Association of Art Museum Curators
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| Association of Art Museum Curators | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of Art Museum Curators |
| Formation | 2001 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | Art museum curators |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Association of Art Museum Curators is a professional organization based in New York City that represents curators working in art museums and cultural institutions. It operates at the intersection of major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The association engages with galleries like Gagosian Gallery, auction houses including Sotheby's and Christie's, and international institutions such as the Tate Modern, Louvre, Museo Nacional del Prado, Rijksmuseum, Uffizi Gallery, Hermitage Museum, and National Gallery, London.
History
The association was founded in response to professional developments affecting curators at institutions like the Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Early meetings included curators from the Guggenheim Museum, The Frick Collection, Morgan Library & Museum, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. It evolved alongside trends exemplified by exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, retrospectives at the Tate Britain, and acquisitions involving the J. Paul Getty Museum and National Portrait Gallery. The growth paralleled policy shifts seen in institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Getty Research Institute.
Mission and Activities
The association's mission addresses professional standards at museums such as the Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Seattle Art Museum. Activities encompass advocacy similar to efforts by the American Alliance of Museums, collaboration with foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Kresge Foundation, and programmatic work akin to initiatives at the National Endowment for the Arts and Council on Foundations. The group also engages with regulatory and ethical matters that intersect with institutions including ICOM, UNESCO, and national cultural agencies.
Membership and Organization
Membership draws curators from a wide range of institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Dallas Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, Kimbell Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Walker Art Center, Cincinnati Art Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, and Portland Art Museum. Organizational governance has included board members with ties to the Princeton University Art Museum, Yale Center for British Art, Harvard Art Museums, Columbia University museums, Smith College Museum of Art, and the University of California, Los Angeles's Hammer Museum. Committees reflect practice areas represented at the National Gallery of Canada, Australian National Gallery, and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Publications and Research
The association issues publications and supports research projects similar in scope to catalogs produced by the Museum of Modern Art, monographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and critical essays associated with the Tate Modern and V&A Publications. Its writings have addressed provenance topics investigated at the German Lost Art Foundation, return cases involving the Holocaust Claims Processing Office, and provenance research comparable to efforts at the British Museum. Collaborative research has involved partnerships with academic presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and university centers like the Courtauld Institute of Art, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, and CUNY Graduate Center.
Conferences, Awards, and Professional Development
The association organizes conferences and training that mirror programs at the College Art Association, symposia hosted by the Getty Conservation Institute, workshops in the style of the Smithsonian Institution, and leadership initiatives like those at the American Alliance of Museums. Awards and grants have honored curators with recognition comparable to the MacArthur Fellowship, Getty/CalArts Fellowship, Henry Luce Foundation support, and prizes similar to the Aldrich Prize. Professional development includes fellowships and internships connected with institutions such as the Prado, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Israel Museum, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, and Shanghai Museum.
Notable Projects and Collaborations
Notable projects include joint efforts with museums that hosted blockbuster exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, traveling shows coordinated with the Museo Nacional del Prado, and collaborative conservation projects akin to partnerships between the Louvre and the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha. The association has partnered with academic institutions such as Columbia University, New York University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and research institutes like the Getty Research Institute and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Advocacy work has intersected with policy discussions involving UNESCO World Heritage Committee listings, repatriation cases connected to the Benin Bronzes conversations, and ethical guidelines promoted alongside ICOM-US and national cultural heritage bodies.