Museums or Social Justice Arabian Gulf Cultu e \ American '\\• ' Alliance of Sustainability Standards \\\ Museums
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2 / museum JU LY I AUGUST 2014 - -
I FEATURES
32 MUSEUMS FOR SOCIAL JUsTICE Thoughts from a 2014 AAM Annual Meeting Big Ideas presentation.
38 VISION FOR CULTURE IN THE ARABIAN GULF •. ... ' . An excerpt from Museums in a Global Context: ·. ' National Identity, International Unde._rstanding .
BY PEGGY LOAR
47 THE SUSTAINABLE MUSEUM An excerpt from Museums, Environmental Sustainability and Our Future.
Design by Jean Nouvel for the new National Museum of Qatar. See page38. » CONTENTS------
DEPARTMENTS
7 From the Chair 22 My Take The Alliance transforms and The challenge of bringing succeeds. history to life.
8 In Box 26 Inside View A museum renovation helps 9 By the Numbers widen the audience. Data from the field. 56 Advertiser Guide/ 10 Debuts Photo Credits New exhibits, construction and acquisitions. 57 Alliance Community Accreditation· Museum 17 What's New Careers· People· 2014 Annual Meeting Items of note from the field.
Showcase 18 Information Please 64 Core Documents Veri fication for small museums.
Cover: April Ashley, a transsexual woman who is the focus of a current exhibition at the Mu seum of Liverpool. See pag e 32.
4 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 She's your museum's
and most loyal supporter.
Most As budgets and resources shrink and the officers may not be adequately protected. coverage. demand for quality programming expands, your umbrella policies exclude this vital protect your directors board members and directors are increasingly Learn how you can better your costs. Ask your called upon to make tough decisions. Any one of and officers without increasing at those decisions can trigger a lawsuit that would broker to contact the umbrella specialists not only hurt your organization financially but also Distinguished Programs. might threaten the personal assets of your key Brian Parks at 303-862-9396 or leaders. [email protected]. Now is the time to take a closer look at For a free and DISTINGUISHED your liability protection. Even if you have 0&0 PROGRAMS brochure, scan here umbrella liability insurance, your directors and ··- We'll Be There. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/aamers
Fi nd us and like us on Fac eboo k: fac ebook.co m/americ an museums American Alliance Find us on Lin ked in: of www.lin ke din.com /groups/Ameri can Museums Alliance -Museum s
Visit us online: aam-us.org . Champion Muse ums. Nurture Exce ll ence.
Editorial Thanks to our Member senior editor DEWEY BLANTON Discount Providers creative director SUSAN v. LEVINE managing editor SUSANNAH CASSEDY O'DONNELL
sen ior designe r SELENA ROBLETO
contributing editors GUZEL duCHATEAU, ELIZABETH MERRITT, GAIL RAVNITZKY SILBERGLIED, JOELLE SELIGSON, GREG STEVENS
G Advertising geica.carn WILLIAM MAMBERT e-mail: [email protected] phone: 703-751-9864
Blackbaud@ The Alliance Executive Office pre sident FORD W. BELL, DVM chief operating officer LAURALOTT Bankof America . The Alliance Board of Directors OFFICERS Te rm of Office 2013 -2016 MARK EDWARD Merchant Services Ch air (201 4-2016 ) , Herlzbach & Co. PA KAYWI N FELDMAN, Minneapolis Institute of Arts DAVID ELLIS, Independent Consultant NIK HONEYSETT, Balboa Park Online Collaborative Vi ce Chair (2014-2015) JUDITH MARGLES, Oregon Jewish Museum WILLIAM T. HARRIS, CaUfornia Science Center Foundation TONYA MATTHEWS, Mi chigan Science Center Treasurer SILVIA SINGER, Museo lnleractlvo de Economfa (MIDE) GEORGE G. JOHNSON. George Johnson & Company CARLOS TORTOLERO, National Museum of Mexican Art Immediate Pas t Chair (2014-2016) Te rm of Office 2014 - 2017 MEME OMOGBAI, The Newark Museum ELLEN CHARLES, Hillwood Estate Museu m & Garden s KIPPEN DE ALBA CHU, Ialani Palace Term o f Office 2012-2015 BERIT N. DURLER, ROBERT M. DAVIS, Zoological Society of Milwaukee San Diego Zoo Global JOEL HOFFMAN, JAMES R. HACKNEY, JR., Yale Divinity School Vi zcaya Museum & Gardens LISA YUN LEE, Univer DOUGLASs. JONES, Florida Mu seu m of Natural History sity of Illinois Chicago HT~ University of Florida PATTY ORTIZ, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center ELIZA BENNINGTON KOZLOWSKI, George Eastman House VAN A. ROMANS, Fort Worth Museum of Science & History International Muse um of Photography & Film JOHN WETENHALL, Th e Textile Museum and The George TEY MARIANNA NUNN, Visual Art s Program and Museum Washington University Museum Na tional Hispani c Cultural Center LAWRENCE PIJEAUX, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute MARSHALL C. TURNER, Turner Venture As sociates
MUSEUM (ISSN 0027-4089) July/August 201 4. Volume 93. No. 4 Published bimonthly (l/F. M/A. M/l. J/A. S/0. N/D) by the Ameri can Alliance of Muse ums 15 75 Eye St. N w.. Suite 400. Washington. DC. 20005; 202-289-181 8; FAX 202-289-6578; ww w.aa m-us.org. Annual $ubscrlpllon tate ts S38 . Copies are ma rt ect to all membets. Single COfY'IIS S7. Overseas dltmallls an additional $45 Membership In the 1\lllance tnclud es Sl2 from annual membersnlp dues applicable to a subscription to MUSEUM, except ror stur;!c nts and retirees. (Tl1 1s notice
1 ( I The Road to Success
I could be more WE WITHIN THE AAM leadership limitless. IMLS recently announced that there are exhaling a bit these days, than 35,000 museums in the United States. That's double having made tremendous the estimate that we all have embraced for some time. The strides over the past four Alliance, despite our recent progress, has a total of 3,500 years. With the guidance museums on its membership rolls. Room for growth, indeed. of AAM President Ford While the AAM transformation is still in progress, it is my board chair Bell and time to seriously chart the next phase. That work has already predecessors-Carl Nold of begun. Even before the IMLS announcement, it was evident New England, Doug Myers of San Diego Zoo Global Historic that AAM has not gained a toehold among America's small and Meme Omogbai of The Newark Museum-AAM has truly museums. So with IMLS's support, we are starting work on been transformed. It started with an honest and penetrating the creation of a Small Museums Accreditation Academy, to look at the organization, supplemented by qualitative and launch in 2016. We are reaching out to smaller institutions, quantitative research, to determine what museum profession encouraging them to explore our assessment programs-par als wanted from AAM. ticularly the Core Documents Verification initiative (seep. 18). After much consideration and endless rounds of lively Although AAM has much work to do domestically, we discussion, it was clear that AAM needed to first unite must also step up our global outreach. As in so many sectors, our field and enhance the brand. Thus we chose the name the real growth in museums is happening in China. And "Alliance" over "Association." We also needed to make the just as the geopolitical focus of the U.S. is turning to Asia, case for museums with government at all levels and with the there is potential for forming international partnerships with public, and to help our individual members do their jobs bet museums in the growing economies of India, Brazil, Taiwan ter, whatever their discipline or career stage. These objectives and Vietnam. Dean Phelus leads the Alliance's international are best expressed in the tagline we adopted 18 months ago: efforts and is making great progress. There is enormous "Champion Museums. Nurture Excellence." potential for us. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, Back here at home, AAM needs to maintain its advocacy with 1,400 new museum members and more than 4,000 efforts. With a united field, we can ensure that museums are individuals joining our ranks. We have made our member consistently at the table, rather than on it. ship more affordable and more accessible-but most of all, Even this cursory summary reveals afull plate. But with more valuable. We have implemented efficiencies and more your steadfast support and engagement, we can get there. substantive programs to help our members succeed. Our ad I promise to have my shoulder to the wheel in my two-year vocacy efforts are also showing results, with record numbers board term and get as much work done toward achieving our of members of Congress signing on in support of funding goals as I can. We hope you come along with us. Many will for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and reap the rewards, but none more than the public we serve. other key agencies, including the National Endowment for There has never been a more exciting time for museums as the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and we transform ourselves for the future. the National Science Foundation. But we can't let it rest there-there's still more to be done! The potential growth and impact of AAM is virtually
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Kaywin Feldman is chair, Alliance Board of Directors, and director and president,
JU LY I AU GUST 2014 museum / 7 >> IN BOX
l,tr\'t care" is that for historic sites professional standards so and history house museums, that they meet the unique the buildings may very well needs of the institutions be the most significant object that make up the majority of that institution has. Take the museums in the United the National Park Service States. These standards model of only displaying must acknowledge that the objects that have proven National Historic Landmark direct provenance to the building is just as important site. Otherwise, the house is as the painting by Peale of completely empty. Friendsh ip the man who built it. We need Hill National Hi storic Site detailed criteria for deacces and Elizabeth Cady Stanton sioning non-mission-based House are good examples objects that are currently the I have been a member of admit AAM has been doing of this. Are you going to tell albatrosses around historic AAM since 1991 and of the better at reaching out. me that these buildings are sites' necks, and to be able American Association for Thus the article "Founding not importanP They are the to use any funds from the State and Local History Father, Found" by Carol S. very foundation upon which sale of these objects to go (AASLH) since 1992. Back Ward [Inside View, March/ they tell their story. Yet AAM towards the care of what the then, I would drop everything April 2014] caught my eye. I insists that "direct care" does individual institution deems to read History News because read it eagerly and nodded not apply to the care of build to be the most critical "direct it contained information I in empathy. I then read the ings. The National Trust for care" issue of the site. These could use immediately. I letters to the editor [In Box, Historic Preservation has standards must state required dutifully read Museum News May/]une 2014] in the next found a way around this little and came to the conclusion Continued on page 55 issue with dismay. hurdle by literally ac ce ssion that it is a maga zine for art What gets lost within the ing the building. Bravo! museums. That opinion has discussion of deaccessioning What we need from AAM not changed, although I must and the definition of "direct is guidance on interpreting
Like most Americans, I was our ongoing war against the the 117,000 men who died for shocked by the violence and Taliban. freedom . After each event, deaths on 9/11 and the jubi Seventy-three years after Americans vowed, "We must lance and rejoicing at those the Japanese attack on Pearl never forget." Do we truly deaths that occurred in parts Harbor, annual remembrance remember them today? of the Middle East. When a ceremonies are not well Americans move forward tragic event occurs or a wa r attended. Students have a and, with a few exceptions, ends, Americans say, "We feeble co mprehension of the do not look back and respect must never forget." Yet for Japanese attack on the U.S. the past. Today we honor in a of history that flows from those who work in the busi Pacific fleet that took 2,400 new memorial and museum one generation to another, ness of history day in and day American lives, and a shallow the memory of our fellow the story of 9/11 will lose its out and regularly talk with understanding of that terrible ci tizens killed by the terror meaning. Like the generation the public, we realize how conflict in general. Mention ists on 9/11 ["The Heart of lost in the First World War, unfulfilled that message is. the Holocaust to people and, Memory," May/June 2014]. 9/11 will be largely forgotten. As on e illustration, the war as a rule, they have weak Sadly, despite the time and Kudos to those attempting against terrorists continues, comprehension of its grue money, it is unlikely our rev to keep alive the story of that but today the media seldom some meaning. In 1918 , in the erence will be continued by tragic day. even reports on the casual aftermath and shock of World future generations. BRAD LARSON ties American forces continue War I, the nation solemnly As painful as it is to admit, DIRECTOR OSHKOSH PUB to su ffer in Afghanistan in proclaimed I_I C MUSEUNI never to forget without the core strength OSH KOSH. WI
8 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2 014 By the NUMBERS << l ------I I Portion of U.S. GDP attributable to business travel.
Global Business Travel Association (g bla org)
20s Largest age group in the U.S. There are more 22-year-olds than anyone of any other age. In 2010, Hedgehogs born at Cameron people in their 50s outnumbered other age groups. Park Zoo in Waco, Texas. Once the babies are old enough, U.S. Census Bureau they will be used for education and outreach programs. zooborns.com /zooborns/hedgehog/ 35,144 Number of active U.S. museums, according to the $4.9 latest estimate from the Institute of Museum and Library Services-more than billio n double the last count of Decline in public elementary and 17,500 from the 1990s. Both secondary education revenues IMLS and AAM encourage in 2012, the first dip since the museums to review the list Census Bureau began tracking of institutions and provide this data in 1977. feedback. Public Education Financing 2072. U.S. Census imls.gov Bureau. 2074
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 9 » DEBUTS------
\
Children's Museum of Indianapolis Families can get up-close and personal with a mystery more than two millennia in the making in "China's Terra Cotta Warriors: The Emperor's Painted Army." Eight of these ancient, hand-painted warrior figures are on view in the exhibition, which delves into the science and archeology behind the objects' creation and discovery. Interactive features invite visitors to join the archeo Logical team that uncovered the warriors and to consider current research on the 8,000 figures, which were discovered in Shaanxi Province. A warrior head from the Xi'an dig pits is displayed as well, along with more than 100 additional artifacts. On view simultaneously is "Take Me There: China," a comple mentary exhibition exploring China of the past and of today. Visitors can take a virtual flight over the Great Wall of China and into Beijing, where they tour the present-day republic. Daily life and Longstanding traditions, including calligraphy, tea presenta tions, medicinal practice, cuisine and music, are examined within re-creations of Chinese structures and settings. To immerse themselves further in Chinese culture, families can participate in a martial arts activity or a shadow puppet performance set in the Shaolin Temple, a center of Chinese kung fu. To Nov. 2, 2014.
