Press Releases & Statements

The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) Mid-Winter Meeting will be held in Kansas City, MO, beginning Sunday, January 27. AAMD was invited to Kansas City by members Julián Zugazagoitia (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) and Saralyn Reece Hardy (Spencer Museum of Art); the group will also visit the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

The meeting is centered on a series of presentations and panel discussions by AAMD members and outside speakers. The meeting also includes the first panel discussion open to the public, a new initiative by AAMD to engage local audiences in thinking about issues of importance to the museum field. Program highlights include:

• The keynote address by R. Crosby Kemper III, the Director of the Kansas City Public Library. Mr. Kemper, who has been extensively involved with both library and education initiatives throughout his career, will speak about audience engagement and cultivation opportunities and challenges.
• A panel discussion—open to the public—entitled “Thriving Arts, Thriving Cities”, will feature Samuel Arbesman, Senior Scholar, Kauffman Foundation; R. Crosby Kemper III, Director of the Kansas City Public Library; Adam Lerner, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, and will be moderated by Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
• A presentation about the application of AAMD’s guidelines for collecting antiquities and ancient art, and updates on changes in the field, led by Maxwell Anderson, Chair, Task Force on Archaeological Material & Ancient Art; Sharon Cott, General Counsel, Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Josh Knerly, Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP.
• A report on future-focused initiatives by several AAMD members growing out of presentations in 2011 by management professor and author Jeff DeGraff, to be presented by Kaywin Feldman, Director, Minneapolis Museum of Art; Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; John Wetenhall; and Brian Kennedy, Director, Toledo Museum of Art.

Additional sessions provide opportunities for members to discuss other current topics and issues of relevance to the field, share information, and hold committee and task force meetings for members. The complete schedule is included in this press release's PDF file.

The Association of Art Museum Directors—representing 217 art museum directors in the US, Canada, and Mexico—promotes the vital role of art museums throughout North America and advances the profession by cultivating leadership and communicating standards of excellence in museum practice. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org.