The apologies keep coming.

After the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., allowed the police to use its property to stage a response to a protest over George Floyd’s death, its director asked the police to gather elsewhere and issued a public apology.

When the Getty was criticized for putting out “vague” social media posts calling “for equity and fairness” that failed to mention Mr. Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, its chief executive pledged to do better.

The language of contrition was similar from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art after it was criticized for responding to Mr. Floyd’s death with an Instagram post: an image of a work by the artist Glenn Ligon — who is black — without any statement from the institution.

“We can do better,” the apology said. The museum followed up with a second apology days later for having disabled comments in response to criticism of its initial post.

For decades, cultural organizations have generally opted out of politically heated debates, positioning themselves as neutral territory and preferring to let the artists they present do the opining. As civic institutions often supported by taxpayer dollars, they have historically
eschewed political allegiances.

But this time is different.

In the period of protests, many arts organizations have entered the fray. Some of their public messages have been commended as better than silence; others criticized as tone deaf and too little too late.
 
Such efforts to meaningfully contribute to the conversation are especially sensitive because many of the institutions are led by white executives who answer to boards largely made up of wealthy white trustees. That composition has long fueled suspicion that arts
organizations are inherently resistant to — or incapable of — real change.

“It’s not enough to issue these toothless statements,” tweeted Adrianne Russell, a writer, museums specialist and former employee at the Nelson-Atkins, “and that’s why I wish museums would just be quiet unless they’re going to tell the truth.”

When the Metropolitan Opera tweeted last week that there was “no place for racism in the arts,” several people commented on social media that the company had never performed an opera by a black composer. (Their first — Terence Blanchard's “Fire Shut Up in My
Bones” — was announced last year but has yet to be performed.)

“I do not think art museums have done enough,” Chris Anagnos, the executive director of the Association of Art Museum Directors, said in a statement on the organization’s website. “We have dabbled around the edges of the work, but in our place of privilege we will never live up to the statement that ‘museums are for everyone’ unless we begin to confront, examine and dismantle the various structures that brought us to this point.”

Some responses have landed more successfully than others, namely the impassioned statement from Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, who called on his professional cohort to step up.

In his statement, Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian, urged his colleagues in the museum world to do more to address racial injustice. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

​“Will we join the struggle to seek justice and equality?” Mr. Bunch said. “Will we heed the call of courageous figures throughout history who spoke out against slavery, marched on for voting rights, and sat in for basic equality? Will we challenge the nation to live up to its founding ideals? In the memory of those taken from us and for the good of the
country, I hope that we do.”

:The Board of Trustees of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) has passed a series of resolutions addressing how art museums may use the restricted funds held by some institutions. These resolutions were proposed in recognition of the extensive negative effects of the current crisis on the operations and balance sheets of many art museums—and the uncertain timing for a museum’s operations, fundraising, and revenue streams to return to normal.

The resolutions state that AAMD will refrain from censuring or sanctioning any museum—or censuring, suspending or expelling any museum director—that decides to use restricted endowment funds, trusts, or donations for general operating expenses. The resolution also addresses how a museum might use the proceeds from deaccessioned art to pay for expenses associated with the direct care of collections. The resolution does not change AAMD’s Professional Practices or any other rules currently in place, but instead effectively places a moratorium on punitive actions through April 10, 2022. AAMD also recognizes that it is not within the Association’s purview to approve the redirection of restricted funds. However, it hopes that these resolutions will serve as an endorsement to donors or the relevant legal authorities, encouraging them to permit the temporary use of these funds for unrestricted needs.

“This is a crisis without precedent in our lifetime, with global implications and with a timeline that unfolds as we live it,” said Brent Benjamin, president of the Association of Art Museum Directors and The Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. “On the one hand, there is no clear timeline for the pandemic concluding, for the economy to begin growing again, and for life to return to normal. Art museums, on the other hand, typically plan their exhibitions and activities months or years in advance, including anticipating both the costs and fundraising needs for each initiative. Since planning for the future with any accuracy is impossible, while earned revenue has stopped and the future of charitable giving is unknown, it was important for AAMD to take a step that could provide some additional financial support to art museums.”