10 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 I ------DEBUTS « I Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens Washington, DC I Marjorie Merriweather Post, the socialite 1 who founded General Foods and became America's richest woman, was, understandably, one of Cartier's best clients. Dozens of the jewelry sets, accessories and jewel encrusted frames that Post ordered from the French company between the 1920s and 1960s are on glit tering display in "Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post's Dazzling Gems." Among the most stunning and historically important pieces is an exotic brooch comprising seven carved Indian emeralds, consid ered an example of Cartier's best work, and the 21-carat Maximilian Emerald ring, on loan from the Smithsonian. To Dec. 31, 2014.
Adventure Aquarium Camden, NJ I Genny and Button are two happy hippos in their new home, Hippo Haven. Opened to the public in May, this colorful environ ment is designed to evoke a day in the Life on an African river, where hippos, which are semi-aquatic, typically would be found lounging in the water or mud to keep cool. Visitors can get a good look at these giant mammals-Genny and Button, both females, each weigh a cool 3,000 pounds-while enjoying a color, light and sound show that illuminates this imaginative setting. On view indefinitely.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 11 » DEBUTS ------
High Museum of Art Atlanta I Wynn Bullock's 1951 photograph Child in Forest, featuring a youth resting in a bed of lush plant life, became an iconic image after it was featured in Edward Steichen's landmark exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art four years later. It is among more than 100 images displayed in "Wynn Bullock: Revelations," a retrospective of the modernist photographer's nearly 40-year career. Beginning with Bullock's experimental images of the 1940s, the exhibition traces his move into black-and-white imagery, color light abstractions and, later, more metaphysical work. To Jan. 18, 2015.
La Jolla Historical Society La Jolla, CA I Named for the flower-strewn arbor in its entryway, Wisteria Cottage was built in 1904. The Prospect Street structure has had many functions in its 110-year history, serving as a church, a bookstore, a school and a guesthouse for one-time owner Eliza Virginia Scripps, half-sister of philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. Over the past year, the cottage un derwent a renovation and restoration so it can better fulfill its latest role as an exhibition space for the historical society. It reopened to the public this May, maintaining its status as the oldest structure in today's Scripps Cultural District.
12 / museum JU LY I AUGUST 2014 I ------DEBUTS «
American Folk Art Museum ' New York I "Outsider" refers to artists who never un dertook formal training, as well as to those who make work that doesn't fit neatly into accepted genres. "Self Taught GE;:nius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum" showcases both of these types. Starting with early American folk artists, who developed their skills through independent practice and experimentation, the exhibition extends to boundary-bending contem porary creators. To Jan . 8, 2017. Additional venues: Figge Art Museum, Davenport, lA; Mingei International Museum, San Diego; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX; New Orleans Museum of Art; Saint Louis Art Museum, MO; Tampa Museum of Art, FL.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Composed in l2l5, the Magna Carta helped inspire both the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; it is a symbol of freedom worldwide. One of only four existing copies of this iconic document journeys to Boston from England's Lincoln Castle for "Magna Carta: Cornerstone of Liberty." With accompanying art and artifacts-such as the 1768 Sons of Liberty Bowl, which honored 92 members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who protested the Townshend Acts-the exhibition pays tribute to revolutionaries who have fought for human rights throughout history. July 2-Sept. l, 2014.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 13 » DEBUTS------
National Building Museum Washington, DC I Nowhere is truly safe from the threat of natural disaster, but architects and de signers continue to improve upon their best efforts to protect us. "Designing for Disaster" assembles case studies of these attempts to guard against the destructive forces of earth, air, fire and water as well as artifacts that survived past devastations. Visitors can peer into a FEMA-specified "safe room," geared to stand against tornado force winds, and examine such objects as a stone fragment from the National Cathedral, which was damaged by the 2011 earthquake that rattled much of the East Coast. To Aug. 2, 2015.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City, MO I Both a massive sculpture and an intricate puzzle to solve, Glass Labyrinth invites visitors to observe and interact with art. This ?-foot tall, 62-foot-wide triangular structure, installed within the 22-acre Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park this spring, encapsulates a glass maze that people can wind through, effectively losing themselves in the work. Weighing more than 400 tons, Glass Labyrinth is the work of Robert Morris, an American artist known for his contributions to the minimalist, process art and earthworks movements in the 1960s and '70s. On view indefinitely.
National Museum of American Illustration Newport, Rl I Born in New York City in 1894, Norman Rockwell went on to associate with many like-minded creative types based in nearby artist communities, such as New Rochelle and Westport, New York. Artists who influenced and were inspired by Rockwell, one of the best-known illustrators of our time, are celebrated in "Norman Rockwell and his Contemporaries." In this thematic exhibition, works by J.C. Leyendecker, Stevan Doha nos, John Clymer and others who sketched scenes of American life in the 20th century are juxtaposed with classic illustrations by Rockwell. To Aug. 31, 2014.
14 / museum JU LY I AUGUST 2014 lOO's of styles & colors available on-line I
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16 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 ------Whaes NEW <<
Starting this fall, lifelong learners can access in depth classes on history, industry, travel, space and more through a new partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and the Great Courses, a series of audio and video lectures delivered by professors. This decade-long deal brings togeth er the Smithsonian's deep wells of information with the Great Courses' expertise in creating im mersive learning experiences. The first courses to be released will include "Experiencing America: A Smithsonian Tour through American History," based on Richard Kurin's book The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects, as well as "A Visual Guide to the Universe," featuring images from the Hubble and Kepler Space Telescopes.
Through the Native Youth Program (NYP) at the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology, aboriginal high school students study and teach about their own heritage. Former curator of ethnography Madeline Bronsdon Rowan joined with Physics author and artist Hilary Steward in l979 to form the ~ atthe NYP. Since, nearly 200 teenagers have gone through the collaborative work-study program, in which they ~ Art Museum learn about traditional Northwest Coast cultures and how to relay this knowledge to museum visi- tors. Rowan recounts her three-decade journey with the NYPin Indigenous Teenage Interpreters in Museums and PubUc How is Isaac Newton's third Education, law of motion exemplified which also by a statue of the Roman offers input goddess Diana? "Physics from the at the Art Museum," a new iPad app, uses art and artifacts from the students Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) to illustrate the inner work- and fellow ings of physical sciences. Mary Jo Grdina, a professor at Drexel museum University, created the app as a way to make physics, an often staff. daunting subject, more accessible. Through interactive animations and video clips, users can examine how Alexander Calder's Ghost mobile demonstrates rotational equilibrium and how the center of mass is important to swords from the PMA's arms and armor collec tion, among other lessons.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 17 >> INFORMATION Please ------
How Can My Small Museum Handle Core Documents Ve rificatio n!
BY TAMARA HEMMERLEIN
The American Alliance of where everyone is wear- Museums Core Documents ing multiple hats and it Verification is a review and seems as if there are never recognition program that enough bodies or time to focuses on the five core get everything done, writ indicators of a strong and ing and revising document healthy organization: after document can seem impossible. • Mission Statement The prospect of submitting the documents • Institutional Code of for Ethics review raises the stress level even more. • Strategic Institutional Plan Thinking of the five core documents • Disaster Preparedness/ as a monolithic block can be overwhelm Emergency Response Plan ing. But if you work with just one document • Collections Management at a time, Policy the task is manage able. AAM will accept the These documents contain submission of individual essential information and documents. Remember reflect the best practices that you don't have to start and standards of profes with a blank slate. There are sional museums. But for many excellent resources many people working in and examples that can and with small museums, help you develop your core assembling this list can be documents. As you begin daunting. In an institution to review or create each
18/ museum1ut..¥ t l:lg;,i Z014 ------INFORMATION Please <<
with its prin- document, you'll realize that it say? Is it easy to under- they discover surprising accordance ciples. A code of ethics they build on each other. stand? Does it describe what things and open new doors. should address the duties The workload will decrease the institution does? How Overhauling the mission responsibilities of the as you continue. can you revise it to reflect statement. however, should and governing Developing good docu- your institution? Could you never be undertaken lightly. organization's authority, including adher- ments is time consuming. distill it to one or two sen- Any revisions should be ence to best practices; Doing the work ahead of tences that really tell people carefully considered and ethical and efficient use time is more efficient than what you do? discussed by the board, of resources; and the spur-of-the-moment tactics. Good questions to ask paid and unpaid staff, and of any conflicts The process of developing before developing a new community stakeholders. disclosure of interest held by board the documents can also be policy, creating a new Because the mission state- members, staff or volun- an eye-opening experience program or planning a ment is the basis for all teers. It should address the for the institution. It gets new exhibit are "Does this institutional decision mak- appropriate care and use of everyone thinking seriously further our mission?" and ing, changing it should be collections, as well about the purpose of the "How does it fit our mission a thoughtful and thorough museum as inclusion and diversity in organization as well as statement?" If the project process. all institutional matters. professional standards. furthers the mission and Institutional Code of The code of ethics gets Many institutions become the "fit" can be clearly Ethics everyone on the same page much stronger after working articulated, then the project A code of ethics ensures that and addresses the full through their core docu- is probably appropriate for everyone understands the disclosure of any conflicts ments and submitting them your institution. legal and ethical responsibil- of interest. It establishes the for verification. As an institution changes, ities of individuals who work that will inform Following are guidelines the mission statement principles in and govern institutions. the strategic plan, shape the and tips for developing each should be reviewed. Because non profits serve in management of the five core documents. Changes to the institution collections not for can be anticipated and could the public trust and policy and guide financial Mission Statement indicate that the mission their own benefit, everyone decisions. local, Begin with the mission state- statement should change. must be familiar with as Institutional ment. It's the foundation for An organization may grow state and federal laws, Strategic for everything else, explaining beyond the current mission well as best practices Plan The strategic institutional the purpose of the organiza- statement. The community museums and non profits. plan is your road map and tion, outlining its path, and it serves may change sig- Board, staff and volunteers of the most necessary docu- acting as a guide for opera- nificantly. Economic and have a duty to be aware and ment. It can be one of the tions and decision making. demographic pressures may the legal responsibilities most difficult to create, and The mission statement trigger changes in plans and ensure that the organization the process should not be should be visible to every- projects. upholds them. rushed. It is a long-range, one in the institution and be Reviewing and revising In addition to legal comprehensive guide for included in each policy. the mission statement considerations, each the institution, requiring a Most institutions already in a thoughtful way can organization has ethical lot of discussion, thought have a mission statement, re-energize an institution. responsibilities to uphold. the and negotiation. A good even if it's just the purpose Often when the board, staff Any resources held by used plan gets everybody going statement from the bylaws. and volunteers discuss organization must be in the same direction for Take a look at it. What does the mission statement, wisely and prudently in
JU LY/ AUG UST 2014 museum /19 >> INFORMATION Please ------
Going from crisis to crisis is stressful for everyone involved and isn't a sustainable mode of operation. An institution without a strategic plan is facing a slow disaster.
