Archives for 2009

Janet Landay, executive director of AAMDEven more besides-the-point than defending the worth of art museums on the basis of economic-impact arguments (how much financial activity they generate in their communities) is defending them as social service agencies. But that seems to be the thrust of a new initiative just announced by the Association of Art Museum Directors.In his … [Read more...] about AAMD Examines the Value of Art Museums to Society (What About the Art?)

NY State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky The recently released proposed final regulations governing deaccessions by museums and historical societies chartered by the NY State Board of Regents are a big step in the right direction. But they don't go far enough. What's missing is a key provision of the bill introduced in the State Legislature (and later revised) by Assemblyman … [Read more...] about Deaccession Database: What’s Missing from the Proposed NY State Regulations

James Dawson, chair of the NY State Board of Regents' Cultural Education Committee, which oversees museumsGet ready to draft your comments, deaccessionistas!The NY State Board of Regents has just come out with its Proposed Permanent Amendment that would govern deaccession practices of museums and historical societies chartered by the Board. (Institutions chartered before 1890 … [Read more...] about Deaccession Obsession: NY State Board of Regents Issues Proposed Final Regulations

UIMA@IMU: University of Iowa Museum of Art's temporary, renovated new digsIn the continuing saga of the University of Iowa Museum's recovery from the devastating June 2008 flood, its new "visual classroom" elsewhere on campus, displaying more than 500 works (including about 250 works on paper), will open for student previews this Saturday. On Sept. 8, it will begin its schedule … [Read more...] about Iowa University Museum’s Flood Recovery: New Art Space Opens

Michael Govan talks lobster at last year's opening of LACMA's Broad Contemporary Art Museum The short answer to the question in the above headline? Yes. The LA Times has been casting a harsh spotlight on the compensation of Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who reportedly is receiving nearly $1 million this year in salary, deferred … [Read more...] about Is Michael Govan Worth a Million Bucks?

Are you ready for this new experiment in my quest for micro-donations?Several of you have told me that paying $1.50 for one day's worth of CultureGrrl Links is too cumbersome. You can, of course, streamline matters by creating your own PayPal account (at PayPal.com), so the payment process becomes more efficient, rather than a form-filling nuisance.But here's another option: … [Read more...] about Lee’s List: What CultureGrrl is Reading Today (and a new pricing plan)

Don BacigalupiRepeat after me: "BAA-chee-ga-loop-ee."That's the new director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Don Bacigalupi, who held a press conference yesterday in Bentonville, AR, primarily for local and regional publications. Afterwards, he initiated some one-on-one phone chats with other journalists, including CultureGrrl.A three-time art museum director … [Read more...] about Bacigalupi Goes Bentonville; Crystal Bridges Goes Glocal

Is CultureGrrl "a new model in cultural coverage"?Maybe. Perhaps not. But this continuing work-in-progress (or lack thereof) is Number 46 of 109 projects vying for that designation (and the generous first prize) at the National Summit on Arts Journalism.If you would like to see my self-praising pitch to the competition's jurors, go here. If nothing else, it will tell you how I … [Read more...] about CultureGrrl Competes: The Future of Arts Journalism?

A one-minute video (above) of the National Endowment for the Arts' new chairman is now posted on the agency's website, along with the transcript. Here's what he says:Hello, I am Rocco Landesman. I am honored to serve the country in my new role as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts Endowment is dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and … [Read more...] about NEA Video: “Rocco Landesman Greets the Nation” (and Peoria)

Don Bacigalupi, new director of Crystal Bridges Museum[UPDATE: My interview with Bacigalupi is here.]Don Bacigalupi, director of the Toledo Museum of Art, has just been named director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, succeeding Bob Workman, who resigned in March. Bacigalupi, who assumes his post in late October, is a specialist in post-World War … [Read more...] about News Flash: Don Bacigalupi Named Director of Crystal Bridges Museum

Send a micro-donation of $1.50 my way (via my "Donate" button in the middle column), and I'll shoot you my latest links: Culture Wars revival; fractional gifts (two links); "Afghanistan's" unsung hero; endowment spending (or lack thereof).There's been a lull on the macro-donation front, because you're all at the pool or the beach. When you get back, please remember that for $5 … [Read more...] about Lee’s List: What CultureGrrl is Reading Today

Deborah Gribbon It's taken almost five years, but Deborah Gribbon, who in 2004 resigned her position as director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, over conflicts with the Getty Trust's then president, Barry Munitz, will soon have a new museum gig---interim director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, succeeding Timothy Rub, who will assume the directorship of the … [Read more...] about News Flash: Deborah Gribbon Named Cleveland Museum’s Interim Director

The Italian-language version of Elgin's firman, owned by the British MuseumDuring his recent conversation with Tate director Nicholas Serota at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Neil MacGregor, the British Museum's director, said this about Lord Elgin's removal from Athens to England of the Parthenon Marbles:There's no question it was legal because you … [Read more...] about Elgin’s Shaky Grounds: How Firm Was the Firman?

The real Julie and Eric Powell, taking a break from cooking, blogging, movie premieres (and editing)At last, a hit movie about blogging!I was thoroughly enjoying the entire "Julie & Julia" movie---the parts about the down-to-earth (and sometimes downtrodden) food blogger, Julie Powell, just as much as those about the celebrated progenitor of all those television cooking … [Read more...] about “Julie & Julia” & CultureGrrl: The Donation Connection

You've gotta click the "Read more" jump link on the NY Times' ArtsBeat blog page (10:17 a.m. entry) to find me, but Dave Itzkoff today links thrice to CultureGrrl, in his post on Rock-the-Boat Rocco (my new nickname for Landesman, not theirs).Top billing in Dave's blog item, With First Interview, New NEA Chairman Stirs the Online Pot, deservedly goes to today's Bloomberg … [Read more...] about The Landesman Watch: NY Times Triple-Links to CultureGrrl