The resolutions address two separate sets of restrictions, one regarding endowment funds, trusts, or donations, and the other regarding the use of proceeds from deaccessioned art. For the former, the resolution states that AAMD will not impose censure or sanctions on an institution that considers the following sources for general operations, including necessary expenses such as staff compensation and benefits:

• Income (not principal) from endowment funds or trusts held by a museum and that are normally restricted to purposes other than general operations such as art acquisition, conservation, or research;
• Income (or principal) from donations or trusts held by outside entities in support the of museum, and that are also restricted to purposes other than general operations such as art acquisition, conservation or research; and
• And the income (not principal) from funds generated by deaccessioned works of art, regardless of when the works were deaccessioned.

Additionally, an institution may use the proceeds from deaccessioned works of art—regardless of whether the works were deaccessioned before or after the date of these resolutions—to support the direct care of the museum’s collection. To use the proceeds from deaccessioned works of art for this purpose, the museum must have in place a board-approved policy outlining what expenses it considers as direct care, and the policy must be publicly accessible (e.g., posted to its website). This temporary approach is not intended to incentivize deaccessioning or the sale of art, only to provide additional flexibility on the use of the proceeds from art that may be sold. AAMD’s longstanding principle that the proceeds from deaccessioned art may not be used for general operating expenses remains in place.

In all cases, museum directors that choose to access these otherwise-restricted funds—or to deaccession and sell art to generate funds—must meet the applicable legal requirements for their jurisdiction. Where possible, they should also consult with the donors or trustees of these funds, or the donors of works of art to be deaccessioned. Museums are expected to maintain a record of the funds taken from each separate source, and how those funds were used.
“We recognize the severity of the current crisis and the immediate financial needs of many institutions,” said Christine Anagnos, executive director of AAMD. “At the same time, whether it is the principal of an endowment or the art that comprises a museum’s collection, we need to protect important assets for future use. These resolutions strike a balance between addressing near-term needs and our long-held values, and we expect that any institution that exercises these options will do so in good faith.”

About AAMD
The Association of Art Museum Directors advances the profession by cultivating leadership capabilities of directors, advocating for the field, and fostering excellence in art museums. An agile, issues-driven organization, AAMD has three desired outcomes: engagement, leadership, and shared learning. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much money could a museum be expected to gain by using the earnings from an endowment rather than the principal?

A. To give a simple example: a museum with a restricted endowment of $1,000,000, with an annual spending rate of 5%, would have an additional $50,000 available to cover operating expenses. The specific amounts will depend on each art museum, the amount of its investments, and the amount earned from those investments.

Q. Under these resolutions, how can a museum use funds generated from deaccessioned art?

A. There are two ways in which an art museum can use the proceeds from deaccessioned art:

• Option 1. If a museum deaccessions a work of art that generates $1 million, and places that $1 million into an acquisition fund, that fund can generate income. With a spending rate of 5% per year, the museum would have an additional $50,000 available to cover operating expenses.
• Option 2. If a museum deaccessions a work of art that generates $1 million, it may use some or all of the $1 million proceeds for direct care of collections, provided that the museum has a board-approved policy defining direct care and has made that policy public.

Q. What about using funds that were donated for a specific purpose and instead applying them to operating expenses?

A. If a donor gave a museum $1 million to be used for a specific purpose—with the intention that the institution use the principal of the gift, not just the income generated by investing it—a museum may use some or all of those funds for general operations, provided they have obtained the consent of the donor and otherwise complied with any legal restrictions.

Q. How does AAMD define “direct care”?

A. Each museum must determine its own definition of “direct care,” develop and adopt a policy that articulates that definition clearly, and share it publicly. We recommend that institutions draw on a position paper developed by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM)) as a starting point.

Q. Does AAMD have the authority to allow museums to change how restricted funds are used?

A. No, AAMD cannot grant “permission” for a museum to use restricted assets for alternative purposes. That will depend on the legal requirements applicable to the museum and the particular fund. The purpose of the resolution passed by the Board of Trustees is to make clear that AAMD itself will not penalize an institution if it does use restricted funds this way.