the good of the institution. the board and paid and bigger issues, small prob- tasks and responsibilities It tells everyone how you're unpaid staff. Community lems can be handled with and train everyone involved going to fulfill your mission. stakeholder input can help less disruption. with the institution to imple- The plan holds everyone determine how the com- ment the plan. Working accountable for accomplish- munity views the institution, Disaster Preparedness/ with local first responders ing the gouls and objectives indicate whether the inslilu- Emergency Response is essential to creating a that will move the institution tion is meeting the needs Plan comprehensive plan. They forward. It assures that of the community and give Emergencies happen can explain the Incident you will use organizational at individuals inside the orga- museums every day. Command System and give resources in the An best and nization a broader, external emergency is an advice about handling peo- most efficient ways possible, unanticipated viewpoint. event ple, who are often the most and forms the basis for the that requires Strategic plans should immediate random element involved in other core documents. address: action. A disaster is an an emergency or a disaster. Without a strategic plan, emergency that has got- • institutional goals and In response to grow- an institution runs the risk of ten out of control and may objectives ing awareness about the always reacting to changes cause significant damage. • tasks necessary to reach need for comprehensive in its situation. Instead of A plan is key to minimiz- goals disaster preparedness/ working through change and ing the damage caused • resources needed, includ- emergency response plans, handling tough situations in by either an emergency ing people, time and more and more resources positive ways, an institution or a disaster. It addresses funds have become available. with no plan may develop professional standards as • groups or individuals Online resources include the habit of continuously well as institution-specific dPlanrM responsible for imple- (an online disaster operating in crisis mode. risks and hazards. It pro- menting the elements of planning tool for cultural Going from crisis to crisis vides instructions for the the plan and civic institutions), is stressful for everyone appropriate actions to take • methods for determining recorded webinars on the involved and isn't a sustain- before, during and after the completion of the Connecting to Collections able mode of operation. An the event to protect people tasks and evaluating the Online Community, and the institution without a strategic and objects from risk and outcomes Emergency Response and plan is facing a slow guidelines disaster. for salvage and Salvage Wheel mobile app. A Small museums good plan addresses are recovery to minimize the PRePrM(Pocket Response the institutional nimble and often very good path for effects of a disaster. Steps to Plan) is a concise document three to five at adapting on a moment's years in the take before an emergency for recording essential future. Each element notice. Having a well- include prevention, mitiga- information for anyone at should reflect developed strategic plan the mission tion and preparation for the the institution in the event statement makes this much easier. and should be If emergency. of a disaster. The template developed with the strategic plan addresses input from It is important to assign is available online, and the
20 /museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 I ------INFORMATION Please << plan can be customized for work and asking them to collections, including but Res ources your institution. outline their processes will not limited to permanent, American Alliance of Museums Core Documents Verification: 1. a place to start. education and research. Organizations in many give you aam-us.org/ resources/ states created workshops Often you just need to write Each type of collection may assessment-programs/ core-documents and training programs as the information down and have different standards Connecting to Collections on it. Putting the of care and ways in which part of the IMLS Connecting expand Online Community: to Collections initiative and collections management the objects are used. The connectingtocollections.org/ are happy to share informa- procedures in writing will policy should address these dPlanT": dplan.org / Heritage Preservation's tion. Questions to guide your codify the information and differences. Emergency Response identify gaps and inconsis- planning, lists of materials Means of acquiring, acces- and Salvage Wheel: for disaster preparedness tencies to be corrected. As heritageprese rvation.org/ sioning, deaccessioning wheel/ kits, fill-in-the-blank forms with all policies, you sh ould and disposing of objects: Pocket Response Plan (PReP)T": the include provisions for regu - and information about The policy should provide statearchivists.org/prepare/ lar review and revision . framework/ prep.htm Incident Command System guidelines for how an institu- are provided with most of A good collections man- tion accepts, processes and Tamara Hemmerlein is these resources. Reviewing agement policy is important removes objects from its assistant director of local history for any collecting institu- them, using the provided collections. services, Indiana Historical templates and answering the tion. It provides guidelines Society, Indianapolis. As the care, pres- questions can help identify for why, how and what the Collections former Hoosier Heritage access and your institution's needs and institution collects, and how ervation, Alliance coordinator, she stitutions are the implemented Indiana's resources. All of them are collections are processed use: In of the objects Connecting to Collections designed to make disaster and handled. The policy custodians project. She serves as chair identify who is in their collections. The preparedness and emer- should also ofAAM's Small Museum policy provides guidance gency response planning as empowered to make deci- Administrators Committee, and the physical handling, uncomplicated as possible. sions about acquiring and on is the Indiana state team leader deaccessioning objects, and storage, exhibition and use for the American Association for . Collections how those decisions are of collections objects by the State and Local H istory Man agement Poli cy made. A strong collections institution and by individuals Both the mission state- management policy is the and organizations outside of ment and the strategic basis for good collections the institution. plan should inform your stewardship. Provision for review and collections management Important elements of revision: Every policy you col- policy. Everything the collections management should include instructions teet should support your include: on review and revision. mission and be a part of Scope of collections: This Board members and paid the strategic plan. Many statement sets the boundar- and unpaid staff should institutions can explain their ies for the collection. It limits review the collections collections policies and pro- the collection and guides management policy annu- cedures, but have not taken decisions about acquisitions ally. Review is especially the final step of writing the and deaccessions. important if there has been information down. a change in the institutional ndi- Types of collections: Meeting with the i mission statement. « viduals who have been most Collecting institutions involved in the collections can have many types of
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 21 >> My TAKE------
22 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 ------My TAKE «
documents, photo We all have to compete, but in re These are stories that grip the Story" uses period stories from children who cent years the pace has quickened and imagination. There is something uni graphs and to describe the reali attention spans have shortened. We are versal and primal about them. They are survived the war up in Nazi Germany. { living in an age of sound bites; even dramatic, terrifying and irresistible, and ties of growing a real person; he is a com an e-mail can take too long to write. our fascination starts at a young age. Daniel is not fabricated to create the But if we loosen up, we might see that Children's museum directors tell us that posite character of real events. Daniel is our competition is good. It makes history a mummy exhibit will likely be the most experience us through realistic museums better. It's time to rethink popular. The famed Children's Museum guide who leads we can touch, feel what brings history to life. From my of Indianapolis, which attracts a million environments where world he inhabited during viewpoint, it is DRAMA: visitors a year, greets us with its col and hear the Holocaust. • Drama lection of mummies. It is instructive to the Teaching and storytelling are es • Romance see how popular the collection is, even to our discipline, says William • Action though most objects are behind glass. sential former president of the • Multiple stories and perspectives Filmmaker Stephen Spielberg once Cronan, Association, in • and more Action! said, "One of the jobs of art is to go to American Historical the impossible places that other disci Presidential Address, Storytelling. The plines like history must avoid." But why challenge for historians is that they are evidence that limits Did any of us history groupies fall in must we avoid them? Let's go there, forever bound by narrative and momentum. love with history because of a policy, too-together. If the true stories seem the story's does not present the treaty or chronology? Probably not. too gruesome or frightening for some Historical fiction but there are still Chances are, we fell in love with the audiences, let's accept that drama is same constraints, accuracy and period romance-or the horror: what excites and that history well told considerations of is dramatic. facti city. Can history museums find "I couldn't get enough of Henry In movies, children's cartoons and more drama and romance through bet VIII. Anne of the Thousand computer games, there are alien at ter storytelling? Days-beheaded!" tacks, gunmen, heroes, knights, fearful "The slave boats had a grip on me. struggles and villains. History is just as f(!t.jerprittts Wdc1>1ne So these slave traders rounded up dramatic. If you ask kids if they want to The Internet has liberated content from Africans and chained them in the study the French Revolution, chances the physical confines of the printed belly of the ship. Why didn't the are that they will say no. But ask if they page and the university. The avail men overpower the slave traders? I want to see a Discovery-type show in ability of so much information just a often think of this." which the good guys take over but then click away 24/7 has reshaped teachers "I wondered how Hitler could become evil and start killing everyone, and professors from sole experts and get ordinary German people to and the answer will be yes! dispensers of knowledge into educa rationalize the killing of innocent tion facilitators. people." SrLit.j tke Dead Sack t1> Ufe The same shift is happening in "Did Ghengis Khan mate with One of the best ways to present the museums. More curators and educa every woman? Why is his DNA emotional truth of history is through tors are now conducting a dialogue traceable to thousands of people in historical fiction. Spielberg used this with visitors who increasingly want to Asia today?" approach to work his magic in the film see themselves in the narrative-and Museum's want to interact and tell their story at "Why are there so many famous Lincoln. The Holocaust Daniel's the same time. All kinds of museums psychopaths in history?" "Remember the Children:
JULY I AU GUST 2014 museum / 23 >> My TAKE------
are looking to technology as a way to parachutes and see if an airstream "Who was the mother of the first create this new dialogue and attract would lift them out of a Plexiglas tube. human? Was she a monkey?" younger audiences. A lot of the digital After an hour of this, her daughter got "War is stupid. Why don't people components in museum exhibits have the idea to cut up a piece of paper into just stop fighting? Is it in our been boring: "Click the answer on tiny pieces and shove them into the DNA?" the screen, A, B or C." But there are launch opening, and voila! The room "How did the Black Death kill also some terrific interactive exhibits was blasted with confetti, which drifted people?" so absorbing that it is hard to wrest down over the delighted children. Other people away. A great example is children started creating their own "If you cut open an Egyptian "Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of confetti showers. Within a few minutes mummy, what would you find?" Spfl~~ F.xp1oration" at the American it had become n "situation," with my "How did Shakespeare do all that Museum of Natural History, where friend slipping out of the exhibit, writing without a typewriter or visitors could smell the moon or help daughter in tow. computer?" deflect an asteroid on a collision course Someone watching could have got Did love ever make a bad ruler with earth. The best interactive exhibits ten the idea for another type of exhibit become nicer? are not necessarily complicated but altogether. Interacting is not just about Is Big Brother instructive, immediate and tactile. They seeing but listening, observing and watching us? use technology not as a substitute for a watching eyes glitter with mischief or Let your printed label but for the added dimen discovery. Today's computer games mind drift, and there are thousands sion it brings. such as Minecraft and Survivalcraft of questions about the stream of human At the George W Bush Presidential are so interactive that a dated digital history. You don't have to be a historian Library and Museum at Southern element in a museum can be disap to find it fascinat ing. Is the answer Methodist University, visitors can play pointing in comparison. But museums history? Or science? Why is it that science an interactive theater game called can do what a computer program can museums seem so intriguing and Decision Points. They are confronted not-invite visitors to feel the hide of a get more visitors? History museums with a series of issues, hear expert buffalo or the serrated tooth of a great have to think like total museums witnesses via short video clips and white shark Objects carry tremendous . The Worcester vote in real time while watching the emotional power and speak from the Museum recently reactions trending from fellow theater inside out. acquired the John Woodman Higgins participants on a large screen. The Collection of arms and armor and take-away is that everyone reads the Weavittj Webs has installed a selection of the works in the intriguing facts differently; history could have The most compelling moments in new exhibition "Knights!" There's turned out differently. History is made history are rarely just about history. a Batman costume in the middle every second by real people. They involve science, math, inventions, of the gallery. Wars of the past meet wars A lot can be learned by watching. philosophy, literature, culture, arts and of the present to make visceral A friend of mine recently took her geography. The range of subjects may the deadly features of contemporary children to the "Alien Worlds and seem intimidating. But the questions weaponry as well as Androids" exhibit at the Witte Museum are intriguing: their aesthetic and social meaning. in San Antonio. An interactive element The exhibition has a political bent, but "How does the guillotine work?" let children create their own little this is true of everything the museum
24 /museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 ------My TAKE «
l does, says Director Matthias Waschek. The history museum profession ( "The museum is about every aspect in life-love, birth, death, war," he told has an obligation to make Worcester Magazine in March. visitors' History museums need to inhabit history exciting an d propel our the present and embrace their power curiosity. Without this, we will lose to inspire and motivate. At the Bullock Texas State History Museum, where I our cultural literacy. was director for three years, we orga nized an exhibition entitled "Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century," Our highest mission as presenters with guest curator Paula Marks of St. galleries around enduring stories of history is not to teach a set of histori Edwards University and an advisory that hold a continuing fascination for cal facts, but to teach what history is, committee of prominent women. Our Americans, such as Pocahontas and the curiosity and give our visitors the advisory committee's first and only Trail of Tears. mine tools to unravel it themselves. History question was, "What does this exhibi must dare to ask questions tion mean for young people today?" front Lost to Life museums that people find fascinating and even While we had put together an inclusive In a speech at Gettysburg on the Why is there evil in the survey of women in Texas history, com occasion of the 149th anniversary of troubling. world? What makes a person brave? mittee members were concerned that Lincoln's address, Stephen Spielberg What was it like to live in a different I Beyonce, who grew up in Houston, was said, "Through art we enlist the imagi How did the world become splin I not in the exhibition. They wanted the nation to bring what's lost back to us, time? tered, inequitable, uncertain, warring, exhibit to be a call to action, inspiring to bring the dead back to life." History sometimes cruel and often heroic? young men and women to make a dif museums, too, have this power. And History museums are able to do ference in the world. They were telling the history museum profession has an what no other institution can: bring the us that we needed to find a better way to obligation to make history exciting and dead back to life. History, anyone? « connect to real life and to real people. propel our visitors' curiosity. Without personal stories are the most mem this, we will lose our cultural literacy. If Joan Marshall is a museum consultant of a generation cut off orable part of a museum visitor's experi The prospect specializing in strategic planning, ence, let's tell stories that have meaning from the stories of human history fundraising and board development. She was director of the Bullock Texas State today and bring the past to life. Stories should be of deep concern to everyone. History Museum in Austin, Texas, from let you into people's lives and help you The importance of branding his 2010-13. Please share your thoughts on this History Relevance share the meaning of their experiences tory raised by the article with her at JAMarshallConsulting@ through their emotions. The Lower East Campaign is real. But what we need gmail.com. Side Tenement Museum has become is something new to brand. History a classic standout for its storytelling museums must dramatize, weave of immigrant life in New York City. together and enliven stories that grip, More recently, the National Museum frighten and unite us. There's no ro of the American Indian has announced mance so engaging that it doesn't also plans to reinstall one of its permanent need drama.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 25 >> Inside VIEW------
The newly renovated Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. Welcome Ch anges
A renovation caps a campaign to widen the audience.
