Decade of Museums

Decade of Museums
Name	Decade of Museums
Formation	2010s
Type	International initiative
Headquarters	Geneva
Region served	Global
Language	English
Leader title	Director

Decade of Museums was an international initiative launched to promote conservation, accessibility, and innovation across cultural heritage institutions during a defined ten-year period. The initiative aimed to catalyze cooperation among leading museums, foundations, intergovernmental organizations, and professional bodies to address threats to collections, enhance public engagement, and foster sustainable practices. It convened stakeholders ranging from national museums to private foundations to implement standards, fund research, and advocate for policy change.

Background and Origins

The initiative emerged from conferences and declarations involving UNESCO, ICOM (International Council of Museums), UNDP, World Bank, and national ministries such as the British Museum's partners and the Smithsonian Institution. Early framing drew on reports commissioned by the Getty Conservation Institute, the European Union cultural heritage programs, and recommendations from the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Science and Technology and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. Key founding meetings referenced outcomes from the Venice Charter, the Hague Convention, and the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, aligning with priorities set by the World Heritage Committee and the UN General Assembly cultural resolutions.

Goals and Objectives

Primary objectives included strengthening collections care protocols promoted by the Getty Conservation Institute and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, expanding digital access modeled after initiatives by the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the Europeana platform, and improving disaster preparedness using frameworks from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The initiative sought to develop training curricula in partnership with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the University of Oxford, the Columbia University preservation programs, and the Sorbonne, while advocating policy instruments compatible with recommendations from the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Key Initiatives and Programs

Programs included a peer-review accreditation scheme inspired by the American Alliance of Museums and the Collections Trust, a capacity-building fellowship modeled after the Getty Foundation grants and the Prince Claus Fund, and a digital digitization roadmap leveraging standards from the International Council on Archives and the Digital Public Library of America. Pilot projects paired institutions such as the Louvre Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Hermitage Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Museum of China with museums in partnership networks like the Asia-Europe Museum Network and the African Arts Institute. Emergency response partnerships referenced protocols used by the Smithsonian Institution's emergency conservation team and the Museum Conservation Institute, while collaborative exhibitions drew on loan agreements reminiscent of exchanges between the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery.

Governance and Funding

Governance combined advisory roles from international bodies including UNESCO and ICOM, steering committees with representatives from institutions such as the British Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and philanthropic funders like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Funding mechanisms integrated grants from the European Commission's cultural programs, private donations channeled via the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, and partnership schemes with multilateral lenders such as the World Bank Cultural Heritage Program. Institutional membership fees, project-specific sponsorships from corporations like Google and Microsoft for digitization, and in-kind support from universities including Harvard University and the University of Cambridge supplemented the budget.

Member Institutions and Partnerships

Membership spanned national museums, university museums, and specialist collections including the Pergamon Museum, the Tate Modern, the Prado Museum, the State Hermitage Museum, the Uffizi Gallery, the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), the Museo Nacional del Prado, the Göteborgs konstmuseum, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of Korea, and the São Paulo Museum of Art. Partnerships extended to conservation organizations like the International Centre for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), research centers such as the Smithsonian Institution Research Centers, and networks including the Association of Art Museum Directors and the Network of European Museum Organisations.

Impact and Outcomes

Reported outcomes included improved preventive conservation protocols at partner sites following pilot assessments modeled on ICCROM methodologies, expanded digital collections contributed to aggregators such as Europeana and the Digital Public Library of America, and strengthened exchange programs similar to long-standing collaborations between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Palace Museum. Evaluations cited case studies from the National Museum of Anthropology (Spain) and the Royal Ontario Museum showing measurable improvements in collections care and visitor interpretation. Several member institutions leveraged project funding to revise strategic plans consistent with guidelines from the American Alliance of Museums and to implement risk management systems aligned with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction frameworks.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critics pointed to uneven resource distribution echoing debates involving the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on development aid, concerns about digital repatriation raised in dialogues with the British Museum and the National Museums Liverpool, and disagreements over governance transparency reminiscent of controversies involving the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Foundation. Additional challenges included sustaining funding after major grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation or the European Commission phased out, balancing loan policies seen in disputes involving the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the National Gallery of Art, and addressing ethical questions about provenance central to cases adjudicated by courts in jurisdictions linked to the International Court of Justice and national cultural property laws.

Category:Museum organizations