from the DIRECTOR
board of ADVISORS
As I am writing this report, I am awaiting a symposium Zoom call on — yes, once again — deaccessioning. In this case, the discussion has been disagreements over the use of monies earned from selling works of art, as usual, but with the Association of Art Museum Directors’ moratori- um on the requirement that funds be used only for acquisition of works of art, the floodgates have opened, and you have probably been reading about the brouhahas over the actual and potential sales of art from the Brooklyn Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. This new decision by the trustees of AAMD, however, included a directive that the museums taking advantage of the less stringent application of the heretofore sacrosanct policy must use the funds for deaccessioning for direct care of the museum’s collections, thus giving pandemic-weary and financially strapped museums a means to care for collections through their interpretation of the undefined phrase “direct care.” Does that only mean conservation and framing, or does it include a new HVAC system, or even a new roof? What then is “indirect care”? The symposium hosted multiple speakers from art museums and a spe- cial session on academic museums, for which the subject is vital. I was a panelist and with my colleague Andria Derstine, of Oberlin College, tried to hold the line, at least to have it understood that academic muse- ums normally do not have governing boards, but are “embedded” in a parent organization. While the session in which I appeared dealt with the perils of academic museums and while deaccessioning for purposes other than for acqui- sitions becomes more prevalent, the rest of the two-day conference dealt not only with definitions of direct care but also with how collection management intersected with museums’ roles in advancing social justice and equality. Since then, journalists and pundits have written of the rift among museum directors over these issues and how proceeds from deaccessioning can be used for pay raises, for equity and representation of minority artists, including women, in collections and on boards and staffs. As for the continuing issue of deaccessioning, fortunately, this museum has the guidance of AAMD’s “Professional Practices in Art Museums” as well as a new toolkit by the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. Through our adherence to both, we can seek guidance for collection management. The latter also explains and suggests alter- natives to selling works of art to develop an endowment, shoring up failing sources ravaged by the pandemic and monetizing objects to use as collateral or capitalization. We believe that deaccessioning has its place, but there are ways to continue to diversify our collection without monetizing it. We do not shy away from those discussions here at the Georgia Muse- um of Art. Rather, we recognize not only that change is inevitable but that it is also desirable. Our commitment is to our whole audience — to everyone who passes through our doors. Our collection has been diversi- fied since our founding by our first director and donor Alfred Holbrook to include works by women, by Black artists, by Latinos, by LGBTQ+ artists, by a whole gamut of artists corresponding to recent theories of intersec- tionality. We continue to collect artists of whatever persuasion as long as their work advances our goal of visual-arts education, truly the core mission of art for all.
David Mulkey Carl. W. Mullis III * Betty R. Myrtle ** Gloria B. Norris *** Deborah L. O’Kain Randall S. Ott Gordhan L. Patel, immediate past chair Janet W. Patterson Christopher R. Peterson, chair-elect Kathy B. Prescott Rowland A. Radford Jr. * Annemarie S. Reynolds *** Margaret A. Rolando * Julie M. Roth Alan F. Rothschild * Jan E. Roush Bert Russo Sarah P. Sams ** D. Jack Sawyer Jr. * Henry C. Schwob ** Mr. Ronald K. Shelp Margaret R. Spalding Dudley R. Stevens Carolyn Tanner ** Anne Wall Thomas *** Brenda A. Thompson William E. Torres C. Noel Wadsworth * Carol V. Winthrop Gregory Ann Woodruff Ex-Officio Lacy Camp Linda C. Chesnut William Underwood Eiland S. Jack Hu Kelly Kerner Marisa Pagnatarro
B. Heyward Allen Jr. * Rinne Allen Amalia K. Amaki ** June M. Ball Linda N. Beard Karen L. Benson ** Richard E. Berkowitz Sally Bradley Jeanne L. Berry Devereux C. Burch * Robert E. Burton ** Debra C. Callaway ** Shannon I. Candler *
Faye S. Chambers Harvey J. Coleman Sharon Cooper James Cunningham Martha Randolph Daura *** Annie Laurie Dodd *** Sally Dorsey ** Howard F. Elkins Judith A. Ellis Todd Emily James B. Fleece Phoebe Forio *** John M. Greene ** Helen C. Griffith ** Barbara Guillaume Judith F. Hernstadt Marion E. Jarrell ** Jane Compton Johnson * George-Ann Knox * Shell H. Knox * Andrew Littlejohn D. Hamilton Magill David W. Matheny, chair Mark G. McConnell Marilyn M. McMullan Marilyn D. McNeely Ibby Mills
* Lifetime member
** Emeritus member
*** Honorary member
Mission Statement: The Georgia Museum of Art shares the mission of the University of Georgia to support and to promote teaching, research and service. Specifically, as a repos- itory and educational instrument of the visual arts, the museum exists to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret significant works of art. Partial support for the exhibitions and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is ADA compliant; the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium is equipped for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors. The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic informa- tion or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-admin- istered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822. https://eoo.uga.edu/
WilliamU. Eiland, Director
We thank the Landon Family Foundation for operating support.
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