BY WILLIAM J. HENNESSEY
When the Chrysler Museum of Art we said that. Was it the individual had our answer: more than anything closed for 16 months of expansion and objects-our personal favorites-that else, we had missed our visitors. renovation, we missed our museum . we missed? Was it the chance to catch Closing was a powerful reminder of The curious thing is that few of us our breath by wandering through the what our museum is really about: the understood then what we meant when galleries? On opening day this May, we magic that can happen when art and
26 /museum JULY I AUGUST 201 4 ------Inside VIEW <<
step towards being a truly people are brought together in the took a hard look at the Chrysler's mis first big organization. right setting. sion, at who we are and what we do. audience-centered then began thinking about the Our construction project tore the Like many traditional art museums We Just who was this audience museum apart. Not a corner of the we had always defined ourselves in nitty gritty. we were committed to serving? building was left untouched. We terms of objects-the old paradigm that surveys and Zip code track added new galleries, created a new of "collect, preserve, display and Through learned that nearly 85 percent cafe and catering kitchen, improved interpret." The Chrysler is blessed ing, we visitors lived within 50 miles circulation and accessibility, updated with a wide-ranging, high-quality col of our the museum, and that nearly go climate control and lighting systems, lection whose stewardship remains a of of our support came from and refreshed, reinstalled and reinter fundamental institutional priority. But percent community. We learned that preted the entire collection. We are what seemed to be lacking were the our local of our then-160,000 annual visi enormously proud of the results and of reasons we worked so hard to build, many repeat customers, and that completing the project on time and on conserve, study and present that collec tors were shockingly large (to us) number of budget. tion. When we finally asked ourselves a visitors never came through The public responded. Attendance the "why" question, the answer was potential With the help of an audience during the first month after our reopen unequivocal: because we want those the door. firm, we learned about our ing went up 400 percent from the objects to make a real difference in research their age, gender, economic same period two years before. From people's lives. After some struggling visitors: backgrounds; their nearly every perspective, the project is to find the right words, we ended up and educational learning styles; and, most a great success. But the beauty of the with a new mission that put people and preferred the obstacles preventing building and the joyful engagement purpose first and tasks second: particularly, integration of the museum into we saw on our visitors' faces didn't The Chrysler Museum exists to regular just happen. They resulted from a long enrich and transform lives. We their lives. we had always thought series of deliberate steps and careful bring art and people together for Although ourselves as an open and friendly conversations. experiences that delight, inform of were distressed to discover Planning for our project began over and inspire. place, we in our community regarded a decade ago when staff and board That was the day we took our how many
The renovation project reinstalled and reinterpreted the collection.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 27 )) Inside VIEW------
Gallery hosts are encouraged to take pictures for visitors.
us as aloof, exclusive, intimidating and gallery maps and offer personal tips much too long. They contained insider self-involved. Potential visitors worried on their favorite "not-to-miss" objects. terms and specialist language that about an implied dress code, the possi In the galleries, hosts engage visitors not only meant little to our guests, bility of being embarrassed if they did in conversation or offer to take their but were actually off-putting. Looking not have prior knowledge of art, wheth picture; they smile and make eye con more closely, we also discovered that er they would understand the strange tact with everyone. If they are asked a our labels focused not on the questions and arcane language spoken by critics question they cannot answer, they call that our visitors wanted answered, but and art historians, and whether their colleagues for help. All of us-curators, on what we as professionals found children would misbehave. And they conservators, educators, director-are interesting. We were, in other words, worried about the admission charge. ready to respond. We are never too talking to ourselves. To address this we None of this was welcome news, busy to stop what we are doing to as added a new position, an interpretation so we set about to change things. We sist a visitor. It is why we are here. manager, to our staff. As the "label began with hospitality, creating a new It is worth noting that all gallery czar," he has worked with colleagues senior management position focused hosts also carry radios, are trained in across the museum to design a multi on the experience of our visitors. We CPR and frrst aid, have been drilled in level approach to object interpretation removed our traditional security of emergency and safety procedures, and that provides a range of learning hcers from the public galleries (they have learned techniques for effectively options for visitors of different back still work behind the scenes) andre dealing with problems of all kinds. But grounds and levels of interest. Labels placed them with gallery hosts-young, their security function operates in the are the first level, and in nearly every universally enthusiastic people who background. Their frrst job is to make case these now include not just factual love the museum and its collection visitors truly welcome-to enable them information, but questions designed and do everything to share their pas to relax and enjoy the collection. to gently provoke deeper looking and sion. Our hosts are informally dressed. Through the gallery hosts, we also critical thinking. They open our front door for all visi learned important lessons about our We also tackled the problem of tors and greet them. They distribute interpretive labels. Nearly all were admission fees. Four years ago, we
28 / museum JULY I AUG UST 2014 ------Inside VIEW << dropped our $7 admission charge Labels now include to make it work better. By choosing a and became "free to all." This was, of regional architect with great skills in course, a big fmancial gamble. But our not just factual space planning and a genuine commit trustees backed us, and like other insti ment to quality construction, we were tutions that have managed to go free, information, ultimately able to accomplish a great the results have been transformative. deal on a comparatively limited bud Attendance jumped and visitor demo but questions get. We created a building that looks graphics shifted. For the first time, the on the outside as if it had never been audience inside the museum began designed to gently touched, but which functions better to reflect the community as a whole. inside on every level. To keep the financial ship afloat, we provoke deeper As our listening skills improved, shifted the focus of our business model other small changes followed: better from a theatrical pay-for-experience looking and critical gallery seating, free strollers and to the approach favored by public wheelchairs, gallery games for chil broadcasting and churches. We offer a thinking. dren, opportunities for direct visitor superior experience for free and then feedback through comment cards hung ask our visitors to become member/ on pegs for all to read, more flexible patrons to sustain it. qualities. These perceptions helped dining options for families with kids, By talking with our patrons, we us tremendously when it came time to and a policy of encouraging visitors to also learned how much they liked the select an architect for our expansion photograph anything on view to share style and atmosphere of our current and renovation. We very deliberately with friends and family. We redesigned building. They saw a structure that chose not to employ a national star our website and added an electronic gave visual form to our identity and or to design a building that made an newsletter with a deliberately informal mission: dignified and elegant, but also independent architectural statement. and sometimes irreverent tone. More modest, gracious, friendly and welcom The look and feel of our building was and more people of all kinds see us ing. No one wanted us to lose those an asset; we just needed to find ways not only as central to the educational,
Renovations maintained the museum's style but improved its functioning.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 29 ~ Inside VIEW ------=------
social, economic and civic life of our threats and opportunities. our main building, and create a new community, but as a genuinely wel Our strengths clearly included the glass making studio as an educational coming and relevant place. collection and our increasingly strong resource to complement the Chrysler's At the same time that these relationship with the community. notable collection of historical and changes in public perception were Heading the liabilities column were contemporary glass. taking place, we were working behind our modest operating endowment and Three years ago, we launched a $30 the scenes to rethink how we as a a building with outdated systems, a million campaign to achieve these medium-size museum with distinctly problematic floor plan, and galleries in three objectives. The response was limited resources should focus our need of renovation and expansion. The immediate. We opened our state-of programming. This led to some leading threats we faced as we con the-art Chrysler Museum Glass Studio intense and searching discussion ducted this exercise in 2008 were the in November 2011. Our director of about what we reasonably could and financial climate and an institutional education and four curatorial posi could not do, what made us unique tendency to overcommit ourselves. Our tions are fully endowed; we have new and distinctive, and about those things board saw in all of this a great oppor endowments to support our changing we might be able to do as well or bet tunity to build on strengths to launch exhibition program; and best of all, ter than anyone else. We looked, in a comprehensive campaign to build we received a $3 million gift to endow other words, for strengths, weaknesses, our endowment, expand and renovate free admission in perpetuity. Then in
30 / museum JULY I AUGU ST 2014 ------Inside VIEW <<
May, we opened a fully renovated and to interest people like me" ... ''I'm not and shared consensus about who we expanded main building. In the end, we a museum person" ... "just not enough are and our mission, decisions about exceeded our campaign goal by 50 per time to visit"). For a range of reasons, the capital campaign, the building cent, raising in excess of $45 million. the museum was not a part of their life. project, and our goals and priorities To say the experience was heady is By focusing on service, putting our essentially made themselves. We were an understatement. Few of us imagined fi.rst-rate collection and programs to able to press ahead in a timely and cost that things would turn out as well as work for the community, and demon effective way. We now fi.nd ourselves they did. Looking back, what did we strating in hundreds of ways that we beautifully positioned not just for the learn? Developing a deep and trusting really do care about people, we funda present but to take full advantage of relationship with our community was mentally shifted the way people think the next set of opportunities. That list key. Here in southeastern Virginia, about the Chrysler. Respect has shifted is already taking shape. « people have always talked about the to affection-and with it, increased William J. Hennessey is director; Chrysler engagement and a willingness to step Chrysler with respect ("one of the true Museum ofArt, Norfolk, Virginia. gems of our region" ... "our cultural up and offer support. cornerstone" ... "a great civic asset" ... The huge amount of time we spent "world-class collection"), but that looking hard in the mirror made a real respect also created distance ("nothing difference. Because we had built a clear
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 31 S LE Portrait of a lady
27 September 2013 to 21 September 2014 FREE ENTRY IIVI!foocilmUse.Jms,9rQ1ut IJ W-
l2 / mu5eum JULY I AUGUST 2014 MUSEUMS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Adapted from a Big Ideas presentation, May 20, 2014, at the AAM Annual Meeting in Seattle. In this spirit, the theme of the 2015 AAM Annual Meeting will be "The Social Value of Museums: Inspiring Change." Please join the conversation in Atlanta, April 26-29, 2015.
By David Flem ing
The term "social justice" is contested. We all immersed in social issues in Liverpool, U.K., and mean something slightly different when we use in some other nations. it, and a lot depends upon what country one is Tracing the social, economic and political in and what political system one lives under. history of a socially diverse city, the Museum The term crops up in variety of contexts, such of Liverpool opened to the public in 2011. A as faith, health, economics, politics and the £76 million project, it is the U.K.'s newest na environment. But when I use the term "social tional museum and part of National Museums justice," I mean two things: how museums Liverpool. The museum received the Council of provide equality of access and how museums Europe Museum Award last year for our ability address social ills-perhaps even campaigning to involve people of all ages, backgrounds and to right them. I want to talk primarily about the abilities; promotion of mutual respect between second of these roles, considering some of the different parts of society; and emphasis on hu ways that the modern museum has become man rights through debates and dialogue.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 33 \
The Museum of Liverpool is successful because it: development. Most important to the public, they play • is people- and story-led: opinion and debate are a social role that is audience focused, educational, central community oriented, democratic, open to debate and • uses emotion: people are emotional, and museums socially responsible. about people must be emotional Different museums in different places play different • is of Liverpool: it has an authentic Liverpool voice, roles, depending upon all sorts of variables. No two especially in its use of humor and involvement museums are the same. But museums that are socially • takes families seriously: museums are places for responsible all have one thing in common: they have intergenerational activity a passion to create social value. They are not satisf:ted • has variety: in medium and message with merely collecting, preservation and research. They do value these activities; a museum • has changeability: this is essential to capture es that does not is illogical sence of a living, changing city and absurd. But socially responsible museums regard these activities as means rather than as ends. • is a socially responsible museum that nghts for The socially social justice responsible museum has at its core a powerful commitment to education. It also has a All people should be able to beneht from museums. powerful conscience. It is committed to an agenda They are entitled to access to museums and to seeing that rejects the notion that museums are restricted themselves represented in museums. They should preserves. It wants to locate and engage with all man expect museums to make a contribution to their quality ner of constituencies. In particular, it wants to engage of life. with people who suffer from some form of disadvan Over the past 30 or so years, museums worldwide tage or discrimination-whether economic, social or have been changing fundamentally, adopting a more personal-that renders them vulnerable. The socially extroverted role and becoming more socially responsi responsible museum sees itself as valuable to all, not a ble. Financial pressure and the need for relevance have few, and will go out of its way through positive action driven these changes, along with an evolving museum to fulf:tll this inclusive mission. workforce's enthusiasm for social and community Positive action means that the museum is joining history. As a result, the balance has shifted between the hght Fl[F'1inst social exclusion, joining with other objects and stories. Museums now have lots of roles. socially responsible agencies to make a difference They research and collect. They contribute to economic at the personal, community and social levels. Social
::14 1 museum JULY 1 AUGUST 2011 responsibility means being socially inclusive, leading this trauma, Ashley has fought for her rights and ultimately to social value and the attainment of social provided advice and support for those suffering similar justice. That's our primary aim. Without achieving discrimination. I social justice, museums aren't worth having. The museum co-produced the exhibit with National Museums Liverpool has a powerful com Homotopia, an arts and social justice organization mitment to achieving total inclusion of local people. that draws upon the LGBT experience to unite and We see ourselves primarily as a socially responsible regenerate communities through the production, pro museum. The socio-economic condition of Liverpool motion and commissioning of art, heritage and culture. and the surrounding area, along with the nature of our The Museum of Liverpool could not have staged the museum collections, are defining factors in how our exhibition without Homotopia, illustrating a key tenet museum service organizes itself. For four generations, of social justice work: museums need to work with part Liverpool has suffered from chronic economic decline. ners, drawing upon their ideas, expertise, resources and Once one of the world's richest cities and probably contacts. There are plenty of willing allies who see the the most successful port, Liverpool went into severe value in working with museums and have ready-made decline between the two world wars. Today the popula audiences. tion is only half what it was in the 1930s. By the 1980s, Social justice work is emotive and emotional stuff. there were real fears for Liverpool's future, and central "ALIVE: In the Face of Death," a 2013 exhibition at government had to step in to try to rescue the city. our Walker Art Gallery, was an example of emo- There are clear parallels with today's Detroit. Liverpool tional impact working in the cause of social justice. recently appears to have turned the corner, with new Photographer Rankin created a remarkable exhibition shops, hotels, restaurants and jobs, to add to the city's that took an earnest look at death, featuring images of unmatched cultural offerings. Nonetheless, unemploy people who have faced near-death experiences or have ment is still twice as high as the national average; miraculously pulled through against all the odds, as Liverpool and neighboring Knowsley are ranked as the well as those who work in the "death industry," such as two most deprived areas in England. gravediggers and funeral directors. Visitor feedback In our socially responsible museum, we tackle dif on the exhibition was heartfelt. "Seeing beauty in death ficult, contemporary issues. We consider homelessness, was not what I expected to see today," said one. "A truly prostitution and gay rights; we face up to politics. inspirational exhibition. It really does open your eyes to Examples include the current exhibition, "April Ashley: the beauty of life in the face of death," said another. Portrait of a Lady;" which traces the life of a transsexual At NML, we step outside the traditional role of woman who was born George Jamieson in Liverpool museums. Our House of Memories training project in 1935. After pioneering gender reassignment surgery, raises awareness and understanding of people's experi Ashley became a successful model and actress. Her ence of living with dementia-an issue of growing life was often headline news, including the story of global significance as people almost everywhere are her divorce in 1970, when the judge ruled that Ashley living longer. Few people anywhere are untouched remained a biological man, and therefore the marriage by dementia; most of us will encounter it in some was invalid and annulled. This very public divorce set a form during our lives. The training is for health and legal precedent for all transsexuals that remained until social care staff, helping them use museums (dealers 2004, when the Gender Recognition Act was passed in memory), starting with collections but also using to allow people legally to change gender. Throughout music, dance and conversation. Above and right: The House of Memories project uses collections, music, dance and conversation to train health and social care staff caring for people with dementia.
