of 9 Association for Living History, Farm National Association for Interpretation Corps, Triangle, VA Directors from 2005–2010, and as its chair from Lighting Services and Agricultural Museums South Carolina Federation of Museums 2006–2008, she advanced the policy of diversity and inclusion as well as AAM’s first strategic plan. page 3 Emily M. Talbot, Since 2008, she served as president of the U.S.- Association of Art Museum Curators Southeastern Museums Conference Norton Chief Curator, Japan Council. Previously, she was the founding Rowman & Littlefield Simon Museum, Federation of State Humanities Councils Texas Association of Museums CEO and president of the Japanese American Inside Pasadena, CA National Museum, a position she held for 20 years. Back Cover Throughout her distinguished career, she served on the boards of many organizations, including Times Square SUPPORTERS the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Lighting Smithsonian Institution and chaired the boards of page 17 the Ford Foundation and Kresge Foundation. Irene Americans for the Arts Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Museums Association of Montana received the AAM Distinguished Service Award in Coalition of State Museum Associations Missouri Association for Museums North Carolina Museums Council WHAT’S YOUR Trends Watch CAREER NEWS? 2016, which honors an individual with exemplary page 13 Colorado-Wyoming Association of Museums and Archives Ohio Museums Association Tell us your news at accomplishments and sustained service in the Historic Naval Ships Association Museum Association of Arizona Oregon Museums Association bit.ly/CareerNewsAAM. museum field. Illinois Association of Museums Museum Computer Network PA Museums International Museum Theatre Alliance Museum Education Roundtable Small Museum Association Iowa Museum Association Museums Alaska Virginia Association of Museums MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org 47
2020_MAD_Sponsor Magazine Ad.indd 1 3/24/20 9:45 AM REFLECTION Our classic guide on MUSEUM REGISTRATION is now out in a new edition
MUSEUM REGISTRATION METHODS Sixth Edition Edited by John E. Simmons and Toni M. Kiser
“As strong as ever, this edition benefi ts all kinds of museums—from art to natural history—and all sizes of museums—from large to small. Its structure is straightforward and useful, good for seasoned professionals as well as those newer to the practice. The edition nicely blends extensive updating where necessary while remaining strong in other more foundational areas. No wonder it is referred to as the ‘bible’ of museum registration!” —Kiersten F. Latham, Director of Arts & Cultural Management and Museum This bridge will only take you halfway there Studies, Michigan State University To those mysterious lands you long to see: Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fairs And moonlit woods where unicorns run free. The sixth edition of Museum Registration Methods is So come and walk a while with me and share a comprehensive guide to registration and collections The twisting trails and wondrous worlds I’ve known. management for museums, from acquisition to use and But this bridge will only take you halfway there— deaccessioning. The last few steps you’ll have to take alone. SAVE 20% when you John E. Simmons teaches workshops and museum studies order online classes and serves as Associate Curator of Collections for at www.rowman.com the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at with promo code Penn State University. Toni Kiser is the Assistant Director for AAMPRESS20. Collections Management at The National WWII Museum.
This Bridge by Shel Silverstein April 2020 • 560 pages 978-1-5381-1311-0 • $95.00 • Paper 978-1-5381-1310-3 • $175.00 • Cloth 978-1-5381-1312-7 • $90.00 • eBook
Album/Alamy Stock Photo Miyanokoshi, from the series “Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido (Kisokaido rokujukyu tsugi no uchi).” Utagawa Hiroshige; Japanese, 1797–1858. Date: 1830–1843. Dimensions: 24 x 36.3 cm (9 7/16 x 14 1/4 in.). Color woodblock print; oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Art Institute of Chicago. www.rowman.com | 800-462-6420
48 MUSEUM / Summer 2020 / aam-us.org
2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1005 Arlington, VA 22202
A BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS