Open Forum

It's lonely at the top.  Being a museum director has many challenges, not the least of which is how to get timely and useful input from our professional peers on dealing with ticklish issues that none of us would post on this open forum.  I am seeking ideas on how such a closed forum could be set up.  Can it be as simple as a locked Facebook page?  Or even simpler, just an email list?  Entry would, of course, require providing your bona fides as a museum director.

I think most directors would agree that being able to consult the hive-mind would be a great way to learn how others have dealt with the kinds of situations that confront us.  Any thoughts on this?

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David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
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In the past a group of us have used a list serve and that has worked well.  I would be interested in joining as this progresses.

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Ruth Haus
President
Living History Farms
Urbandale IA

Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2016 11:01 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

It's lonely at the top.  Being a museum director has many challenges, not the least of which is how to get timely and useful input from our professional peers on dealing with ticklish issues that none of us would post on this open forum.  I am seeking ideas on how such a closed forum could be set up.  Can it be as simple as a locked Facebook page?  Or even simpler, just an email list?  Entry would, of course, require providing your bona fides as a museum director.

I think most directors would agree that being able to consult the hive-mind would be a great way to learn how others have dealt with the kinds of situations that confront us.  Any thoughts on this?

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------

The original Directors Forum conference has a very long and interesting history and was open to ALL art museum directors.

For the first 10-years it was presented by the American Federation of Arts until they shifted away from professional conferences. At the time there was a huge outcry over the loss of the program. Consequently, a group of museum professionals got together to form the all-volunteer Art Museum Partnership, which presented the Directors Forum for 10-more years with great success and maintained the program's impeccable reputation in the field.

As a volunteer endeavor, a national three-day conference was an enormous undertaking. Corporate sponsorship and membership support made the cost-effective program possible and enabled the Art Museum Partnership to keep the participation fees very low.  The program offered three days of educational programing, an opening dinner, two lunches, evening receptions and museum/gallery tours. Also, none of the New York museums that participated charged the program for use of their facilities. 

It was a tremendous amount of work for all of the volunteers who contributed their expertise and efforts. Unfortunately, the Directors Forum conference was not sustainable indefinately as volunteer effort due to the scope of the program and the many responsibilities. Over several years the Art Museum Partnership made numerous unsuccessful efforts to merge with other institutions that could provide the staffing and support that the program needed. A very difficult decision was finally made to end the Directors Forum.

All of the recent buzz about the Directors Forum may signal that it is time to re-imagine the program under the umbrella of a new organization with the resources to support its mission.

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John Nichols
New York NY

Original Message:
Sent: 03-23-2016 11:27 AM
From: Ruth Haus
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

In the past a group of us have used a list serve and that has worked well.  I would be interested in joining as this progresses.

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Ruth Haus
President
Living History Farms
Urbandale IA

I would also be interested in such a  forum. I believe a listserv or Facebook approach could work. Facebook approach provides a nice interface and communication tools, while listserv is more direct but can quickly become unwieldy, if threads not effectively used or filtered. 

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Renee Renner PhD
Executive Director
Gateway Science Museum
Chico CA

Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2016 11:01 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

It's lonely at the top.  Being a museum director has many challenges, not the least of which is how to get timely and useful input from our professional peers on dealing with ticklish issues that none of us would post on this open forum.  I am seeking ideas on how such a closed forum could be set up.  Can it be as simple as a locked Facebook page?  Or even simpler, just an email list?  Entry would, of course, require providing your bona fides as a museum director.

I think most directors would agree that being able to consult the hive-mind would be a great way to learn how others have dealt with the kinds of situations that confront us.  Any thoughts on this?

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------

Hi All,

The Art Museum Partnership used to organize an annual Directors Forum in New York City.  Perhaps if they knew that it was of interest, they'd revive it.  It was a wonderful program and ideal opportunity for museum directors (particularly from smaller and mid-sized institutions) to connect.

Art Museum Partnership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia		remove preview
Art Museum Partnership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Art Museum Partnership is a New York City-based non-profit organization that provides the nonprofit art museums with educational opportunities that facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and collections. The Partnership was primarily established to benefit the small to medium-sized museums that comprise the largest segment in the field. View this on Wikipedia >

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Lisbeth Mark
Managing Principal
Bow Bridge Communications
New York NY

Original Message:
Sent: 03-23-2016 12:54 PM
From: Renee Renner
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

I would also be interested in such a  forum. I believe a listserv or Facebook approach could work. Facebook approach provides a nice interface and communication tools, while listserv is more direct but can quickly become unwieldy, if threads not effectively used or filtered. 

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Renee Renner PhD
Executive Director
Gateway Science Museum
Chico CA

I would be interested in this, as well.  I had attended the Directors Forum in NYC way back when and it was terrific. 

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Lisa Tremper Hanover
Director and CEO
James A. Michener Art Museum
Doylestown PA

Original Message:
Sent: 03-24-2016 10:15 AM
From: Lisbeth Mark
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

Hi All,

The Art Museum Partnership used to organize an annual Directors Forum in New York City.  Perhaps if they knew that it was of interest, they'd revive it.  It was a wonderful program and ideal opportunity for museum directors (particularly from smaller and mid-sized institutions) to connect.

Art Museum Partnership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia		remove preview
Art Museum Partnership - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Art Museum Partnership is a New York City-based non-profit organization that provides the nonprofit art museums with educational opportunities that facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and collections. The Partnership was primarily established to benefit the small to medium-sized museums that comprise the largest segment in the field. View this on Wikipedia >

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Lisbeth Mark
Managing Principal
Bow Bridge Communications
New York NY

I would be interested in joining the group as well.

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Patricia Relay
Executive Director
Valdez Museum & Historical Archive
Valdez AK

Original Message:
Sent: 03-22-2016 11:01 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Offline Director's Forum

It's lonely at the top.  Being a museum director has many challenges, not the least of which is how to get timely and useful input from our professional peers on dealing with ticklish issues that none of us would post on this open forum.  I am seeking ideas on how such a closed forum could be set up.  Can it be as simple as a locked Facebook page?  Or even simpler, just an email list?  Entry would, of course, require providing your bona fides as a museum director.

I think most directors would agree that being able to consult the hive-mind would be a great way to learn how others have dealt with the kinds of situations that confront us.  Any thoughts on this?

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------