Some museum people and observers would ask mosaic version of a celebrated photograph showing what this has to do with museum work. My answer two children, holding hands and each dressed in a is: everything. Where is the museum rule book uniform of one of the city's two major soccer teams, that says this is not a proper role for museums? representing a city united in grief. Overwhelmingly, participants in our training program Social justice activity in museums is also taking reported that their awareness and understanding place internationally. In the National Historical of dementia had increased, and that they had been Museum of Tirana in Albania, I recently saw an exhibi helped to see differently those living with the condi tion of artwork by Albanian teenagers addressing tion. Participants left the training with a belief that by the issue of corruption in their country. In Taiwan, I listening and communicating more effectively with encountered the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, those living with dementia, they can make a difference which has created an exhibition on "comfort women," and improve the quality of people's lives. the 200,000 young women used in the Second World A different example of the emotional nature of War by Japanese soldiers as sex slaves. NML is advis social justice work is our approach to the 1989 tragedy ing the fledgling Museum of International Democracy at the Hillsborough football ground in Sheffield, in Rosario, Argentina, as it creates its exhibits. Not England, in which 96 innocent Liverpool FC support that long ago, Argentina was in the grip of an un ers lost their lives. The causes of the tragedy have elected military regime, and words like "oppression," been controversial ever since. To this day, the families "persecution" and "psychosis" will inform the tone of the people who were killed have not had the truth of this very brave venture assessing the develop- explained publicly, though it has become clear that, ment of democracy. shamefully, there was a long-term police cover-up. An Former Soviet republics and satellite states are now inquest into the disaster is in progress. The families of fertile ground for examining the nature of life under the dead football supporters have been waging a cam communism. In Vilnius, Lithuania, the Museum of paign under the banner of "Justice for the 96." NML is Genocide Victims is housed in former KGB headquar the museum service for the city of Liverpool, and it is ters. In Bucharest is the Museum of the Romanian inconceivable that we would sit by and adopt a neutral Peasant, formerly the Museum of the Communist position about Hillsborough. So we have overtly sup Party, where a subtle satire of the former communist ported the "Justice for the 96" campaign, dedicating regime is located, symbolically, in the basement. a part of the museum to it and creating a fi.lm about Some would no doubt argue that museums such being a football fan in Liverpool, which features the as those in Vilnius and Bucharest are little more than Hillsborough disaster. As a result of the museum's anti-communist and anti-Soviet propaganda. But stance, various objects have been donated to our through the medium of museums, people can fi.ght collections that relate to the campaign, including a for social justice in various ways. Different levels of
36 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 democracy result in different conceptions of social these items? Are they simply beautiful examples of art, justice. Interpretations in mature democracies will as they are often displayed? Or are they evidence of be different from those in newer democracies, or in colonial exploitation and the corruption of power, as nations where there is no democracy. Not all nations they are rarely displayed? enjoy the same freedom of speech or of action as the The newly adopted mission of NML is "To be the U.S. or the U.K. world's leading example of an inclusive museum ser Working for social justice in any context can vice." This statement captures the spirit of a museum be construed as political. Someone won't like what that nghts for social justice. It's about inclusivity, which you are doing. People will reject, resist and disagree means doing the right thing, taking risks, being aware with you. This is very contested territory that many that many people feel excluded by the traditional museums choose to avoid. That is our default setting: museum ways of doing things. It is because we think to be neutral, to take refuge in the "truth" of our collec like this in Liverpool that our audience grew nve-fold tions. But there are no truths in this context, because between 2001 and 2012. museums use and interpret collections in different In order to become socially responsible, museums ways. In many British museums, we choose to exhibit need to rethink fundamentally how we manage our items that were acquired by controversial means from selves. This is happening, but not without pain and other nations at a time when we had a powerful, global disagreement, as museums worldwide continue to empire. In my own museum service, we have Benin modernize. « bronzes stolen by British soldiers during a "punitive" David Fleming is director, National Museums Liverpool, What is the "truth" of raid in what is now Nigeria. England.
Resources for Museums Interested in Social Justice The Social Justice Alliance for Museums (SJAM) is a new international alliance of institutions and individuals supporting the notion of museums nghting for social justice in different contexts. Members include those who work in museums and those who want to work with museums as partners. Sign the SJAM Charter at sjam.org. We need more American supporters!
Museums Change Lives, an important new policy document issued by the U.K. Museums Association, states that "social justice is at the heart of the impact of museums." All U.S. museum personnel should read this document. Go to museumsassociation.org/museums-change-lives for more information. V SON FOR CULTURE N THE ARAB AN GULF: NAT ONAL DENT TY AND EMERGENCE
An excerpt from Museums in a Global Context: National ldentit~ International Understanding, edited by Jennifer W. Dickey, Samir El Azhar and Catherine M. Lewis (The AAM Press, 2013).
38 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 By Peggy Loar
t is visible, even palpable-the immense creative energy of this new culture of museums in the Arabian Gulf, as relentless and fast moving as the shamal that blows from the northwest, sweeping in an exciting new era of change and possibility. Therein lies the beauty of the intersection of past and present, East and West, diversity and nationalism that defines this time and place. Add to this the calibrated effort to provide what was never before possible until now, and the stage is set for a moment of historic proportion.
My perspective for this article stems from my role as direc tor of the National Museum of Qatar from 2008-2012 and my efforts to research, organize, plan, develop and deliver the in frastructure for this new museum designed by the internation ally renowned architect, Jean Nouvel. I worked with Oataris and international scholars to explore the proud heritage and roots of Qatari history and identity, contributing to the further development of the Oatari skills needed to realize an essential museum vocabu lary, to prepare for careers in the museum profession and to establish the importance of collaboration with others engaged in similar museum projects in the region. Immersion through living full time in the Arabian Gulf was not only essential to the task, but also returned a wealth of first hand knowledge and experience critical to the required trust and the unique work to be accomplished.
JULY I AUGU ST 2014 museum / 39 Today there is a surge of professional interest in pride and distinctive cultural identity for Qatar embracing the grand adventure of making new and contribute to an integrated, dynamic soci museums in another, more exotic place. There ety with influence on the world stage, Qatar was is a professional curiosity about embrac- determined to express its history and cultural ing the opportunity to give over what you heritage by the creation of a new national mu I know so that such knowledge can seed the seum founded on a belief in continuity, enduring evolution of these new cultural sanctuaries human values and the steady flow of ideas about \ and new leadership by the nationals who the challenges of change. French architect Jean will advance and run them in the future. Nouvel was chosen to engage in this exploration International museum professionals and given the charge of designing a building that are needed because the academic and would not only be iconic in the global sense but scholarly programs that lead to museum embrace the time-honored history of place. Out careers are not yet fully in place in the of the realm of possibilities emerged a power Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia. ful symbol born of the desert, the "sand rose" or Qatar opened the fust public museum "desert rose," which became the inspiration for in the Gulf Region, the Qatar National the new museum. The architecture of this amaz Museum, in 1975. The museum won the ing crystal, formed by a combination of wind, prestigious Agha Kahn award for its sen water and sand, began to take shape in drawings sitive renovation of the Feriq Al Salatah alongside the engaged museum professionals Palace, often referred to as the National and local experts who, through imagination and Palace, the fi.rst seat of the nation. Over vision, set about to defi.ne the museum's soul, in the next 30 years, however, the climate terior landscape and stories, which were woven as was not kind to the structure. The museum much from questions as from answers. closed, much in need of revitalization and All such projects require a champion. For the renovation. In an effort to create a sense of National Museum, this was Sheikha Mayassa al Thani, daughter of the emir. Her role as a po tential game changer in the Middle East soon became widely known and respected. In addition
, , , , .r to her focus on heritage, she had been devoted project remained on target. For Qatar, which to bringing an international, contemporary vi had sprung into international recognition fairly sion to Qatar through exhibitions, dialogue and recently in large part due to the regionally pro programs, particularly for emerging local artists. gressive Al Jazeera news network, a challenge Sheikha Mayassa recognized early on that for a fell to the National Museum: Should it merely National Museum to serve the nation, covering a reflect or help define the new architecture wide range of topics from geology to contempo and new social dynamic of the nation? rary culture, a high-powered local steering com A further challenge was posed by the in mittee would be required. This committee would ternational press and its criticism of those help guide the less knowledgeable foreign profes engaged in high-profile cultural endeavors sionals in areas of the national heritage and the in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia national agenda in keeping with Vision 2030, the and Qatar. Members of the press charged code and plan that addresses the economic, social, hubris and watched closely as decisions sustainable, and progressive goals to be outlined were made and schedules changed. by the leadership over the coming decades. Commentators raised issues of content The start-up project gained a high profiJe in and censorship. The press questioned ternationally, generated in part by its architect. It the potential of countries in the Middle became clear that the building might easily out East to deliver intelligent institutions that maneuver the important national story. So the could hold their own in the international importance of the bond between the local expert cultural arena. The press parachuted in, and the international visionary was essential and took their shots, then retreated to watch the complicated. In most high-profile international next set of moves. For nations proud of their projects, the steering committee is composed of past and newly armed with the resources global and local talent. It was determined, howev to advance culture alongside economic de er, that this steering committee would be Qatari velopment in the region, such bruises only based and designed to open local doors, address process and progress, and help assure that the strengthened their resolve. It had the effect of cre ating more focus on the development of local tal ent, on "knowledge transfer," and on the resolute determination to redefi.ne their own signifi.cant roles in large international projects. The usual British and Indians had their day as rulers. These lens that looked to the West for inspiration and materials are located throughout the world in knowledge underwent a kind of recalibration. places such as Great Britain, India, Denmark and In Qatar, there was a renewed resolve for France. At a time when the National Museum its Qatarization program for nationals. For the is cataloguing and researching its collections, National Museum of Qatar, it took the form of en the symbiotic partnership with QUIP led to the couraging Qataris to engage more quickly along National Museum's "Scholar's Lab," a high-tech side international museum professionals, both to research center designed to host local researchers help inform and guide local professionals and to and visiting scholars by providing digital access absorb the various aspects of museum develop to the collections, oral histories and archival fi.lms. ment and management so that sustainable enti The partnership aspect of the project more ties could be run by Qataris in the future. As ex than anything else (other than available wealth) hibitions such as "1001 Inventions: The Enduring marks the current successes. It is a partnership Legacy of Muslim Civilization" were presented in of local knowledge and international expertise Qatar, a renewed pride and greater understand acquired over decades that was brought to this ing of early scientifi.c discoveries rooted within region to inform new systems, new science and Muslim civilization resonated with visitors. The new ideas. In the case of the National Museum, exhibition presented the far-reaching contribu very little had been written by either Qataris or tions of Muslims in fi.elds such as education, visiting scholars and archeologists. The chal health and science, leading to technologies that lenge of bringing to the people a museum that impact our daily existence. expressed their stories and also respected in What has happened on the educational front ternational standards of scholarship, design, in Qatar in recent years is nothing short of amaz operations and strategy required a special kind ing. The determination to develop a "knowledge of collaboration and information exchange with economy" has resulted in stellar educational and this group-a somewhat suspect group of foreign degree programs at Qatar University and within nationals who were unfamiliar with the specifi.c the Qatar Foundation's Education City, where story of Qatar yet were tasked with giving the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Qataris their National Museum. Additionally, the Georgetown University, Weill Cornell Medical national agenda had to be considered, but with College, Carnegie Mellon University, Texas A&M out contradiction of fact and history. University and Northwestern University all have The heritage of Qatar was and still is told branch campuses. One important project is VCU's largely through generational storytelling. The Qatar Unifi.ed Imaging Project (QUIP), designed to gather and digitize the rich information, visual and other, comprising Qatar's heritage and his tory that exists locally but had been scattered throughout the region over time as the Ottomans,
42 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 - - - - -
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/_ remammg elders, however, who witnessed the specific objects not represented in the collections immense changes brought about by wealth to demonstrate various themes and chronologies often tell conflicting versions of the past with envisioned for the galleries. These objects were pinpoint accuracy in varied dialects. It be difficult to find outside of private ownership. The came essential to reach into many versions climate, combined with the poverty and lifestyle of events and to conclude with community that existed for the Bedouins of the desert and the understanding that not everyone agrees on coastal sea peoples in the preceding centuries, \ the information presented. The narrative rendered such finds extremely rare. l is made up of scholarly research of those Hope came in the form of families who might who have worked professionally in the have had collections passed down to several \ area, informal writings of earlier travelers, generations, including more recent memorabilia held reports of archeologists and anthro from the early days of the gas and oil industry. At pologists, stories authored by local and the National Museum of Qatar, the story of Qatar official historians, and oral histories in its fullest had to be told-the geological forma that vary by tribe, perception and poli tion of the land mass, early flora and fauna, early tics-some accurate, some glazed with settlements and their archeology, the Bedouins a sense of the romanticism and distant and pearl fishermen, modern history, gas and oil, memory of the past. Somewhere in this transformation of the nation and Qatar today. stew are truth and memory that, when Oral histories will continue to form a record of the ultimately presented, will cause an ex voices of contemporary society for the archives of citing commotion. Such questioning the future. will lead, it is hoped, to an even fuller In the West, collectors and private collections dialogue e:ud C!Il\:JO.\:Jernent between sit side by side with museums, a concept that was foreign scholars and the generations largely unfamiliar to the more conservative and of those who sat at the knees of those traditional people of Qatar. Since the culture of who were actually there. museums was in its infancy, those who owned In addition to the importance of oral collections tended to be quite private and dis histories in gathering information for connected-even from the development of the the new National Museum, it became new National Museum. Private collections were essential to identify those Qataris who generally shared among family and close friends. had an interest in the past and its mate The steering committee designed an exhibition rial culture-those who had inherited and concept with local collectors to open the doors saved, found or purchased objects, mem and imaginations of those who owned cultural orabilia and books that would enlighten and heritage materials. The idea was to invite teams of curators and planners tasked them to select, with the help of museum curators, with interpretive planning. It was a search numerous objects in their collections to demon for history and historical context through strate their own stories and interests. The event, objects and the acquisition of treasures to called Mal Awal, meaning "old things," was like be held in trust for the future. The museum's a high-end bazaar that engaged the collector in collections were considerable, although du telling his stories and in showing his treasures to plicative, and it became necessary to identify a curious public in a rich and unusual dialogue.