​Written by Taylor Dafoe, March 11, 2020

​Edouard Vuillard, Woman Sweeping at 346 Rue Saint-Honoré (1895). Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

An Ohio couple has donated more than 100 works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and other artists to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Valued at over $100 million, the gift from Joseph and Nancy Keithley, Clevelanders who have maintained a longstanding relationship with the museum, is the largest the institution has seen in more than 60 years. Ninety-seven of the newly donated works have been transferred to the museum outright, while 17 others are promised to enter the collection in the future.

For the museum’s director, William Griswold, the news came as something of a surprise.
“This was not a promised gift,” he tells Artnet News. “It’s something that all of us devoutly hoped might come to the museum, but quite frankly I didn’t think I’d see it during my tenure here. It was thrilling news when Joe and Nancy informed me last November that they wished to make this gift—and to make it right away.”

​Pierre Bonnard, Fruit and Fruit Dishes (c. 1930). Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Next up in my exploration of museum business models, a conversation with Tamara Christian, president of the International Spy Museum. The Spy Museum is the first museum I’ve found that has operated as both a for-profit and a nonprofit entity. As such, I was interested to learn how the legal status of the museum influenced its financial strategies and income streams.
–Elizabeth Merritt, VP Strategic Foresight and Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums

Elizabeth Merritt (EM): Tamara, tell our readers a bit about the history of the International Spy Museum.

Tamara Christian (TC): The origins of the Spy Museum date to the Korean War when our founder, Milton Maltz, was in the US Navy, and stationed at the National Security Agency. He was assigned to code breaking and became very cognizant of the role intelligence plays in war and peacekeeping. He’d always had an interest in history, and this experience focused his attention on intelligence and national security. After he sold his company (Malrite Communications Group) in 1998, he and his wife Tamar focused attention on their philanthropic interests, including museums, medical, and educational causes.
​
He still had an interest in intelligence and thought it would be an extraordinary concept for a museum. So he started an advisory board of people in the intelligence community to plan the International Spy Museum. It launched in 2002 as a for-profit company with an educational mission, with programs for adults and youth.

Trenton, NJ—The Discoverer Blog recently published its list of the coolest museum in each state in the country. The Old Barracks Museum is pleased to be named the Coolest Museum in New Jersey, named alongside the Getty Museum in California, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania. This prestigious honor is wonderful news that the Old Barracks Museum is proud to share! The entire list can be seen here: https://blog.thediscoverer.com/the-coolest-museum-in-each-state/

Built in 1758 to house British soldiers sent to protect the colonial borders in the French and Indian War, the Trenton barracks were once the largest building in Trenton. During the American Revolution, the building stood witness to the Battle of Trenton, where General George Washington defeated Colonel Rall and his Hessian troops. After this battle, Washington ordered the building be used as a military hospital specializing in smallpox inoculations – the first of its kind in North America! Visitors take a guided tour of the portion of the barracks that has been restored to interpret this 18th century history, and are invited to view galleries on NJ’s involvement in the French and Indian War, the Battle of Trenton, and the Trenton women who saved the Barracks from being forgotten in the early 20th century.

Special events occur throughout the year. Highlights are the Battle of Trenton reenactments held every December during Patriots Week (www.patriotsweek.com), Colonial Summer Day Camp, Tavern Night Fundraiser in September, the Beulah Oliphant Award in March, “America, We Served!”: Three Centuries of African American Soldiers in February, frequent lectures and author discussions, and more.

General visitation is $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. Active duty military personnel are free of charge, and the Old Barracks Museum is a proud Blue Star Museum. Special events have various prices, visit www.barracks.org for more information.

ABOUT THE OLD BARRACKS MUSEUM: The Old Barracks Museum preserves the history of a building that was built as a French and Indian War military barracks and used as a Revolutionary War hospital. It also stood witness to Washington’s crucial victory at the Battle of Trenton. At the beginning of the 20th century, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Colonial Dames organized The Old Barracks Association and spearheaded a campaign to purchase the building. The building has been used as a museum for over a century, and has frequently been used as a symbol for the state of New Jersey. The Old Barracks Museum welcomes visitors from across the state as well as around the world.

