News & Views

AAMG Statement Regarding Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University

The Association of Academic Museums and Galleries is deeply disappointed in the recent ruling by the Tennessee Appeals Court, of November 29, 2011, that allows Fisk University to sell fifty percent of its Stieglitz collection to the Crystal Bridges Museum to raise funds for the university's operating budget. We believe that this action irrevocably damages the public's trust in the university and its art galleries.

According to the best standards of the museum profession, as delineated by the American Association of Museums, works from a museum's permanent collection may be deaccessioned following a thoughtful, written procedure, but all funds from the sale of deaccessioned work may only be used to acquire new works or for direct care (including conserving other works in the collection). Such funds may not be used neither to support the museum's general operations, nor may they be used to fund the operations of a parent institution. Museum supporters, including donors of works of art, are unlikely to continue their support of a museum that has no control over its professional practices.

Further, such disposal of work undermines the mission of the academic museum, whose collections directly support pedagogical programs and the appreciation of art for the general public.

The AAMG, which has more than 400 members across the country, joins the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) in its statement of December 8, 2011, in condemning the ruling and proposed partial sale of the Stieglitz collection. The proposed use of the deaccession funds stands in opposition to the ethical and professional standards established by the museum field and threatens the integrity of all university collections.

AAMG responds to potential sale of Iowa's Pollock Painting

February 18, 2011

David W. Miles, President
Board of Regents, State of Iowa
11260 Aurora Avenue
Urbandale, IA 50322

Dear President Miles,

I am writing to you in my capacity as a university museum director of thirty-years and as president of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries http://www.aamg-us.org/ . Ours is the principal organization of university and college museums of art, cultural heritage, natural history, anthropology, history and science in the United States.

We have noted in the press that Representative Raecker is considering proposing a bill before the Iowa General Assembly that would result in the removal and sale of the painting "Mural" by Jackson Pollock from the collection of the University of Iowa Museum of Art. As an association, we and other art and museum associations have addressed a similar move on two previous occasions--following the flood and at the beginning of the nation's economic downturn. (On both occasions, we expressed our concerns and were pleased to see the University of Iowa President Sally Mason and others move to maintain the painting's status as one of the most important works of art belonging to Iowa.) From our professional standpoint, such a move remains counter to our ethical and professional standards in regards to donor wishes and relations in the giving of art to museums. It could also place the University of Iowa Museum in jeopardy of losing its accreditation by the American Association of Museums, the ramifications of which could possibly affect future art and exhibition loans to the Museum and also its fundraising capacity and art donor relationships.

We do appreciate, as we understand it, the desire to convert the proceeds to scholarships. Fundraising for such needs are always a priority and a challenge. We are nonetheless against the removal and sale of "Mural", even for this reason. While spending his adult life as a painter in New York and environs, Jackson Pollock was a native Westerner and his spirit of independence and individual expression helped create the first uniquely American art movement - Abstract Expressionism. His mentor and teacher was the Missourian Thomas Hart Benton (whose capital murals were my first exposure to the arts as a boy growing up in Jefferson City): Pollock's art belongs to that same fluid expression of American freedom and individuality. "Mural" is among the finest examples of this. Having it in the heart of the country and belonging to state whose influence on American history and politics is profound, is just right, in our minds. Its availability to the state's and region's future leaders has a qualitative value worth preserving.

The painting has suffered greatly from its recent moves. I know from colleagues who have been involved in moving the painting in the recent past that it is fragile and loses paint with each jostling. I fear the idea of having the painting return periodically to the University would put this important cultural artifact in further danger. As our prime directive as museum professionals is to first and foremost preserve the cultural materials in our care for the public--present and future--we bring this to your attention as an important consideration.

We urge the University of Iowa Board of Regents to take action to allow the University and Museum to continue to work toward the collection's restoration on campus and advance its important cultural and educational roles there and with its most renowned work of art on the wall and available for study, enjoyment and inspiration for present and future generations.

Sincerely,

David Alan Robertson
President, AAMG

AAMG joins other associations in response to the turmoil in Egypt

New York, NY-February 2, 2011- Recent news reports about the turmoil in Egypt have varyingly suggested that some damage was done to works of ancient art in Egyptian museums-and that those who attempted to do harm were stopped. Just as we worry about the safety of Egypt's citizens in this time of civil unrest, so, too, do we worry about the safety of the country's cultural heritage-- works of art and material culture crucial to our understanding of world civilization and humanity.

We, the representatives of the leading American museums and university art and art history departments, stand with all Egyptians in their determination to protect 5,000 years of history, including those objects from history that remain unexcavated. Our members-more than 21,000 institutions and individuals-stand ready to assist in any way possible to secure the art and artifacts of Egypt.

American Association of Museums, Ford Bell, President
Association of Art Museum Directors, Kaywin Feldman, President
Association of Art Museum Curators, John Ravenal, President
Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, David Alan Robertson, President
College Art Association, Barbara Nesin, President

Contacts:

Janet Landay / Christine Anagnos
Association of Art Museum Directors
212-754-8084
jlanday@aamd.org
canagnos@aamd.org

Sascha Freudenheim / Elizabeth Chapman
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
212-671-5172 / 212-671-5159
sfreudenheim@resnicowschroeder.com
echapman@resnicowschroeder.com

A Statement from the Board of the AAMG concerning Censorship

Undertaking research, questioning what conventional thought considers unquestionable, and exploring new ideas and alternative views of human experience and the world around us are foundational to the role of academic museums and galleries. These responsibilities parallel, on several points, the nature of artistic creation and scientific inquiry, and utilize academic museums and galleries as research centers appropriate to our parent universities and colleges.