44 /museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 It was a surprising success. The event nurtured and to engage a very new, young and wise social future relationships, supported local collectors demographic of Qataris and non-Qataris. The in their efforts and collecting passions, and pro National Museum created the position of cura vided more information about the objects already tor of contemporary culture to link the study, in the National collections. The discovery that poetry, and tangible and intangible heritage certain objects were not represented in the collec of Qatar to the everyday lives of their "soon tions of the various emerging museums stirred to-be" museum audience. The position would a sense of national pride, leading to community seek input from this new audience and awareness and the need for individual support of curate change in Qatar. It would work with the national collective in the form of future loans visual artists, writers and technology enthu and, once the culture of museums takes hold, do siasts to forge a new understanding of the nations to the museum. importance of revisiting history and bring-
!V1AL AWAL. MEANING "OLD I-f-l iNGS ... WAS Lllt(E A 1-IIGH-E~l) BAZAAR Tl- IAT ENGAGED THE COl LEC-fC)R IN TELLING 1--HS STORIES AND IN I TO A CURIOUS PUBLIC. I Sr-IOVVI~IG HIS TRf-- ASLJRES
Determining the range and availability of ing it forward to inform the present and objects for the National Museum was important, the future. It would pursue the subjects given the dependence on interactive media and of design, as well as film and media. large-format films for the galleries. A good bal Food was another topic, from its an- ance was needed between the older population's cient roots in the region to alterations preference for objects over media and young peo brought about when spices arrived from ple's preoccupation with technology and moving India and infused a new world of taste and images. The latter did not know what they did food styling. This new fusion cuisine link- not know about historical objects representing ing past and present was evident in the their past. The correct mix of old, and using the design of a Food Forum for the National new to explicate the old, became an obsession for Museum. Here creative chefs and women planners and curators. It was important to seize in the community would demonstrate and upon the media or format that would introduce teach cooking to an audience of curious, emotion into the visitor experience and bring the "eager-to-try" enthusiasts. By delivering her stories of the people to life. itage-cooking programs containing historical The renewed interest in heritage posed an information, and by presenting cooking tech interesting opportunity to connect the past to niques and ideas for new fusion cooking in the contemporary life-both to extend its identity modern kitchens of Doha, the local community
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 45 of Qataris-especially Arab women who may not the local citizens, but for all those who eagerly often venture outside the home-were made to travel to cultural destinations to understand more feel at ease with the new information. Others about them. The international audience must be would learn about the culture of place through developed through branding and other strate its food history and interactive engagement. gies to assure that foreign visitors comprehend The increased interest in organic farming in the nuances of the unfamiliar information they Qatar presented an opportunity to spread encounter. Presenting a country's global context the word about healthy options for nutri in a national museum is essential to advancing tion and the future of sustainable food the visitor's understanding of that country in the in the region. The modern food move modern world. These subjects are best delivered ment has definitely arrived in the Gulf, honestly with multiple local and international commercially and intellectually. The perspectives. Objectivity, not subjectivity, wins National Museum has positioned itself over the audience and assures the museum's to be a leader programmatically in this place in the sophisticated global context. exciting field. National museums can reflect or help define In the end, all of the efforts to define the architecture of a nation. An audience invited a new cultural experience in the Gulf in to express an opinion within the museum region come down to reconciling na experience becomes an engaged audience. If a tional and international perspectives. multiplicity of views can be brought into the mu The "think local" and "act global" seum's content presentations via technology or approach is essential for the new cul other methods, the thinking that has moved soci ture of museums to play a lead role in ety in new or different directions becomes part of today's development of Arab culture. the historical record of change and social opinion. The Gulf takes seriously its goal to The content shows the next generation how they "modernize" but not "Westernize." have arrived at their "today." Qatar has already Yet all Gulf nations would be wise to demonstrated its tolerance and encouragement consider how much national ego is of opinion by the presence of Al Jazeera. For a a positive thing, and what this means national museum to remain relevant, dialogue for museums that strive to engage should be programmed and change reported: both local and international audi change must be curated and incorporated into ences. This is particularly critical for a the museum. In this way social intelligence and national museum. To what extent can a open communication in a "free flow" mental national museum be global? A national ity can spark interest and sustain a broad public museum, to be unique, must be a place while capturing the national imagination in an of exciting social engagement represent interactive, visual experience for all. « ing change and development, reflective Peggy Loar is interim president not only of the history of place but of its and director, Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art and Design, people as carriers of culture through time. Washington, DC. The visitor must be invited in to explore the memory, mystery, imagination and fu ture of place-a subject of interest not just for
46 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 "Are we looking for a standard or a shared moral princip le?JJ -Sandra Vecchio, architect and summit participant The Sustainab e Museum
An excerpt from Museums, Environmental Sustainability and Our Future, a 2014 publication of the American Alliance of Museums and the PIC Green Professional Network. This report, supported by the Bullitt Foundation, is based on the proceed ings of the Summit on Sustainability Standards in Museums, held at the 2013 AAM Annual Meeting in Baltimore. More than 100 museum professionals attended this convening, developed to assess the field's experience with, response to and appetite for environmental sustainability standards. For the complete version of the report, please go to aam-us.org/resources/professional-networks/pic-green-network. The Alliance urges all museums, regardless of type or size, to consider the issues and questions the report raises, as together AAM and its Professional Networks nurture excellence and establish standards and best practices for our field.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 47 The net-zero energy and net-zero water Center for Su stainable Landscapes at Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, recent recipient of PIC Green's Sustainability Excellence Award in the Programming category.
hose wbo are working toward more shared vision is unlikely, but that may not mat sustainable museums give deep consid ter as much as the journey will, as we strive to Teration to the question Sandra Vecchio improve our practices toward greater efficiency posed, and others: Can sustainability standards and use of resources. be adopted without a basic agreement about A number of other factors motivate museums why we want and need them? Do we share a to explore sustainability standards, including the collective concern for sustainability? Do we all perpetual need for cost savings. Implementing envision the ideal museum that is in perfect eco green practices requires upfront costs but also logical balance with its systems, bioregion and results in saving resources and thus can make community? Do we have the leadership to guide good business sense. In addition, the shifting us through these choices and changes? Such a values of our audiences, communities and other
48 /museum JU LY I AUGUST 2014 answer, it is fair to say that some level of shared desire for measurability and accountability already exists. Yet there are real challenges and barriers to implementation and success. Summit participants expressed concern about several key issues: • Resources: Where will the funds, time and expertise to implement a standards program come from at both the national and the insti tutional levels? Will designating resources for sustainability pull funding from other functions? • Standards and best practices: As a fi.eld, do we have the ability and the protocol in place to agree on what best practices would look like? • Leadership: Are leaders of our institutions and associations ready to carry sustainabil ity standards projects forward?
Resources The very presence of more than 100 museum professionals at the summit spoke to a dedication to greener institutions, whether through volun tary efforts by individuals or organizational com mitment to the green teams and sustainability staff positions that are becoming more common stakeholders compel museums to be responsive in museums. Museums across the nation have to expectations that we will operate on sustain found ways to implement green building prac able principles. Internally, staff, volunteers and tices, operations, programming and investing. board members may also be asking whether The fi.eld is moving in the right direction. operations and programming reflect sustainable A fi.eld-wide commitment should defi.ne values, be they environmental, economic, social standards and provide a framework for research, or all of the above. While every institution is training, compliance and recognition. Many pro unique in its approach to sustainability, the need fessional associations have some form of green for smarter operational practices is universal. team and/or a tool kit that provides valuable But can we go so far as to say that we are willing resources for members and others. PIC Green's to set up and adhere to fi.eld-wide standards? Sustainable Operations Tool Kit (see page 53), The ultimate question posed at the summit for example, provides links to useful websites, was: What would museum sustainability stan articles, resource lists and case studies that offer dards look like? While we do not yet know the ideas and solutions.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 49 Standards and Best Practices Concerns Unique to Museums The concept of a neat, fixed set of standards Standards must be developed organically from and best practices appears black and white in within the museum field. While we should not re- concept, but is much messier in actual applica- create the wheel, we must be mindful of what is tion. Museums are so diverse in terms of mission unique about museums. This is where the chal- resources, location, facilities, collections care lenge of common language and agreed-upon needs, lifecycle, etc., that creating a single set practice comes in. of voluntary standards and best practices is an All museum departments use resources, some ever-present challenge-as is maintaining a more than others, and in ways we usually do not program that effectively evaluates a museum think about. Museums with climate-controlled against them. New issues and new thinking are storage and galleries require more energy than also continually impacting practices and stan those that do not have such stringent tem dards, and we must keep up. How sustainability perature and humidity guidelines. Aquariums, standards and best practices-and related evalu botanical gardens and zoos certainly use more ation programs-will be used also impacts deci water than, say, a historic house or art museum. sions to be made: Will they be used to encourage Building size, the number of floors, geo museums to improve, regulate and evaluate an graphic location and the volume of visitors organization for recognition purposes? welcomeJ every year are just some of the many factors that affect resource consumption. While Leadership some of these issues cannot be resolved simply, we have to look logically and holistically at how Individual institutions that have begun to reas institutions are run. Any alterations to "business sess the impacts they have on communities, as usual" affect people, take effort and time, and the environment and resources did so through sometimes require financial backing. the commitment of leaders and engaged staff. At the deepest level, the uniqueness of muse While institutional grassroots organizing for ums lies in stewardship-the collection, preserva green teams and other initiatives are effective at tion and conservation of art, material culture, bringing about change, the real change in val natural history collections, and live plants and ues, planning and practice will come from the animals. Summit participants voiced their con top. CEOs communicate the vision for sustain cerns about the impact of certain sustainability ability, COOs carry it out and CFOs track how measures on collections care. Threats to the sta it can become an embedded institutional frame bility of objects may come from building climate work. Museum leadership teams are working controls, lighting systems, architectural design, through a new model that values resiliency and outdoor- and indoor-generated air pollutants, the triple bottom line. For museums this means collections management supplies and procure recovering from and weathering financial tur ment, and disposal and waste management. moil, understanding that a valued asset is people The range of collections in our institutions' care and making sustainability mission driven. makes sorting through these issues difficult. Live collections further complicate the stewardship and sustainability balance, with greater needs for water and energy to maintain facilities.