Contact:
Lauren Ronaghan/Old Barracks Museum
101 Barracks Street
Trenton, NJ  08608
609 396-1776
lronaghan@barracks.org

BALTIMORE, MD - The Board of Directors of the Museum Trustee Association (MTA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne M. Lampe as CEO of the Association. Lampe will succeed Mary Baily Wieler, who for the last decade served as a board member, chair and more recently as President of MTA. Under Wieler's leadership MTA has grown substantially. Wieler also oversaw the launch of MTA's popular template series utilizing cloud-based software, making best practices accessible and affordable to the museum field.
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MTA Board Chairman Leland Peterson notes, “Ms. Lampe’s appointment was the culmination of a national search spearheaded by Management Consultants for the Arts, Inc. Lampe’s experience as a museum director as well as her service as a Trustee in other organizations gave her a comprehensive understanding of the Trustee/Director/Museum relationship. Additionally, Ms. Lampe’s curatorial experience in museums such as the Whitney and the Museum of Modern Art and her thirteen years as Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Demuth Foundation, where she transformed it from a small organization into a strong collecting, exhibiting and operational institution brought us confidence. She understands the various challenges museums of all sizes face today. We look forward to working with the first museum professional to lead our Association.”

Ms. Wieler, who was elected MTA Trustee Emerita noted, “I am thrilled with Anne Lampe’s appointment as MTA’s next CEO. Anne has led a MTA Member museum, attended our workshops and forums and participated on a panel at our San Juan forum. I am confident that she has the experience to take MTA to the next level.”

Ms. Lampe noted, “Trustees are the core of museums. Currently museums are facing a period of great transformation and are grappling with issues such as:  integration of digital innovations, program integration of social issues and collection issues ranging from questions of the focus of the collection, storage, to deaccessioning.  While every museum will address issues that are pertinent to their community, a strong group of Trustees, who are well educated in their role, governance and are engaged in the mission of their home museum, is necessary for its success.  Trustees who are well versed on current museum issues from a variety of perspectives, are best suited to engage and contribute to their institution.  I look forward to building on the momentum that Mary Wieler generated for the MTA and equipping the next generation of Trustees for the important work of sustaining and growing our cultural institutions for the future.”

For the last thirteen years, Lampe served as Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Demuth Foundation, which includes the Demuth Museum and Lancaster Museum of Art.  During her tenure she quadrupled the budget, doubled the exhibition space, and increased the permanent collection by 50%, making it the largest repository of Charles Demuth’s artwork anywhere in the world.  Additionally, she initiated the first publications program and a touring exhibitions program.  Lampe’s prior roles include Assistant Curator at the Whitney Museum and Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.  Lampe has lectured widely on early modernism and most recently published; Charles Demuth: The Demuth Museum Collection, 2018, Robert E. Locher: A Modern Classic, 2017 and Warren Rohrer: Painter of the Fields, 2017.        

Lampe’s appointment with the Museum Trustee Association is effective April 8 and she will be based in the MTA national office in Baltimore, MD.

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Fueled by philanthropic zeal, lucrative tax deductions and the prestige of seeing their works in esteemed settings, wealthy art owners have for decades given museums everything from their Rembrandts to their bedroom slippers.

It all had to go somewhere. So now, many American museums are bulging with stuff — so much stuff that some house thousands of objects that have never been displayed but are preserved, at considerable cost, in climate-controlled storage spaces.

The wait is over. This past weekend, after more than seven years of planning and three years of construction, Dartmouth celebrated the dedication of the expanded Hood Museum of Art—and opened its doors to the public.
​
“Today the Hood once again commits to sharing its art generously,” John Stomberg, the Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director of the Hood, told a standing-room only crowd of 350 friends and contributors to the $50 million project at the formal dedication ceremony in Alumni Hall on Friday afternoon.