While careful discrimination is necessarily part of the deliberation about what we collect and exhibit--a deliberation that involves many parties and points of view in our atmosphere of debate, learning, and research--censorship is not.

Censorship is here defined as allowing a singular point of view, personal prejudice or questionable cultural bias to suppress the open exchange of ideas, the lifeblood of academe.

The AAMG strongly condemns such censorship and most particularly when it concerns art and scientific exhibitions and the development of collections.

AAM Accreditation Commission Announces New Policy On Museum Parent Organization Support

New Statement of Support Language Designed to Protect College Museums and Their Collections

Washington, DC -

Responding to increasing instances of threats to the sanctity of university museums and their collections, the American Association of Museums's (AAM) Accreditation Commission -- in collaboration with the Task Force on College and University Museums -- has revised its existing policy on "Statements of Support from Parent Organizations." The revisions specifically emphasize the role, value, and use of the collections, and related museum ethics and standards. The revised policy requires parent organizations--college/university, government, corporate foundation, state historical society operating multiple sites, etc.--of accredited museums to include language in a required statement of support which specifically prohibits museum collections from being considered as disposable assets.

"This new accreditation policy will play a significant role in educating academic leaders about the intrinsic value of their museums and collections, as well as their obligations to sustain both," said David Alan Robertson, president of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries and the Katz Director of the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University.

The purpose of the existing policy since it debuted in 2005 is to give the Accreditation Commission some assurance of the sustainability and longevity of an institution that is not autonomous. The Accreditation Commission also requires museums that are part of a parent organization to submit evidence, issued/approved by the parent organization's governing body, documenting the importance of the museum, and the collections in its care, to the parent organization; the parent organization's commitment to use its resources to support the museum and its mission, and to protect the museum's tangible and intangible assets held in the public trust

The revised Accreditation Commission policy requires such statements of support as part of the accreditation process. Failure to provide such documentation may result in a museum not receiving accreditation or being re-accredited. The complete text of the new policy, with revisions noted, can be found at: http://www.aam-us.org/museumresources/accred/MoreStandards.cfm.

The impetus for this policy and for the formation of the Task Force itself was a series of episodes of museum parent organizations looking to sell pieces from the museum's collections in order to sustain the parent through economic difficulties. These incidents include the much-publicized events at Brandeis University and its Rose Art Museum, Fisk University, and the Maier Museum at Randolph College. Neil L. Rudenstine, President, Emeritus, Harvard University, writes, "To those institutions that, in recent years, have considered selling works of art to help strengthen their operating budgets, I would urge them to take this issue off the table. Find other ways. The total costs--in education, in trust, in integrity, in adverse opinion and controversy, and even in lost future gifts--far outweigh the immediate benefits, however tempting a sale may seem."

Both the Accreditation Commission and the Task Force, which was formed in April 2009, contend the new, more specific policy language strengthens affected museums' presence within their organizational governing structure and articulates the essential role these institutions fulfill within their parent organization. Implementation of the new policy also provides an opportunity to educate the parent organization leadership about museum standards and ethics, thereby offering greater protection from threats to the museum's tangible and intangible assets.

According to Janet Landay, Executive Director of the Association of Art Museum Directors, "The organizations in the task force came together to support the crucial role art museums play on American campuses. Through the strengthening of this policy we are signaling to colleges and universities that the collections at their museums are not disposable assets, rather they are invaluable educational resources for current and future generations of students."

The new policy applies to numerous institutions. About 35% of the nation's 779 accredited museums operate within a parent organization, and 40% of this subgroup are part of a college or university. While the Accreditation Commission's policy requirements are only enforceable at AAM accredited museums, they have an important impact and value for all museums in parent organizations.

"AAM's Accreditation revisions represent an important safeguard to the vitality and well being of academic museums and their collections," said William Durden, president of Dickinson College. "The revisions highlight the significance of original source material as the basis for inspiration, study and enjoyment. They underscore the authority of academic museums to manage their collections, which they hold in public trust, according to established professional standards for the benefit of those in the academy and visitors. But most importantly, these measures represent a pivotal barrier against the disturbing trend to regard vital academic and cultural resources as disposable, unrestricted assets."

In the past year, the Task Force has engaged with college and university presidents to educate these leaders in the value campus museums bring to a well-rounded educational experience. The Task Force also launched a petition campaign in support of campus museums (currently signed by more than 2000 individuals) and utilized paid media to communicate its message to key constituencies.

The Task Force on University and College Museums is co-chaired by Robertson and Lyndel King, director and chief curator of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota and includes representatives from:
-- American Association of Museums (AAM)
-- Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD)
-- Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG)
-- College Art Association (CAA)
-- Samuel H. Kress Foundation
-- University Museums and Collections--International Council of Museums (UMAC)
-- Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC)
-- Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC)

For more information contact:
Dewey Blanton
AAM Media Relations
dblanton@aam-us.org
202-218-7704

AAMG in Action

• Valuing Collections in Times of Crisis: University Museums as Primary Resources for Learning, Featured Presentation at the Higher Learning Commission Conference - April 2010 -
• AAMG Changes Name
• AAMG Responds to the Closure of the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University - Winter 2009 -
• AAMG Letter to Obama Transition Team about IMLS - Winter 2009 -
• AAMG Responds to Deaccession Issues - Fall 2008 -