Judging from the large number of viewers of my 12-minute CultureGrrl Video excerpting comments from last October’s all-star panel discussion of Art Museum Funding at the Crossroads, I’m certain that some of you wish you were there.
Now you can be.
The American Federation of Arts, which organized the event, has posted videos of the entire fascinating discussion—here (Part I) and here (Part II).
At 46:02 in Part II, you’ll hear me pose the final audience question, regarding the issue of donor influence on exhibitions—possible pressure both from foreign governments (like China’s), which have concerns about how their countries are portrayed; and from art dealers, collectors and others, who may have a direct market-related interest not only in increasing certain artists’ exposure but also in how those artists are presented.
Responding to my provocative two-parter were Tom Campbell, director of the Metropolitan Museum, and Ari Wiseman, deputy director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. CultureGrrl readers may remember that I have already posted the transcript of that interchange, but it’s more interesting to watch the these museum luminaries grapple with those thorny issues “live.”