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The Nelson Cultural Center at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis is LEED Gold certified.
For those caring for cultural collections, the climate zones just within the U.S.) and collection greatest concerns are temperature and relative types. Cultural materials (including the build humidity. Collection managers around the ings that house them) require different environ world have been engaged in this conversation mental conditions based on their composition, for many years. The American Institute for condition, use and treatment history. The rela Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works tionship among exterior environmental factors (AIC) has established interim guidelines for rela and interior environmental conditions, humidity, tive humidity for most types of cultural materials temperature and agents of deterioration must be (4S-SS percent/±S percent daily drift) and tem assessed and addressed, along with additional perature (S9-77 degrees Fahrenheit/± 4 degrees means of prevention and risk management. daily drift). Barbara Heller, chief conservator at The question remains: How can we balance the Detroit Institute of Arts and chair of an good stewardship of collections, buildings and AAM Annual Meeting session on balancing the planet? Heller and others on the panel say collections needs and building energy con this question may be easier to answer if we sumption, says these parameters allow for slow acknowledge that the so percent/70 degree stan seasonal gradients, but she also cautions that dard is not a foolproof formula for all collections, we do not know whether a change from the so in all conditions, at all times, but instead a sim percent/70 degree standard will realize energy plifi.ed convention that can be easily applied and efficiency improvements and maintain the integ understood by collections managers, operations rity of collections care. staff, architects and builders. A class of controls A major challenge is the multitude of vari can be used to establish set points for collec ables in building types, climatic regions (13 tions, recognizing that some objects will require
JULY I AUGU ST 2014 museum / 51 special accommodations, visitor comfort might Finally, while not of immediate concern in North be a determining factor for temperature, and America, there are global security and safety microclimates and other passive measures can threats as resources dwindle and availability be used to protect sensitive collection materials. shifts. Being aware of these issues requires dili We may not have a choice when it comes to gence but will become more important as global addressing sustainability issues. The reality of human ecology continues to change. tighter building codes, energy efficiency rules But the truth is, we do have a choice. The and regulations, and the changing nature of changing context in which museums operate building and operations products will likely have goes beyond the practical, regulatory and eco profound implications for building operations. logical realities mentioned above. As summit Entire industries are changing rapidly around us, participant and green museums leader Elizabeth whether we know it or not. Our choices are also Wylie suggested, a conversation about sustain limited by environmental changes in regional ability standards is also a conversation about
Just ask any hort icultu ra li st abou t ch an ges in pla nt. ani mal and insect life cycles an d migration, and th ere can be li ttle doubt that climate cha nge is occ urring .
temperature regimes, seasonal shifts, increas people's values and behaviors. Wylie questioned ingly extreme weather events, water accessibility whether "we are measuring practices or values. and sea level rise, which are all having an impact Are we measuring processes and outcomes and/ inside and onsite. Just ask any horticulturalist or behaviors and impacts?" about changes in plant, animal and insect life From these questions, the conversation took cycles and migrations, and there can be little a more philosophical turn. Summit participants doubt that climate change is occurring. talked about how we can overcome our discon Issues of environmental justice should also be nection from nature. How can we shift the on our minds, as museums are vital parts of local emphasis from constraints and restrictions to and global communities. The choices we make abundance and resiliency, such as nature itself about how we operate and staff our buildings provides? How do we move from good inten can have consequences for local populations. tions to real action? What can we draw on from Financial investment choices can have impacts our colleagues in environmental education, not around the world if our money is not in socially just for our visitors, but for ourselves? conscious funds. Purchasing decisions-from We can take several key steps, based on the cleaning supplies to fair-trade coffee in the 1978 UNESCO Tbilisi Declaration on the role,
cafe-have unseen implications here and abroad. Co ntinued on page 55
52 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 A variety of standards and metrics prescribes and measures the sustainability of buildings and sites, from construction and renovation processes through operations and maintenance; to some degree, they also relate to the interpretation of sites. The programs described here are used in the United States to varying degrees of popularity, adoption, adherence and achievability. They also cover a spectrum from highly technical and practical to aspirational. With the exception of the Sustainable Sites Initiative and Arts:Earth Partnership, none were developed to suit the unique needs of cultural institutions such as museums, yet all have been adopted over the past decade by hundreds of museums, historic sites and other similar institutions. Also included are the Green Exhibit Checklist and the PIC Green Sustainable Operations Tool Kit. The checklist focuses on a specific aspect of museum functions, but its metrics also apply to other functions and can be seen as a model from which museum sustainability standards could be developed. The tool kit provides a comprehensive framework for the unique set of functions in museums and related institutions. The following summaries are adapted from the Summit on Sustainability Standards handouts. For more detailed listings, please view the complete report at aam-us.org/resources/professional-networks/ pic-green-network.
Living Building Challenge Project Green Building Initiative, Green Globes (living-future.org/ lbc) (thegbi.org/ green-globes/) A green building certification program that defines A green building guidance and assessment pro the most advanced measure of sustainability in gram that offers a practical and affordable way to the built environment possible today and acts to advance the environmental performance and sus diminish the gap between current limits and ideal tainability of a wide variety of building types. solutions. Green Exhibit Checklist Sustainable Sites Initiative (exhibitSEED.org) (sustainab/esites.org) A tool to evaluate the environmental sustainability Provides a comprehensive rating system for sus- of exhibits and inspire exhibit teams to plan exhib tainable design, construction and maintenance of its with environmental considerations in mind. built landscapes. Sustainable Operations Tool Kit, AAM PIC Energy Star and Portfolio Manager, U.S. Green Environmental Protection Agency (pic-green.net/sustainable-operations-too/-kit/ (energystar.gov) introduction/ ) A voluntary program that helps businesses and A resource in development that focuses on solu- tions for greening day-to-day museum operations.
.!,,':',., individuals save money and protect our climate through superior energy efficiency. Green Business Certification for Cultural Leadership in Energy 8.. Environmental Design Institutions, Arts:Earth Partnership (LEED), U.S. Green Building Council (artsearthpartnership.org) (usgbc.org/ leed) An official green business certification for cultural A green building tool that addresses the entire facilities, theaters, museums, dance studios, art gal- building lifecycle by recognizing best-in-class leries, performing arts companies, concert venues building strategies. and individual artists.
: ...... :
JULY I AU GUST 2014 museum / 53 Building the Future of Education :,"" : ..
TrendsWatch 2014 Building the Future of Education Museums and the Learning Ecosystem The third ed ition of the acc laimed publication, TrendsWotch examines six crucial societal trends that will likely have a A new era of education is beginning in the U.S., charac terized profound impact on museums in the future The trends by new learning economies and diverse methods of sharing examined this year are: the rise of the social entrepreneurs; and using edu catio nal resources . What role can mu seums multisensory experiences for a multisensory world; tapping play in this new era7 How can they help their communities the big data boom; privacy in a watchful world; the economy understand and navigate the emerging learning landscape? of collaborative consumption; and how robots are finally This report shares the perspect ives of educational policy co ming into their own expe rts, practiti one rs, funder s, educational pioneers and student reformers, ending with a call for museums to take the Now Available as a lead in the re -invention of American K-12 educa ti on FREE iPad app t Download a free pdf of Trends Watch 2014 app: Building the Future of Education Available from the iTunes store as a free app for the iPad. from the CFM Web page: Search: CFM's Trends Watch 2014. http://aam-us org/resources/center-for-the-future-of museums Trends Watch 2014 pdf: Download the free pdf from the CFM Web page: http://aam-us org/resources/center-for-the-future-of museums
Trends Watch 2014 in print: Retail $12 .95 Alliance discount $9 95 The Center for the Future of Museums is an Quantity discount (10 copies or more) $7.95 initiative of the American Alliance of Museums For quantity orders, please contact the Alliance Bookstore at [email protected] or Bettena Kirkland at 202-218-7709.
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In Box Su stainable Museum Co ntinued fr om page 8 Continued from p age 52
protocols that allow for "need-blind" objectives and characteristics of envi • Action: Ultimately the goal of any deaccessioning procedures, but permit ronmental education: environmental education process the creation of a pool of funding that museum profes will lead to some form of action, can go towards the direct care of col • Awareness: As from simple behavioral changes Lections objects as well as the historic sionals, we inherently know and building and significant Landscape fea want to know about the world in our daily lives to active par determined by a committee at to tures as around us. The key is to avoid ticipation in a neld-wide effort the particular institution-similar to the thinking and stagnation in make museums more sustainable National Trust model. Thus the decision myopic institutions. to deaccession is not weighted towards our silos. or even If we harness the energy and budget needs, building care • Knowledge: Do we know what we specific object care. It is based upon creativity already present among know about what makes a is used need to mission. And how the money ourselves, we can overcome the chal is weighed against all competing care museum sustainable? Do we know lenges. By being flexible and open needs, including building maintenance, where to obtain this information? so that that there is a holistic, thought to experimentation, innovation and • Attitudes: We need to reflect on ful approach as to how the money is even failure, we can solve short-term how we feel about ourselves, our ultimately used. obstacles to nnding common language AAM must acknowledge that historic jobs, our institutions and the role and agreed-upon best practices. Like sites and historic house museums have we play in contributing to environ different needs than art museums, and all other standards of excellence for mental problems and solutions. permit the staff at these museums to museums, sustainability standards will strengthen rather Does our attitude lean toward act in ways that must be embedded in the way we than paralyze the organization. That responsibility or apathy? operate our institutions. We already we can support these significant way • Skills: Museum professionals are cultural institutions by allowing them share the value of stewardship. Now we good at learning, training and to care for their most important collec must extend this to stewardship of the keep the improving our practice. To imple tion object-the building-and planet's resources and environment. « public trust we all hold so dear into the ment sustainability standards, future. a strong support system KAREN WHITEHAIR we need COLLECTIONS MANAGER for research, benchmarking and MONTPELIE R MANSION LAUREL, MD communication. For resources on sustainability • Empowerment: Without the and green practices related to conndence about what we know museum operations, buildings and can do, nothing will happen. and facility planning, visit Leadership must step in at every the Alliance's online resource level, from implementing staff library at aam-us.org/resources/ training to developing nationally resource-library. recognized standards of excel lence. Everyone must feel that they are empowered and that their actions matter.
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 55 >> ADVERTISER GUIDE------
ADVERTISER WEBSITE PHONE PAGE
2015 Annual Meeting & Museum Expo aam-us.org 202-289-1818 c4 Arakawa Hanging Systems, Inc. www.arakawagrip.com 888-272-5292 2 Blue Telescope Studios www.studios.blue-telescope.com 212-675-7702 2 ClickNetherfield Ltd www.clicknetherfield.com 00441506-835-200 31 Displays2Go www.displays2go.com 800-572-2194 15 Distinguished Programs www.distinguished.com 212-297-3179 5 EMS Software by Dean Evans & Associates www.dea.com 800-440-3994 30 Hadley Exhibits, In c. www.hadleyexhibits.com 716- 874-3666 16 Harvard Extension School www.extension.harvard.edu 617-495-4024 16 The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions www.iaapa.org 703-836-4801 c2 King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture http:/ /en.kingabdulazizcenter.com 966-3-8759866 c3 MuseumRails www.MuseumRails.com 888-672-189 15 Paul G. Allen Family Foundation www.pgafamilyfoundation.org 206-342-2030 TandD US, LLC. www.tandd.com 518-669-9227 16 Weldon Exhibits www.weldonexhibits.com 415-686-1625 15
)) PHOTO CREDITS-
Cover: photograph by Ken Walker. Courtesy of April Ash ley p . 10: photos courtesy The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. p. 11: (top) photos courtesy Hi llwood Estate. Museum and Gardens: (bottom) photo by Jason Staudenmayer. Coming in the p. 12: (lop) Wynn Bullock, Child in Fores t, 1951 High Muse um of Art. Atlanta. © Bullock Fa mily Photography LLC. All rights reserved; (bo ttom) Wisteria Co ttage September/October (Prospect Street). photograph by Darren Bradley, 2014. p. 13: (top) Mary T Smith. Untilled. 1976, Collection Americ an Folk Art Mu seu m, New York. Photo by Gavin Ashworth. New York; (bottom) 7275 Lincoln Cathedral Exemplar of the Magno Carta, l215. Courtesy Lincoln Ca thedral Pho togra ph 0 Museum of Fin e Arts, Boston. p. 14: (top) Bay Bndge East Span. © Steve Proehl; (center) John Falte" Winter Fun in Bucks County: Pennsylvania, 1971. Saturday Evenmg Post. Winter 1971 cover. © Copyright 2014 National Museum of America n Illustration, Newport. Rl. Photo courtesy Archives of Americ an Illustrators Gallery, New Yo rk, NY; (bo tto m) photo by Matt Pearson Excerpts from p . 17: (top) Hope Diamond, designed by Pierre Cartier, 1910 . National Museum of Natural His tory, Sm ithsonia n Building the Future of Museums: Insti tution; gift of Harry Wi nston Inc p. 26-29: photos by Ed Pollard, courtesy of the Museums and the Learning Ecosystem Chrysler Museum of Art p. 32-37: im ag es courtesy National Museums and Liverpool. p. 38-43: Design for the National Museum o f Qata" Teaching the Museum: Careers in Museum Education Jea n Nouvel. 201 0 p . 48-49: photo by Paul g Wiegman. p. 51: Paul Crosby Photography. p. 62-63: photos by Lori Call p. 64: image© AM NH 2014
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The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art
The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art (SMMJA) is a place where Tulsa, Oklahoma Jewish art, history, culture and identity connect. Through the Lens of Largest in the First Accredited: October 2013 both fine art and artifacts, this collection of Judaica-the Southwest-provides a testament and tribute to the resiliency of the Staff Size: 8 Jewish people and to those who seek to Learn more about them. Attendance at the Sherwin Miller has doubled in the past five Budget: $463,074 years, and as the museum's reach has expanded, so has the need to adapt and offer exhibitions and educational programming to match the public's expectations and educational needs. Accreditation provided the perfect framework for us to Look at our operations with a critical eye to ensure we were on the right track in our offerings, in our stewardship of the collections and as part of the Larger museum community. The SMMJA believes that bringing understanding of Jewish Life and its relationship to other religious and cultural traditions helps reduce misunderstanding. After a tour with her eighth-grade class, a teacher from a rural high school wrote, "Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and history with us ... especially for broadening our scope and helping us to better see the big picture." -Drew Diamond, Executive Director
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 57 >> COMMUNITY------
MU SE UM CAREERS A Mid-Year Career Check-Up
BY GREG STEVENS
The midpoint of the year finds many accounting of your professional 6. Do a 360. While we may know museum colleagues in transition. You activities and accomplishments. ourselves, we don't often take time may be right out of school, struggling An updated resume also serves as to ask for feedback from others on to find a job. You may be in your first an affirmation-a reminder of all what they know or feel about us. position, already wondering about you've accomplished and the skills Reaching out to trusted colleagues, your next job. You may be a mid-career you bring to your work. Reach out family and friends can help you colleague considering a move up or to trusted colleagues to review your identify areas of strength as well as out of your institution. Or you may resume. Another pair of eyes can be growth opportunities. be contemplating retirement after a invaluable. 7. Raise Your Hand. How can you rewarding museum career, considering be 4. Reach Out. Now is the time to con an active contributor to the field? how you might stay connected and tact that museum professional you Simple. "Raise your hand." We all give back to the field. Wherever you met at the annual meeting, or touch have something of value to offer. are on your career path, now is a great base with an old friend who works Consider how you might advance time to do a mid-year career check- in the museum across town and in your career while you give back up. Following are a few strategies for whom you haven't seen in months. to the field. Whether you join a refocusing your energy, thinking and This is the heart of networking and group, efforts. write an article or present a works best if you remember it's a session at a conference, do so with 1. Reflect. Take some time to consider two-way street-it's as much about purpose and full awareness of your who you are as a museum profes listening as talking, about giving commitment. sional and what you have to offer. and getting. 8. Be a Change Agent. Our identities Think about what you're good at, s. Brush Up Your Online Presence. If as museum professionals shape what you're passionate about, and you don't already have a profession how we interact with each other, how you communicate your skills al presence online, now is the time engage our communities, and passions to others. do our to establish one. If you already have work and make change happen. Our 2. Identify Your Transferable Skills. a presence (for example, a Linkedin individual contributions (in words Your past experience informs your profile), keep it up to date. Look at and deeds) have a direct impact professional life. If you come to other professional profiles. What on our institutions, communities museum work from another field, captures your attention? What of practice and field as a whole. what are the transferable skills you do other professionals say about When we contribute, we can speak bring to the table? themselves that you can modify for with one voice about why and how your own profile? 3. Refresh Your Resume. If you are Does your profile museums are essential components say what it should actively looking for a job, a refreshed about your skills, of the global learning landscape. experience, resume serves as an up-to-date accomplishments and passion?
58 /museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 ------COMMUNITY <<
PEOPLE
chief NEW JOBS Barbara A. Ramsay to conservator, John and Mable Melynda Seaton to curator/ Ringling Museum of Art, administrator, Great Plains Florida State University, Art Museum, University of Sarasota. Nebraska-Lincoln. f Renny Pritikin to chief Aaron Ott to public art curator, Contemporary • Kent Michael Smith to curator, Albright-Knox Art • Katherine Lee Koven to Jewi sh Mu seu m, San director of marketing and Gallery, Buffalo, New York. director, Nora Eccles Francisco. communications, Kemper Harrison Mu seu m of Art, Museum of Contemporary Duane Doxzen to deputy Caine College of the Arts. Art, Kansas City, Missouri. director, Historical Society of Logan, Utah. Frederick County, Frederick, Maryland. Paul R. Davis to curator of collections, Menil Collection, • Jonathan Foley to Houston. executive director, and Jerome C. Vascellaro to Wassan Al-Khudhairi to to • Katja Zelljadt vice chair of the board, California curator of modern and president for education, San Academy of Sciences, contemporary art, National Building Museum, . Francisco Birmingham Museum of Art. DC. • Christina Nielsen to Washington, Alabama. William and Lia Poorvu Duane H. King to director, • Theresa Soska to Curator of the Collection and Joanne T. Chou to chief Helmerich Center for director of development, director of program financial officer, Asian Art American Research, The Mariners' Museum, planning, Isabella Stewart Museu m, San Fran cisco. Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Newport News, Virginia. Gardner Museum, Boston. Oklahoma. Jon Iwata, Avi Reichental and Todd Waterbury to Jo Ellen Parker to board of trustees, Cooper president, Carnegie Hewitt, National Design Museums of Pittsburgh. I Museum, New York. • Careen A. Rodgers to vice president for financial Stacy Hasselbacher to affairs, The Huntington interactive media specialist Library, Art Collections and and Seth Feman to Botanical Gardens, San to head • Donna Strahan • Judith Dolkart to interpretation manager, Marino, Cali fornia. of conservation and scientific director, Addison Gallery of Chrysler Museum of Art, research, Freer Gallery of Art American Art, Phillips Norfolk, Virginia. Betsy Severance to chief and Arthur M. Sackler Academy, Andover, registrar, The J. Paul Getty Gallery, Smithsonian to director Massach usetts. Tony Chauveaux to • Merrill Mason Museum, Los Angeles. Institution, Washington, DC. executive director, Longue and Gigi Naglak to curator of of museum education and Shyam Oberoi to director Vue House & Gardens, New KUDOS Sara Lees to Ruth G. technology and digital Orleans. interpretation, American Hardman Curator of media, Dallas Museum of Philosophical Society, The Smithsonian American European Art, Ph ilbrook Art. Wilfried Zeisler to associate Philadelphia. Art Museum has awarded Museum of Art, Tulsa, curator of 19th-century art, the Charles C. Eldredge Oklahoma. Hillwood Estate, Museum Scott Sayre to chief digital Prize for Distinguished and Gardens, Washington, officer and Kris Wetterlund in American Art DC. to director of education and Scholarship interpretation, The Corning to Wendy Bellion, associate Carl Borick to director, Museum of Glass, Corning, professor of American art Charleston Museum, New York. and material culture at the Charleston, South Carolina. University of Delaware, for her book Citizen Spectator: • Gary Garrido Schneider Art, Illusion, and Visual to executive director, Perception in Early National Grounds for Sculpture, America (The University of Hamilton, New Jersey. North Carolina Press for the Omohundro Institute of Early America n History and Culture, 2011).
JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 59 >> COMMUNITY------
The Alliance wishes to express appreciation to the following organizations that have generously supported the museum community and the 2014 Annual Meeting 8. MuseumExpo:
LEAD
~ls!JI ~ liilll _kJjslJI :1.!-L dl..oJI.¢J.-0 King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
A Saudi Aramco initiative
FOUNDATIONS
THE PAUL G. ALLEN BILL& MELINDA FAMILY FOUNDATION GATES foundation
• The Getty Foundation ®
SPONSORS
Bank ~~ blacl common.fUnd elllleacl architects Solutions for stmtegic inveslon• EMP MUSEUM IIIUIIC+KI-fi+popcullu" Microsoft Research 1rr~~:~,11 GES ... Museums and the Web ENTERTAINMENT • Northern Trust €) TRAVELERS~J r:lRussell sc :;:t~. OFFICE "H' ' IJhJ Investments exhibitions OF ARTS & CULTURE solomon group U~UL l l M.tl) U FRIENDS OF THE ALLIANCE Bill 8. Melinda Gates Foundation • BoardEffect LLC • Bill and June Boeing Family • Boeing Foundation • Campbell 8. Company Color-Ad, Inc. • Exhibits Development Group (EDG) • Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation • James Ford Bell Foundation • Jitasa Johns Hopkins University • Left Coast Press • Maney Publishing • Marquand Books • Marts 8. Lundy • McKinstry· Patron Technology Piction Digital Image Systems • Prism Technologies • Rowman 8. Littlefield • Sellen Construction Company • Snoqualmie Tribe Fund • STQRY TAM Retail • Target Resource Group, LLC (TRG Arts) • Visit Seattle 60 I museum JU LY I AUGUST 2014 ------COMMUNITY << seattle OFFICE OF ARTS & CULTURE SEATTLE AAM offers a special thanks to Visit Seattle and the Sea ttle Office of Arts and Culture for their support of the 2014 Annual Meeting g MuseumExpo. Seattle welcomed nearly 5,000 museum professionals representing all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, May 18-21, offering unprecedented hospitality and staging Museum Week Northwest, a special promotion showcasing the region's museums. To honor the museum world coming to Seattle and Museum Week Northwest Mayor Ed Murray issued a proclamation that read in part: "We 'applaud the dedication of museum professionals and call for community leaders to recognize the many ways museums and their staffs contribute to our region, support and enrich our educational system, improve our cultural literacy and vitalize our economy." Thank you, Seattle, for hosting such an engaging and illuminating event. American Alliance of Museums JULY I AUGUST 2014 museum / 61 >> COMMUNITY------ 1\N NU/\L MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO 2014 The 108th AAM Auuuctl MeellllSJ & MuseumExpo (May 18-:01) drew nearly 5,000 mu3eum professionals representing all so states and lHuLe Lllctll 50 ~uualries to Seattle. The hospitality from the region's museums was overwhelming, and attendees participated in more than 160 provocative sessions and some 100 P.VP.nts. ThPsP p hntns present just a fraction of the highlights . .... Above: AAM Board Member Lnwrfnre Pijeaux of the Birmingham Civil Rights , Institute and ~~~L[; Director Susan HILdreth . ..., Above: Seattl.e greo=to=d dllteiiUtete> wil11 ib well-known welcoming attitude • AL 1lyi',L dllli i.Jeluw. U!lller:'ii.Ldalmed author Erik Larsen deliveri!<.J Ui'~ keynote at Ltle\jencrjl $O$~Ion '.' opct'lcd wltH'a' blessing from the Suquamish tribes ' T Below: Attennee<; exrnnnerl thPir knowledge throLigh the 160 substantive sessions, ..., Above: CEO Symposium participants gathered at the Chihuly Boathouse for an evening event. .,. At right: Melanie Johnson of Space Center Houston received the Nancy Hanks Award from AAM President Ford W. Bell. T Below: Curtis Wong and Lori Ada Kilty of Microsoft Research shared their technological solutions . .... Above: The AAM Resource Center featured telepresence robot!;. 62 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 ------COMMUNITY << JULY I AU GUST 201 4 museum / 63 » SHOWCASE------ Some 70 million years ago, this friendly looking fellow lived on a plain in western Texas. Known as Quetzalcoatlus nortbropi-after Quetzalcoatl, a Mexican deity whose name translates to "feathered serpent"-this is the largest pterosaur, or fly ing reptile, that scientists have discovered so far. His wingspan covered at least 33 feet, making him as big as a two-seater plane. A life-size model of Quetzi, as we'd like to call him, is one of several massive re-creations in "Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs." Visitors can try their hand at piloting one of these creatures across a prehistoric landscape. To Jan. 4, 2015. Venue: American Museum of Natural History, New York. 64 / museum JULY I AUGUST 2014 happening King Abdulaziz Center For World Culture American Alliance of Museums 1575 Eye St. N.W., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005 \ I April26-29, 2015 American Alliance of Museums 2015 Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo Come connect with colleagues in the mixture of energy and charm that is Atlanta a city born of perseverance and innovation. Call202-289-1818 for more information.